Chapter FortySerenaThe room was cold. The stone walls made it worse. My hands were tied behind my back, and my arms ached. Jake had transferred my room since I refused to be cooperative with him. Liam was not with me. That hurt the most. I did not know if he was safe, if he was eating, if he was crying for me. My chest felt like someone had pressed a stone on it.I wanted to cry, but I pressed my lips together. Crying would not help. I told myself that again and again. Crying would not help.The door opened with a loud sound. My head turned quickly.Jake walked in first. His steps were slow, proud, like he owned the place. Robert followed him. Both of them were smiling. Their smiles made me sick.Jake looked at me the way a cat looks at a trapped bird.“Serena,” he said slowly, like my name was a joke on his tongue. “I want to show you something.”Robert put a small screen on the table in front of me. I frowned. My stomach tightened.The screen came alive.At first, I thought it was
Chapter Thirty Nine First Person Perspective Jake I was sitting on the big chair near the fire. Alpha Robert was beside me. He was drinking from his silver cup, laughing. I laughed too. His guards stood by the door, silent. The room was warm, and outside it was dark and cold. “You saw his face?” Alpha Robert said with a loud laugh. “He looked like a scared rabbit!” I laughed harder. “He really thought he could escape!” We clinked our cups together. It was fun to watch that fool try to run with his little family. He didn’t even make it far. He got caught right at the edge of the forest. Robert shook his head, grinning. “And did you see the look on the Serena’s face? That was—” “Priceless!” I finished for him. We both laughed again. It felt good. I hadn’t laughed like this in days. But then something started to bother me. I rubbed my chin and looked into the fire. “Hmm…” I said. “What?” Robert asked. I sat up straighter. “That man… Jeremy… something is not ri
Chapter Thirty Eight First Person’s Perspective Reed I sat in the corner of my dark, cold cell. The floor was hard under me. The walls smelled like mold and old water. The air was damp. My body still hurt. My back burned from the whip. Every move made it worse. My hands were full of cuts and dried blood. But I did not care. Serena and Liam were alive. Caleb said they were near the north border. That meant I had a chance. A real chance. I could get them back. I could hold my son again. I could tell Serena that I never gave up. I closed my eyes. Just two more nights. Then I run. Then I fight. Then I take them back. No matter what happens. I don’t care if I die. I opened my eyes and looked at the food in front of me. Old bread. Cold meat. It smelled bad. Like it had been there for days. I didn’t eat it. I needed to stay sharp. If I got sick now, I would lose everything. I pushed the plate away. The next day, I acted weak. I walked slowly. I let my shoulders hang
Chapter Thirty Seven — Not Broken Yet Dual POV: Serena and Jeremy Serena The wagon stopped. The wheels creaked as they came to a halt, grinding against the dry earth. Dust floated into the air, dancing in the sunlight that filtered through the tiny holes in the wooden walls of the wagon. The sudden silence was worse than the rattling noise we had heard all morning. I held Liam’s hand tighter, even though my wrists were tied. The rope had rubbed the skin raw. My arms ached from holding onto him, but I refused to let go. I couldn’t. The door opened with a loud metal clang. A guard climbed up and yanked me by the arm. I stumbled, my feet barely catching the step before I hit the ground. Liam jumped down right behind me. He didn’t cry, but his little face was pale, his lips pressed into a tight line. The sun hit my eyes. For a moment, I blinked against the bright light. It felt too warm, too peaceful, for what we were walking into. Then I saw it. A big
Chapter Thirty Six — The Old Cell Reed My eyes opened slowly. My head hurt. My chest burned. My body felt like it had been crushed under a mountain. Everything felt broken,like I had been hit by a truck again and again. The first thing I saw was the wall. The same grey wall. Cold stone. Rough and cracked in places. The same corner I had stared at once, long ago, when I was younger. Then I knew. I had been here before. The cell was small. There was no bed, no chair, no blanket. Only hard ground. The walls were damp with wetness, like they cried in silence. The air smelled bad,like blood, sweat, and pain that had stayed too long. There were chains hanging from one side of the wall, rusted and sharp. A small window near the top let in weak light, but it wasn’t enough. That window was too small to crawl through, no matter how desperate someone got. This was the prison under the old Dark Heart barracks I knew it well. Too well. I groaned as I tried to sit up. My bac
Chapter Thirty Five — Peace Never Lasts Serena “Mommy.” He was not just calling out to me, he was crying. It was a call for help. A sound full of fear. A sound no mother wants to hear. I opened my eyes fast. My heart was beating so hard. I jumped to my feet, grabbed the thin blanket off my legs, and ran out of the small shelter we had built with sticks and cloth. “Liam!” I shouted. “What happened?” He was standing just outside. His little face was pale. His eyes were wide with fear. He pointed with a shaking hand. “Men… so many men,” he whispered. “They came from the woods.” My heart stopped. I couldn’t breathe for a second. Jeremy was already outside. He had heard Liam too. He stood in front of us now, growling low. His hands were shaking but strong. He looked into the trees. Then I saw him. Jake. He stepped out from the shadows like a nightmare. His eyes were cold. His face was tight with anger. He stood tall and proud, like he owned the world. Behind him