Chapter 4

I woke up cold and shivering.

Not the normal kind of cold where you just pull a blanket closer and drift back to sleep, but the deep, biting cold that crawls into your bones and reminds you that something is terribly wrong.

The first thing I noticed was the darkness.

It pressed in on me from every side until it was suffocating. The air smelled damp and rotten, like mold and old blood. Stone dug painfully into my back, and when I tried to move, chains rattled.

Chains??

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

“No… no, no,” I whispered hoarsely.

I forced my eyes open wider, letting them adjust. Faint torchlight flickered far down the corridor, barely strong enough to illuminate the iron bars in front of me.

But then My breath hitched when I realized where I was.

I, the Luna was in The pack’s dungeon.

The place where the worst criminals were thrown. Murderers. Traitors. Rogues who begged to die because the dungeon was worse.

A hysterical laugh burst out of me before I could stop it.

It bubbled up from my chest, sharp and broken, echoing off the cold stone walls. I laughed until my throat burned and tears streamed down my face.

“This is funny,” I gasped between laughs. “So funny.”

I was the Luna of this pack.

I was supposed to be glowing, surrounded by warmth, being celebrated because I was pregnant.

I was supposed to be happy.

Instead, I was chained in a filthy dungeon meant for criminals.

The laughter suddenly died in my throat when my memories returned.

My baby… The thought slammed into me like a blade.

“Oh Goddess,” I whispered, panic seizing me. My hands shook violently as I struggled against the chains, ignoring the pain in my wrists as I leaned forward.

I dropped my gaze to my stomach.

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure the entire dungeon could hear it.

I pressed my palm against my tummy...and froze.

Pain flared instantly.

A deep, unbearable soreness spread through my lower abdomen, sharp and aching at the same time. My breath hitched, and a wave of nausea rolled through me.

“No… no…” I murmured desperately.

My fingers trembled as I moved them lower.

They came back wet, Warm and Sticky.

I stared at my hand in horror, even though the light was dim. I didn’t need to see it clearly to know what it was.

Blood.

A strangled sound tore from my throat.

“No! Please...please no!” I sobbed, clutching my stomach as another wave of pain ripped through me.

The truth crashed down on me with crushing force.

Donald had done it. He had really done it. He had gotten rid of our child.

Our innocent baby.

A scream ripped out of me, raw, broken, full of agony. I thrashed against the chains, pain exploding through my body as metal cut into my skin.

“You killed my baby!” I screamed into the darkness. “You killed my baby!”

The dungeon swallowed my cries, giving nothing back but echoes.

My body shook violently as sobs overtook me. The pain in my stomach was unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my chest.

My baby was gone.

My only family. My last living piece of love...aside from the wicked Anna, was dead.

I collapsed forward, forehead pressing against the cold stone floor as I wailed.

“I was so happy,” I cried. “I was so happy…”

For the first time in my life, I had been excited about tomorrow. I had dreamed of tiny fingers wrapping around mine, of laughter filling empty halls, of finally being loved for who I was.

For years, I had fantasized about having a family of my own Because my first family had been viciously ripped away from me by a cruel, blood thirsty murderer called Alpha Blackthorn.

Also known as, The Demon of the North.

The monster who slaughtered my parents and step mother without remorse, who destroyed every good thing in his path. He didn’t just kill...,he ravaged and destroyed.

After that day, I had been alone. Broken and Depressed.

The pack pitied me after that, but pity wasn’t love.

I had been grateful....so grateful....,that I still had a stepsister left. Anna who also lost her mother that day. I poured all my affection into her, protected her, loved her like she was my whole world.

She was all I had.. that was until Donald came.

He was a poor stranger wandering into our pack. He was lonely and Out of place like me so I understood him.

I understood the ache of loneliness, the pain of not belonging anywhere. While others shunned him, I showed him kindness. I defended him. I listened to him.

And he had been kind in return. He was Gentle and Caring in a way no one else had ever been with me.

He pursued me relentlessly, smiling, flirting, promising me everything I had ever wanted.

“I’ll give you a real family,” he had said once, holding my hands. “A real home and Happiness. I’ll give you the world, Mabel if you agree to marry me.”

I had believed him. I had believed Every word. But it had all been a lie.

He had been smiling in my face while sleeping with my sister.

He whispered love to me while plotting my death behind my back. Now my baby was dead because of it.

I sobbed harder, my body curling in on itself.

“I’m so stupid,” I whispered brokenly. “I should have protected you. I should have known.”

I pressed my palm to my stomach again, tears dripping onto the stone floor.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to the child I would never meet. “I failed you.”

Something inside me cracked then.

No, not cracked ....something hardened.

I wiped my tears with shaking hands and lifted my head.

“From today, we will shed No more tears Mabel,” I whispered hoarsely. “No more being weak.”

I vowed it then, alone in the dungeon, chained and bleeding.

I would get strong. I would survive.

And I would make that bitch Anna and that scum Donald pay.

“I swear on my life,” I murmured. “You will both regret this.”

Exhaustion finally claimed me and I fell asleep crying, my body heavy with pain and grief.

…

Hours later, Cold water splashed violently across my face and I gasped awake, choking and coughing as I jerked forward,.

“Are you insane?!” I screamed hoarsely. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

A familiar voice chuckled.

“Well,” Donald said mockingly, “look at that. You finally grew a spine enough to yell at me.”

I glared up at him through wet lashes, rage burning through me.

“Took you long enough to stop being pathetic, I would have liked this side of you,” he continued. “Too bad it’s too late.”

“What do you want?” I snapped with fury. “Why am I still alive? I thought You wanted me dead!”

Donald sighed dramatically, as if I was inconveniencing him.

“Yes, that was the plan at first” he said calmly. “But it turns out that the law says You have to remain alive and married to me for three full months before I can officially claim the inheritance. So,” he continued, “I have no choice but to keep you breathing… for now at least”

“You cold-hearted bastard,” I spat. “You killed our child!”

His eyes darkened, but he didn’t deny it.

“I swear to you,” I hissed, “I will make you pay for what you did.”

He laughed, A cruel, hollow sound.

“With what power?” he sneered. “You’re wolfless. Powerless. You’re nothing, Mabel.”

Rage surged through me so violently my vision blurred.

“But I’m not here for that,” he said suddenly.

I blinked. “Then why are you here?”

Donald smiled slowly.

“As the new Alpha, I need powerful allies,” he said. “And I have a very important guest arriving who would love to see you. And you,” he added, eyes raking over my bruised, filthy body, “will serve him

My breath hitched with hope of escaping this hell hole.

“Who is it?” I asked, while trying to hide the hopeful tone in my voice.

Donald’s smile widened at my curiosity. “I think he’d really love to see you like this,” he said softly. “Broken. Reduced.”

My heart skipped painfully. “Who is it?”

His eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

“My guest,” he said, voice dripping with cruelty, “is Alpha Blackthorn.”

The world stopped.

“The Demon of the North.”

My breath caught in my throat as terror and hatred crashed over me.

That was the man who slaughtered my family. The man who destroyed my life.

And Donald had just invited him into my home.