CHAPTER TWO

.LORI

I crawl backward, but Barrett bends over and grabs my hair, lifting me effortlessly. He shakes me furiously like a stubborn cat, and tears stream down at the piercing pain in my head.

“Where do you think you can go, huh? His voice is firm. “You think you can run after cheating on me?”

I place a hand under my protruding stomach as my legs begin to feel limp, but a dry laugh escapes Barrett.

“If not for this little thing inside you that may be mine,” Barrett says. “You'd be long dead, whore.”

But it's not just one. Barrett is unaware that I'm pregnant with twins. I've done my best to hide it from him this far with help from Maya, my former assistant at the hospital. I doubt anything will be different if he knows, so it's better he's kept in the dark.

The thought of telling him, of screaming it at his face, juggles in my mind as he drags me back into the house, but it's pointless. No other pack member shows up as Barrett pushes the back door open and pulls me past the kitchen down to the basement.

I call it a basement, but it's a dungeon. My eyes widen, and I grip Barrett’s leg, my voice cracking as I beg, sobbing.

“Please.” 

Barrett stares down at me with a face void of emotions, and for a moment, I reckon he’s reconsidering. But he snatches the key from his pocket and opens the door hurriedly. As Barrett is about to push me in, Celine steps into the hallway and faces us.

I gaze at Celine, and I quickly silence the thought of begging her. I’d rather die than beg the person who flipped my whole life upside down because of her jealousy. Celine stares at me for a moment, then shifts her gaze to Barrett, gazing at him approvingly.

Barrett shoves me into the dungeon and stands there for a few seconds as I recover from the impact of landing hard on the cold floor. I sigh in defeat and stare into his eyes before he slams the door shut.

I crawl on the cold, dark dungeon floor, feeling with my hand until I reach the wall opposite the door. For what seems like forever, I sit, trying to comfort myself, but gory memories and those to come always invade my thoughts.

I’m not surprised Barrett believed Celine when she brought doctored photos to accuse me of flirting with Karl. Barrett was already distant, and poor Karl was a pawn in Celine’s plot because he never liked her presence around Barrett.

I would find a way out of this, I reason, and my weapon will be my helplessness.

My eyelids close slowly as I begin to doze off, but the door lock blares as it is unlocked, and my heart races in terror. It swings open to reveal Gusto, Barrett’s beta, standing with shoulders square and brows furrowed as he observes me.

“Out, now.” He barks at me.

I hurry to my feet, leaning on the wall to steady myself as my vision blurs and clears slowly. Hunger’s torture is inevitable, especially with two extra lives growing inside me. I stagger slowly towards Gusto, gripping the doorframe as my vision blurs again.

Gusto’s hand creeps under my arm as he holds me steady.

“Don’t die yet.” He says and begins to haul me toward the kitchen. “You still need to pop out Barrett’s pup.”

I raise my head slowly but avoid making eye contact with Gusto. He’s as bad as Barrett, and I didn’t try to convince him of my innocence. We enter the kitchen, and my eyes widen when Celine gazes at me with a mischievous smile playing around her lips.

I gaze outside, sighting the descending sun in the far distance, shielded by tall trees. I was in the dungeon for at least four hours, which explains my nausea. She points to a chair, and Gusto leads me to sit as my legs wobble.

He nods once at Celine and marches out. Celine eyes me, brows furrowed slightly, and then she turns to pick up a plate of cereal and milk. My stomach growls at the sight, but I shake my head in refusal. 

“Where’s Maya?” I whisper, swallowing as I salivate.

“Eat it.” Celine’s voice is firm.

I shake my head again, and Celine smirks. Maya comes in with my meal every day, and Celine always protests that she feeds me too well, so I know she’s up to no good for offering me my favorite morning meal.

“Eat this or starve till tomorrow.” Celine’s voice rises.

A knot tightens in my chest at the thought, and I hold the spoon dipped in the cereal, lifting it slowly with my shaky hand. My nostrils flare at a faint smell of wolfsbane, and my eyes stretch as I jerk my head left, gazing at Celine.

“What?” Celine points at the plate. “My patience is slim, so eat.”

I swallow hard and lift the spoon again. The smell is now gone, but I can swear it was wolfsbane. 

‘My babies.’ The thought pierces my mind.

Suddenly, muffled footfalls approach the kitchen, and my heartbeat speeds up as I drop the spoon quickly, and it hits the plate with a clang. I gaze at the door in hopes of seeing my escape from Celine.

Maya enters the kitchen, and my heart dances as I sigh softly. She freezes, gazing at Celine, then me, and her

eyes widen as they settle on the plate before me.

‘She knows.’