Chapter 5

 AURORA

Damon hadn’t returned since that day, and though I told myself I didn’t care, the void of his absence left me undeniable.

Instead, it was the maids who came and went, dropping off measly portions of breakfast and dinner.

The food barely sated my hunger, and I could feel my body weakening with each passing day.

I realized it was Damon’s subtle way of breaking me down. He wanted me to lose weight, to diminish my strength and spirit piece by piece. This was only the beginning of his punishments, I thought grimly.

The silence in the dungeon gnawed at me, the uncertainty of what was to come consumed my thoughts.

What was Damon planning? Was this silence part of his game? Or was it worse?

The door creaked open, the sound cutting through the silence of the dungeon.

My brow furrowed in confusion as I glanced up. The door only opened twice a day; once for breakfast and once for dinner; and I had already eaten my morning meal.

My breath caught in my throat as my eyes landed on Damon. He strode into the room with the commanding presence of a king with authority.

His robes flowed with each deliberate step, and a few guards followed behind him, carrying an ornately carved chair.

They placed it in the center of the room before stepping back, their faces expressionless.

I immediately knelt before him, my body trembling with fear. My gaze flickered to the guards as they brought in a large sack and set it on the floor.

With one swift motion, they tipped it over, and the content spilled out; a cascade of broken glass shards that glinted in the flickering torchlight. My stomach churned at the sight.

“Leave us,” Damon ordered, his voice echoing off the walls. 

The guards obeyed without question, leaving the two of us alone with the jagged fragments scattered across the floor.

My head snapped toward Damon, panic blooming in my chest. I could feel his gaze, sharp and unforgiving, as he leaned back in his chair.

“You’re going to walk on these broken bottles until you reach me,” his voice was calm, yet laced with an edge of cruelty as he spoke.

My breath hitched. “Please, my alpha, don’t do this.” I whispered, my voice trembling.

“You’ll be served worse punishment if you make me repeat myself.” he growled.

I hesitated, glancing at the shattered glass before me. I wanted to refuse, beg him once more, but I knew it would only make things worse.

Beside this cruel and ruthless Damon wasn’t the man I knew eight years ago.

The moment my foot touched the glass, a sharp sting shot through my skin, and I yelped in pain.

Damon’s gaze remained fixed on me, cold and impassive, as if my suffering was nothing more than a lesson I deserved to learn.

“Keep walking. Don’t stop,” he commanded.

I bit my lip to stifle a cry, tears welling in my eyes as I took another step. The shards dug into my flesh, slicing through the skin of my feet.

“Come to me now!” Damon commanded, his voice sharp and unyielding.

My body flinched at his tone, but my feet refused to move. I was frozen, my pain paralyzing me as shards of glass dug deeper into my already bleeding feet.

“Please, the pain is too much… I can’t…” tears streaked my face as I pleaded.

I tried to take a step forward, but my legs gave out. The room began to blur and spin.

I fell forward, my hands instinctively bracing against the floor, meeting the jagged edge of the broken glass.

A sharp cry escaped my lips as the shards bit into my palms, cutting deep. Before I could process the agony coursing through my body, strong arms scooped me up.

I barely registered the movement, the pain too consuming. My mind struggled to comprehend what was happening until Damon’s deep voice barked.

“Get the pack doctor. Now!”

For a moment, I thought I must have misheard him, but the urgency in his voice was unmistakable.

My vision wavered but I felt myself being carried, my head resting against his chest.

“Now you know how I felt, all I wanted was to hold your hands, to walk beside you. But you pushed me away, Aurora. After everything we shared, you rejected me.” his tone was laced with both pain and anger.

His words struck me harder than the glass, slicing through my heart was a guilt I couldn’t deny.

I had hurt him deeply, and now he was making sure I felt a fraction of the pain he had endured.

“The pain I felt was a million times worse than walking on shards of glass.” he continued, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

I closed my eyes as tears slipped down my cheeks, guilt tightening its grip on my chest.

I knew why I had left him, why I had made the choice to walk away but the truth I couldn’t bring myself to share.

“Why did you reject me? Why, Aurora? Tell me.” he demanded, his tone more desperate than intended.

I shook my head, my once blonde hair now black falling into my face, shielding me from the intensity of his stare.

I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t break the promise I had made all those years ago, no matter how much it hurt to keep the truth buried.

“I…i’m sorry, my alpha.” I stammered, my voice trembling.

Damon’s towering frame casted a shadow over me as his frustration bubbled to the surface.

“Tell me, tell me, and I’ll stop. You won’t have to suffer anymore.” he pressed.

My throat tightened, my lips trembling with the words I couldn’t say. “No.” I whispered.

A growl rumbled low in his chest. “You’re my slave, you’re bound to obey me, Aurora. Do not test me.” he reminded me, his tone turning sharp.

I clenched my jaw, refusing to meet his eyes. Silence hung between us, heavy and suffocating.

Damon suddenly let out a chuckle, though there was no humor in it. “You’d rather endure all this pain than tell me the truth?” His confusion was evident, mingling with anger as he studied me.

“I’m sorry, my king, but I can’t tell you what you want.” I said, my voice breaking slightly.

“Alright then, but know this, Aurora; I will get the truth out of you. I will make you suffer until you break, and then you will spill everything.” he said darkly, his voice low and menacing.

I gasped as he leaned down and captured my lips in a searing and heated kiss.