TORTURE

NIGHT FANG PACK

LUMA

The silence was deafening. The darkness was lonely.

I shivered against the bars of my cell. I hadn't eaten in twenty-four hours. Lumina was weak. Almost fading. And I couldn't stop shaking.

To make matters worse, something was biting me.

I slapped my arm. Hoping it was just a mosquito.

Then I smelled my palm.

Lice.

The crawling didn't stop. Tiny legs. Tiny bites. I scratched until my skin burned. Lumina whimpered. "Don't let them win," she whispered. But I was losing.

I stood up fast. Shook out my clothes. Changed spots. But nothing helped. The crawling only got worse.

I kept changing spots in the dark, hoping to escape the insects. Dust clung to my clothes every time I moved.

After what felt like an eternity, the door opened. A small torch light cut through the dark.

"Look at the little rogue. Why are you hitting yourself so much?" Tristan's brother, Daniel. He never missed a chance to make my life hell.

"I brought your food." He stepped in and placed the plate in front of me.

White rice. Half a cup of water. The cup looked dirty.

I didn't move. Didn't give him the satisfaction. He waited, staring.

Then my stomach betrayed me. A loud growl echoed off the stone walls.

Daniel chuckled. He walked closer. Then he spat directly onto my food.

With a smirk, he turned and left. But not before I saw the foam on his lips.

The light disappeared. I reached out in the dark, found the bowl, and wiped the spit off with my left hand.

I wanted to throw the bowl at his face. To scream. To remind him I was an Alpha's daughter. But my stomach growled again. Pride wouldn't keep me alive. Hunger would.

I ate. The rice was cold. Gritty. His spit had made it worse. But I swallowed anyway. Chewed. Forced it down. My pride as an Alpha's daughter was gone.

I needed to survive.

I gulped down the smelly water. After I finished, I lay down on the cold gravel and closed my eyes.

Then, as if ordered in, mosquitoes followed. They bit quite a few areas. I turned, but they kept coming back.

Exhausted, I finally abandoned myself to sleep.

*****

I woke to very cold liquid dumped over me.

Bile. Collected from prey, no doubt.

The smell flooded my nose. The bitterness coated my tongue.

I coughed. Struggled to open my eyes. My hands moved restlessly to clean my face.

I was on the ground. A window I hadn't noticed before was now open. Sunlight streamed in.

And there stood Tristan. His hair now held in half braids. His hands in the pockets of his blue joggers. His face unreadable.

"Have you decided to talk? Or do you need more days in here?" His voice was cold.

I stayed silent. My heartbeat increased. Then:

"I don't have what you're looking for. I told you before: I don't know where your study is. So how would I take it?"

He shook his head. "Then tell me how you identified the office even with two shielders at your door."

No. He still wasn't listening to me. In a moment of desperation, I told him the truth. Maybe he would finally believe me.

"I didn't take them. Your sister did. She came here yesterday to gloat about it."

For one second one foolish second I thought he'd listen. His eyes flickered. Almost. Then the wall came back up.

Before I finished the sentence, I was against the wall. His hand around my throat. His scent crowding my nose.

"I warn you," he said, voice low, "never speak ill of my sister. If you want to divide us, find another way. Now. Where are the plans?"

"I'm telling you. Your sister—"

He laughed. Shoved me away. Stepped back.

"Should I remind you? You're the outsider. You can't divide us. Now talk. Or I leave you here another day. Or two."

I turned away. I just wasted my time by talking to him. I should have known he'd never believe me.

"I have nothing more to say."

I felt his anger. He stepped close. Then stopped.

"Fine. Get ready to suffer, then."

The door slammed after him. Darkness swallowed me. Alone, I sank to the floor.

And I sobbed.

Not because of him. Not because of the lice or the hunger. Not even because my sister left me.

Because of that night. The one night he held me like I mattered. The best night of my life. The night I thought he wasn't a bad person. And the next morning, he called me cunning. Vicious. Just like my sister.

I sobbed until sleep took me.

*****

When I woke again, it was night. The window was closed. My whole body ached. Sleeping on gravel was pure torture.

A few snores from across the other cells reached me. Sleeping was impossible.

I turned in the dust. Sneezes racked my body. Finally, I slowly sat up.

I brought my arm to my nose to wipe the dust away.

And stopped.

My scent.

It had changed.

Goddess, no.

My heart pounded. Lumina stirred weakly inside me.

It couldn't be.

But I knew what a changing scent meant. I shook my head at the implications.

I couldn't be pregnant.

"We slept with the Alpha," Lumina whispered.

"One time."

"One time is enough to carry a pup."

I pressed my hand to my stomach. A pup. In this cell. In this darkness. I couldn't protect it here. I couldn't even protect myself.

I couldn't tell Tristan. He wouldn't believe me.

Worst ,I couldn't have this pup here either.

So what could I do?