Held Hostage

"move to where?" I wanted to ask the stoic man but he turned from the carriage and only nudged me forward roughly. As I advance closer to the castle, I couldn't shake the feeling of dread that gripped me. The dark castle loomed before me like a monstrous sentinel, its ancient stone walls whispering secrets of centuries past. The air hung heavy with an eerie stillness, broken only by the distant howls of unseen creatures in the surrounding forest.

With another rough shove, the stoic man pushed me towards the massive wooden doors of the castle. My heart pounded in my chest as we crossed the threshold into the dimly lit foyer, where shadows danced ominously against the stone walls. The burly man and a couple of other men placed the body of the dead minister on a brier and took it out of the carriage. The horrible stench of the corpse followed us into the castle, lingering forebodingly.

Leading me deeper into the labyrinthine corridors of the castle, the stoic man remained silent, his heavy footsteps echoing in the uncanny silence. Finally, we reached a grand chamber which was bathed in flickering torches. The walls were adorned with ancient tapestries that depicted scenes of darkness and despair.

At the far end of the chamber, seated upon a throne-like chair, was a man I construed to be the leader of the kidnappers. He stood tall and slender with a complexion had been bronzed by the sun's rays. But that was all I saw,I couldn't see his face as he wore a black hoodie mask that covered the whole of his face except his nose and mouth. This feature gives him the appearance of a mysterious person and I longed to see what was behind the veil, why was he covering his face? This man's presence exuded an aura of power and menace, and I couldn't help but shiver as I met his gaze.

"Welcome, graceful royal," he said, his voice low and gravelly, sending shivers down my spine. "I trust your journey was..." He paused and smirked "eventful?"

I remained silent, my eyes fixed on the shadowy figure before me, my mind racing with fear and uncertainty. Who was this masked man, and what did he want from me? He didn't wait for me to respond,he turned to Horace and the stoic man and said, "You have outdone yourselves this time. Two royals and a minister,wow I must commend you"

The stoic man pulled a quirky smile out of the corners of his lips and transferred his gaze to the floor. I could sense his unease,I could feel him trembling despite his affirmative nods

The masked man gestured to the brier the dead man was placed on, "Where is the Alpha Prince himself? I want to see him"

"What Alpha Prince?" I wanted to ask until a subtle realization of what ways going on at that moment hit me. No wonder Horace asked if the boss would be pleased with their catch.

"Where is the stuck up prince of the werewolf kingdom" the masked man asked loudly and angrily "where is he?"

The tension in the air was so thick that it crawled onto my skin like tiny ants. Then a deafening silence clouded the atmosphere and as each second passed by, I felt the masked man's patience turn into anger.

"Where is the Alpha Prince I asked you to kidnap" he growled and his voice reverberated across the room and shook the building to its roots. For his voice to have such an effect, the hoodie man must have a powerful wolf and I could only shudder. "Answer me Horace" he screamed again and the fear that jerked my heart sent me crashing to my feet "answer me! Where is the Prince I asked you to bring to meeee"

"The security was too tight your highness" the stoic man confessed, falling face down before the hoodie man who stood aggressively, fuming with undiluted rage "there was no way we could get to him"

"We tried everything we could to kidnap him but he was surrounded by many guards"

"Who is this this then" the hoodie man pointed at me as I sat cold floor with my two hands bound in chains

"She's his wife" he answered quickly "she's the new princess and the future queen of the Werewolf kingdom"

The hoodie man looked in my direction and sized me up scrutinizingly from head to toe "she's a rare beauty your highness" Horace intervened, raising his head from the ground he also laid flat on,"she's the fairest in the whole land, her silver hair makes her look like a goddess"

"But will the Prince come looking for her" the man asked,"that's the question here. I need to hold the prince captive so that I'll be able to force the King into signing a treaty with us, you know this or don't you?"

"We know your highness". Horace answered in a persuasive tone "the prince is madly in love with this lass here. He violated a lot of rules to marry her. I bet he's already on his way here to get her"

The man didn't look convinced by those words but he relaxed his nerves and stepped away from the throne "I suggest we write a note and send it to the palace" Horace continued

"That's a bad idea. It will only lead the wolf soldiers to our hideout and our soldiers are not strong enough yet" he paused and turned to walk away "you'll return to the kingdom and kidnap the Prince, there is no other way. We need the Prince of the werewolf kingdom, no other person will do!"

"What will happen to me then" I didn't know where I found the voice but the words escaped from my throat with a distinct loudness and clarity "please set me free"

"You will be kept in jail until your husband arrives" the masked man answered firmly and coldly, "if he fails to arrive before the week runs out we'll kill you and send your dead body to him in the palace"

The blood in my veins dried up instantly and my heart exploded in my chest. Orion would never show up and this man didn't look like someone who would make empty threats

"Orion is not my husband anymore" I shouted,"He was never even my husband, he forced himself on me. Everything between us..." a deafening slap landed across my face before I could say another word and my head welled up with weakening vertigo "shut up" he brawled,"Just shut up! Another word from you and I would blow your head off"

Behind the anger in stoic man's eyes, was something I couldn't describe. It glowed in his green eyes,sparkles of fear and extreme trepidation but for what reasons? Why?

"Leave her alone Galen" the man said, "just take her to the cell and ensure she has no food or water"

"What!"

He didn't turn to look at me "you're not here to live in luxury. Your are here to suffer for the pleasures of the royals"

But I've been suffering my whole life, I wanted to yell back but the look on Galen's face froze my tongue up

"Take her to dungeon and lock her up"

The masked man walked away now and as Galen grabbed me by the shoulder and began to drag me into the inner part of the castle,I couldn't help but envision a dark cloud of sorrow and pain closing in on me.