All Chapters of Love is not for the Wolfless : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Derek pov I've never been to the neutral ground before. The ancient stone amphitheater sits exactly halfway between vampire and werewolf territories. It was built a thousand years ago for meetings like this. I'm here because I'm the one who saw them. The one who reported the blood moon. Alpha Dante insisted I come as a witness. I stand behind the werewolf elders with the other scouts and warriors. Alpha Dante is at the front, Beta Marcus stands guard beside him. Around us are fifty of our strongest warriors. All armed and ready to fight if this goes badly. I'm terrified. Across from us, the vampires arrive. My breath catches. I've never seen a vampire before. I heard of them in stories and nightmares. King Aldric leads them. He's tall, pale and radiates power. Queen Seraphina walks beside him. She's beautiful in a cold and dangerous way. Behind them are their elders and at least a hundred vampire warriors. They're all pale. They are watching us with eyes that glow faintly r

Day One. I wake up to freezing water hitting my face. "Get up," a voice snarls. I recognize the owner, Marcus, one of the pack warriors, "time for your first session." I'm soaking wet and shivering, the silver-spiked cell is even smaller than I remember, every movement risks touching the spikes. *"Let me out,"* Cicilia growls in my mind, *"let me kill him."* "No," I whisper, "we can't." *"Why not? He's going to hurt us anyway."* She's right, but if I let her out, if I shift, they'll execute me immediately. I have to endure this, for three months, somehow. Marcus unlocks the cell door, two other warriors grab my arms and drag me out, my legs barely work after a night cramped in that tiny space. They take me to a room I've never seen before, it's underground, stone walls, no windows. In the center is a wooden post with chains attached. "Strip off your shirt," Marcus orders. "What?" My voice cracks. "You heard me, shirt off, now." My hands shake as I pull off my torn shirt, t

Derek povI stand outside the punishment cell, listening to Roselyn scream.It's been a week. Seven days of torture. Seven days of me standing guard. Seven days of hearing her beg for mercy that never comes."Please!" Her voice echoes through the dungeon. Raw and broken. "Please, I can't take anymore!"The whip cracks. She screams again.I close my eyes. Try to block out the sound. But I can't. It's burned into my brain. Every scream. Every sob. Every plea."This is your fault," I whisper to myself. "You did this. You reported them. You started all of this."The door to the punishment room opens. Beta Marcus walks out. His hands are covered in blood. Roselyn's blood."Your turn to watch her," he says to me. "Make sure she doesn't die. The Alpha wants her alive for the full three months.""Yes, Beta," I say automatically.He walks away. I enter the room.Roselyn is chained to the post. Her back is shredded. Blood drips down her legs. Her head hangs forward. I can't tell if she's consci

The vervain chains are weakening.I've been pulling at them for weeks, every hour, every minute, ignoring the pain and the burning, ignoring everything except the need to break free.My wrists are destroyed, the skin is gone, I can see bone in some places, but I don't stop.For Roselyn, I have to reach her."Just a little more," I whisper to myself.I pull, the chain groans, metal scraping against metal.And then it happens.The chain on my right wrist snaps.My hand is free."Yes," I breathe.I use my free hand to work on the other chains, the left wrist, the ankles, and the neck.Each one takes time, each one burns, but I'm so close now, so close to freedom.Finally, the last chain falls away.I collapse to the floor, my whole body is shaking, weak from weeks of starvation, weak from the vervain, but finally free.I stand on wobbly legs, have to grab the wall for balance, my body barely works anymore, but it has to work, just long enough to reach her.The cell door is locked from th

Derek povI stand at my post by the forbidden river, but my mind is in the dungeons.It's been three months, three full months since Roselyn was thrown into the punishment cells, three months of daily torture, three months of watching her slowly die.I'm not allowed near her anymore, not since I tried to help her escape, but I hear things, whispers, reports.None of them are good."Derek!" A voice calls out. I turn to see Thomas running toward me, "you need to come, now.""I'm on duty," I say, "I can't leave my post.""This is more important," Thomas says. His face is pale, scared, "the elders are meeting, about Roselyn, they're talking about executing her."My blood goes cold, "what? Why? She still has a week left.""She's dying anyway," Thomas says, "the pack doctor says she won't survive another week, the elders want to end it now, make it official.""I have to hear this," I say, "cover for me.""I can't cover for you!" Thomas protests, "if they find out...""Please," I beg, "I nee