Why are you here

Chapter 17

Vivian’s POV

I could break out of this cell if I wanted to.

But patience, they say, is a virtue or in my case, the only cushion against slow, deliberate torture. Ever since the night the Lycan princes found out that I was their fated mate, I hadn’t seen them. The days had strolled by, from what I recorded based on the meager meals being served, it had been at least three nights since then, and so far, I’ve heard nothing on their end.

But I knew they would come. My wolf, I can’t believe I have one now, calls out to theirs with a yearning that makes distance impossible. At least, not for long.

I curled my fingers on the bare mattress, then released them along with the tension. The dungeon had the most basic of amenities, but it’s not as if I was given any special treatment in Voss that would have made it easier for me to adjust to this place.

Still, I wish one of them would show up. At least somebody would remember to bring my food. The best thing I’ve eaten in the past three days was stale bread. Again, I was used to going hungry for days, I used to do it to show Draven some petty revenge whenever he gave Sarafine too much attention. In my second life, I realized how foolish that had been, because he hardly even cared whether I ate or not, he didn't even know about it.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps, and a scent I was gradually becoming more familiar with rolled up my nostrils. I inhaled, focusing my attention there instead of on the unidentified smells coming from the cell itself. The steps were gradually paced, there was a dignified manner in which the person moved, without haste, that told me who they were even if the scent had not.

My shoulders relaxed. He was one of the less violent brothers at least on the surface. He might just have a lot of self-control. I waited, and then heard the name I was called by here.

"Viper? I came with your food."

I turned around. Another scent, besides the person who had come, filtered into my senses. It was mashed potatoes with peas and a salad on the side. I hadn't had anything vaguely resembling food apart from the stale bread, and my mouth began to unconsciously water. Lucien drew closer, holding a tray with a plate of steaming food.

"I wanted to talk to you, so I decided to just bring your meal along with me," he said.

I was smiling within myself even as I kept my face mostly neutral. I’m sure that they must be in disarray. While I was shocked that I was mated to all three of them, that was just another piece in the puzzle that was clicking into place for me after two lifetimes of misery and pain.

"That's really considerate of you..." I said, taking the plate.

Knowing that they could not just kill me off, most of the tension in my body had flowed out. Not that I had let down my guard completely, but I was sensible enough to understand now that my life was not as dispensable as it had been when Jacob had not recovered. Remembering the youngest of the princes, I took the plate after it was slotted toward me and asked, "How is Jacob doing? The antidote I gave him worked, didn't it?"

Lucien was quiet for a while. Then, without mentioning Jacob, he continued to speak. "My brothers and I have been discussing what to do with you."

His eyes seemed to hover from the crown of my head down to my toes, and something about it sent a chill of excitement through me. It was weird to be excited at this moment, while I was still a prisoner, but my body wasn't really listening to me when it came to them. He gestured toward the food he had given me. "Eat. There's no need for you to be starving while I speak."

"I can eat after you tell me what you all have decided to do with me," I countered. "That way, I will feel more comfortable actually digesting the food."

"All right, suit yourself," he said. There was a bit of an edge to it, but his voice fell back to its usual calm when he added, "We will not be doing anything to you at all. We have decided that you are too volatile. Trusting you is too much of a risk, and at the same time, you have seen too much of the Lycan castle for us to just set you free. Therefore, you will be kept here before further decisions can be made. But right now, you are not a priority."

Suddenly, it was like the ground beneath my feet was beginning to spin. I would have reached forward to hold the bars for support if they were not made of pure silver, which would melt my skin rather than give me support.

"So, what you're saying is that the grand decision you and your brothers have come to was to abandon me here to rot forever? That's the decision?"

It had not even crossed my mind that they would decide to do such a thing. The thought of spending another lifetime wasted in a cell, actually dying again, made me terrified.

Then I remembered I could escape. But even with this power I had, I could not take down the Voss Pack on my own. And it wasn't as if they were just the ones tied to me because of the bond, I was also intertwined with them now. If I left now, my power would never reach its actual height because my wolf would be too busy whimpering and pleading to be with them.

Lucien didn't really say much after that. He just left, and the food he brought suddenly looked less appetizing than anything I had eaten in the past three days. I started hearing footsteps again, but this time it was not Lucien. The person I saw made me raise my eyebrows.

"Why are you here?"