Chapter 8

Celine

I didn’t know how long I’d been sitting there.

Time felt strange in this place. The room had no clock, no chime, no noise from outside. Just that constant, suffocating silence broken only when the door creaked open and a maid slipped in or a guard passed by. My body was stiff from sitting on the same edge of the bed, but I didn’t move. I kept my knees tucked to my chest, chin resting there, eyes half-closed as I watched the light shift along the wall.

It was the only way to tell if it was day or night.

I had asked for air once. Not even an hour after they locked me in here, when a maid with a tray of food came in.

“Please,” I had said, voice rough from sleep and strain. “Let me walk outside for a bit.”

She had ignored me completely, like I wasn’t even in the room. Not a word, not a glance. Just set the tray down, bowed her head, and left. The door locked behind her with that same heavy click that made my stomach turn.

I asked again when another came later, bringing fresh towels. “Just five minutes. I won’t run.” I didn’t even know why I bothered to lie, because of course I would run the first fucking second I could. But still... not a word. Not even a flicker of response. They all moved like machines.

That’s when it hit me.

They weren’t allowed to talk to me.

Not unless it came from Alaric. Not unless he told them they could.

And that meant I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone.

No pack members. No staff. No one.

The realization made my blood run cold.

I was cut off. Alone. On purpose.

I glanced around the room again, eyes lingering on the far wall. No hidden doors, no cracks. The windows were still barred, thick as iron. I knew better than to try. The guards outside were always there. I could hear them, even now—boots shifting, voices low but constant.

Eyes. Everywhere.

Even the maids that slipped in and out never came alone. There was always a guard nearby, watching. Silent, expressionless.

I stood slowly, stretching my sore limbs, pacing the room again. My bare feet padded against the cold floor as I circled once, twice, three times. My mind kept racing.

I needed to know more. I needed to learn everything about this place if I ever wanted a chance. Sitting here waiting to be used wasn’t an option.

So I started watching.

Every time the door opened, every time someone came in, I paid attention. How long they stayed. Where they moved. What they touched. Which side the guards stood on. How many footsteps faded when the door clicked shut again. I forced myself to notice everything, no matter how small. No matter how useless it might have seemed.

The guards outside... they rotated in shifts. I noticed that after what must have been a full day locked in here. I couldn’t be sure of the exact time, but there was a rhythm. A pattern. One pair stayed for hours, then two new voices replaced them. I recognized the sounds of their movements, even the tone of their footsteps. One of them had a limp, dragging his left foot a little. Another cleared his throat often, out of habit.

I listened. I waited.

But even as I took in every detail, another thought kept creeping in—something that made my chest ache worse than any bruise.

That girl.

The one they had dragged alongside me when Alaric picked me from the line of Omegas. She had been there—wide-eyed, trembling, tears streaking her cheeks. I could still see her in my mind. The way her lip quivered. The way her voice had cracked when she begged them to let her go.

Was she even alive?

I hadn’t seen her since that night. Not a whisper of her. Not even in the halls. My throat tightened.

Was she in another wing like me? Was she... gone?

The sick feeling in my stomach twisted deeper, and I forced myself to shake it off. I couldn’t think like that. Not now.

A loud knock startled me.

The door opened and two guards stepped inside. I straightened up fast, my heart thudding.

They stared at me like I was dirt. No words.

I stood and folded my arms. “What? Come to chain me to the bed this time?” My tone was sharp, laced with spite.

Neither answered. One of them signaled to a maid carrying fresh water. She kept her head down as she set it by the washstand.

I moved in front of her path, blocking her way. “Where is the other girl?” My voice rose. “Tell me. Did she survive?”

The maid froze, shoulders tense, eyes glued to the floor.

“Say something, damn it!” I snapped. My voice echoed off the walls.

One of the guards shoved me roughly aside. “Get back, Omega.”

I spun on him, fists clenched. “Touch me again and I will rip your fucking throat out.”

That got a reaction. The other guard laughed. “You? Please. You’re just an Omega. Helpless. If not for the Alpha’s orders—”

“Then thank your Alpha,” I hissed. “Because if it were up to me, I would have your blood on this floor.”

The room went tense. The maid scurried out, and both guards exchanged glances.

I didn’t care. Let them report me. Let Alaric hear that I wasn’t some soft, docile thing ready to be bred. Let him come and try me.

I turned my back on them, pacing again, refusing to show fear.

Click.

The door locked behind them.

I exhaled slowly, hands trembling now that I was alone again.

The fight was still burning in me, but I knew... this place was watching. Listening.

I turned back to the window again, staring at the bars.

They were thick. Solid. No gaps. The kind of bars you couldn’t bend or squeeze through no matter how desperate you were.

And behind them... nothing but sky. No trees. No sounds of life. Just pale grey light and the endless reminder that this place was built to be escape-proof.

I pressed my palm against the glass, letting the chill seep into my skin.

I hated this.

I hated every second of this.

Trapped. Caged. Treated like a thing. A vessel.

And yet... some part of me refused to break. Not yet. Not when I could still think, still plan, still feel the fire in my veins.

I dropped my hand and turned away again, pacing back toward the bed. My head throbbed, but I ignored it. There was too much noise in my mind.

Every corner of this place had eyes. Every sound I made was probably being reported back to Alaric. Every word I spoke might be overheard.

Escape... it felt impossible.

But impossible didn’t mean hopeless.

I would keep watching. Keep learning. Keep surviving.

And when the time came... I would be ready.

I sat back down on the edge of the bed, arms folded tightly around myself. The silence pressed in again. The bond still pulsed faintly under my skin, that unwanted connection I couldn’t sever. The thought of him—his hands, his voice—made my skin crawl.

He thought he owned me now.

He thought marking me would be enough.

But he was wrong.

Because as long as I still had breath in my body... I would never belong to him.