CHAPTER THREE

Meanwhile, Tatsumi sat on the cold, musty ground of the dungeon. The air stunk heavily of rotten flesh and stagnant water, a stark contrast to the pine and earthy scent of the pack house above.

In the dark corners of the cell lay piles of ancient bones, dark reminders of the prisoners who had come before her. The suffocating air forced her to press her face against the iron railings just to breathe in a draft of fresh air. It was still musty, but it was manageable.

Just last night, she had fallen asleep dreaming of her upcoming wedding. She had seen Storm holding her in his large, protective arms, kissing her so tenderly she hadn't wanted to wake up.

Yet, in a cruel twist of reality, he had burst into her room hours later, ordering for her to be thrown into prison for a heinous crime she knew absolutely nothing about.

Today was supposed to be a joyous occasion. As the Grand Heiress, she was meant to perform the pack ritual and bless those thirty precious pups. Now, they were all gone.

How was this possible?

She could still vividly remember sneaking into the nursery to kiss them good night before bed. Her favorite little pup, named Raven, had stubbornly refused to let go of her hand until she cooed him to sleep.

Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks at the memory, but sadness quickly gave way to a cold, hard resolve. She needed to understand what was going on. She needed to prove her innocence and, above all, get justice for those brutally murdered children.

With that resolution burning in her chest, Tatsumi wiped her tears with her sleeves. She stood tall, gripped the cold iron bars, and began furiously banging against them.

The heavy metal clanged violently, the loud, echoing racket piercing through the quiet depths of the prison. In no time, the noise attracted the dungeon guards.

"I want to see my sister. Bring me Liora, now!" Tatsumi ordered, her voice ringing with an uncharacteristic, fiery anger.

The head guard stopped in his tracks, blinking in surprise. Everyone in the pack knew Tatsumi as a gentle, physically weak Omega, but as the Grand Heiress, her bloodline still commanded an innate respect. He wasn't terrified of her physical strength, but her sudden, fierce authority caught him completely off guard.

"I... I don't think that is possible, Your Highness," the guard replied, maintaining a respectful tone despite her chains.

"And why is that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes to match his gaze.

"Because you are currently a prisoner, ma'am," the guard explained, shifting his posture. "Protocol dictates I need Alpha Storm's direct consent before I can even relay a visitation request to Lady Liora."

"Then go and inform them," Tatsumi growled, her voice dropping to a low, royal command. "Do whatever is necessary to get them down here."

The guard offered a crisp bow and hurriedly left the corridor to relay the message.

As his footsteps faded, Tatsumi let out a shaky breath. She desperately needed her sister. In her mind, Liora was the only one who could help her clear her name and fix this nightmare.

Upstairs in the palace's private sector, the heavy air of mourning still hung over the pack. Storm paced the length of the room, his mind still in doubt.

Roran’s words from the council meeting kept echoing in his head. 'Your actual fiancée is rotting in a silver cell without a single shred of protection...'

His spiraling thoughts were cut short when the head dungeon guard entered the room, bowing low. "Alpha Storm. Lady Liora. The prisoner... she is demanding an audience with her sister."

Liora, who had been wringing her hands by the window in a perfect show of anxiety, instantly flinched. A look of terror washed over her face, and she gripped Storm’s arm with trembling fingers.

"O-Oh gods, Stormy..." Liora whispered, her voice cracking perfectly as she forced a sob. "She wants to see me? What if she tries to finish what she started? You heard the guards, she was furious. I’m so scared, Stormy baby. What if she attacks me the moment I step into that cell?"

Storm’s protective instincts flared violently at her vulnerable act. He wrapped his strong arms around Liora, his gaze hardening. "She won't touch you. I won't allow it."

"But she is the Grand Heiress, Storm! If I refuse to go, the pack will think I’m a coward who doesn't care about my own sister," Liora whimpered, looking up at him with wide, tear-filled red eyes. "I have to go... but I’m so frightened to face her alone."

Storm's jaw clenched. Internally, he was deeply conflicted. Part of him wanted to protect Liora from a suspected mass murderer, but another part of him desperately wanted to see Tatsumi’s face.

He needed to look into her golden eyes and see for himself if the gentle soul he knew had truly transformed into a vile, dangerous monster.

"You won't be alone," Storm decided. "I will come down to the dungeons with you. But I will hide in the shadows of the corridor, out of her line of sight. She will think it is just the two of you, but I will be there, watching her every move. If she shows even a hint of aggression or malice toward you, I will step in and end it."

Liora buried her face into his chest, letting out a soft sigh of relief. "Thank you, Alpha Storm. With you there, I feel safe."

Behind his back, a slow, malicious smirk spread across Liora's lips. Everything was falling perfectly into place.

Ten minutes later, the heavy iron door of the dungeon groaned open.

Tatsumi snapped her head up, her heart leaping with hope as she heard the rhythmic click of heels echoing down the damp stone steps.

"Liora!" Tatsumi breathed, rushing to the front of the cell and gripping the cold iron bars.

Liora stepped into the dim, flickering torchlight of the cell block. She looked pale, her eyes cast downward.

What Tatsumi couldn't see, however, was the massive, silent shadow that had slipped into the darkness of the alcove just outside her cell.

Storm stood perfectly still in the deep shadows, masking his scent entirely. His bright blue eyes locked onto Tatsumi’s thin, chained form.

His chest tightened painfully at the sight of her in the dirt, but he forced his emotions down, waiting, watching, and listening for the monster Liora claimed her sister to be.

"Tatsumi..." Liora whispered softly, stepping closer to the bars with hesitant, fearful steps. "Why did you call for me? Why did you do it?"