JANE
Weakness. It was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes.
My head throbbed, vision blurred into smudges of grey and shadows before shapes began to form.
I was in some sort of underground prison, a hilding block,the kind silverfang pack uses to hold rogues and traitors. Very few wolves namely rogues, offenders to Cole's claim as alpha are kept down here, i could tell no one bothered to clean this place up
The air was damp, thick with the reek of rot, piss and old iron. Every breath scraped down my throat like sand paper. I tried to move but the sound of clinking metal stopped me. Silver chains ran from my wrists to the wall, the metal hissed where it touched me making a sizzling sound as it burnt my skin.
Bullocks.
A killer headache buzzed behind my eyes, each throb matched by a faint ringing in my ears. Who knew neck one strike could cause do this much damage? I for one didn't.
I tried again to sit up but world tilted and the ringing only grew louder.
Ria.
No answer. I froze. Ria?
My wolf wasn't answering. The silence in my mind was defeaning. I panicked, it had never happened before.
"Don't push yourself darling. It's the wolfsbane working. Gave you two whole shots."
My head snapped up to see none other than Cole standing just beyond the bars smiling. The sight was disturbing.
"Wolfsbane?" My voice came out horase and trembling despite myself. "You're insane. I don't want to stay here. Let me out cole." The thought of staying here for how ever long he wished to keep me unlocked a new fear in me.
"Oh but you will." He leaned casually against the bars, his smile stretching wider.
"Matteo and I are now married, we are finally together. And as for you..." his eyes held a certain madness. A scream echoed down the corridor making my pulse spike.
"You will stay here for the rest of your days sitting and eating and sleeping in here. My wolf can't live without you. We'd both run mad, so you'll be here, until i need to soothe his ache for you, I'll come down here, touch you once, maybe a little more..." he trailed off, his eyes filled with lust. He had never looked at me that way but i had never felt so digusted.
Though, there were questions I needed answers to.
"Why bother with a wedding anyways. The pack didn't witness it. Waste of time if you ask me. And you can't keep me here, people will talk, they will figure out your relationship with him."
"Matteo insisted," he said like it was an after thought. on the wedding, it was something I wanted as well so I agreed. Of course, no one could know which was why I assigned very few people for the wedding to go off without a hitch. The priest, the two omega's and our darling gamma who had to be there in case of certain disturbances."
Me.
"I planned to kill the priest and the old woman after. threathen Jacob's silence wasn't hard to buy when his family safety is at stake. As for that little omega that served your tea every night? well," he tilted his head.
"People love a good story."
A feeling of dread washed over me.
He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a conspirational whisper. "How does my story sound? Omega poisons the luna's tea, Luna goes mad and cannot be around others for thier safety. I had no choice but to c9nfine you, poor me, the devoted alpha, forced to kill the jealous bitvh who envied you. The end." He sighed as if rehearsing a bed time story.
That would give him the perfect reason to kill someone and lock me away without suspicion. No one would really want to find me if he forbade it. The sick bastard.
Now that I look at him from up close, he looked worse than I remembered. His skin pale, dark circles carved beneath his eyes, lips twitching at odd intervals. The kind of exhaustion that came not from work, but from rot inside the soul.
"I thought you loved me." He murmured suddenly. "All those sweet words you would whisper to me meant nothing? The nerve to actually reject me." He scoffed.
I barked a humorless laugh "Says the bastard who screwed his beta behind my back and plans to keep me here and touch me to soothe himself and his fucking wolf."
"Do not speak to me that way. I am the Alpha." He roared. He knew what he did was wrong but his pride wouldn't let him admit it.
"Or what?" I challenged. "You'll kill me too?"
He sneered. "I'll starve you for a whole week, more like. Don't test me. I have to go now, four lives to end before morning, not sure which option would be best though, splitting thier throat or poison?" He muttered.
"They wanted no part in your love life, dont harm them."
He only smiled that sick smile, "Goodnight, my love."
The echo of his boots faded down the corridor. Four lives hung in the balance because of his poor choices. The priest, the old omega, the one who served me tea,...and me eventually.
I can't let that happen. I tugged at the chains until my wrist ached. The silver sizzled, leeching my strength with every movement.
"It's useless," A voice rasped from the darkness across the cell block. "He'll come back with more wolfsbane before you get anywhere."
I wasn't interested in his opinion when innocent lives were at risk so i ignored him but he continued anyways. "An Alpha like me can't break those chains. what makes you think you you've got a chance."
An Alpha? He had my attention now.
The man in the opposite cell looked skeletal... his skin stretched over his bones, his dark hair matted, clothes shredded. Angry red welts slashed across his arms. His beard was thick enough to hide half his face, but the weight if his presence was unmistakable.
"What's an Alpha doing down here?" I muttered. "Got tired of luxury and decide to go slumming?"
He only laughed, a hollow sound tgat didn't reach his eyes.
"None of that." He stepped closer to the bars and the faint light hit his face. The resemblance was uncanny...the same sharp jawline, brown eyes, only dulled by time and torment.
"Cole captured me here three years ago." He said quietly. "I'm his older brother, Casian."
"He said he was an only child. Why are you here?."
"I won't bore you with the details. We happened to be orphans at a very young age due to the great war that occurred years ago. Since then, I took care of him, loved him. He didn't feel the same way so he gave me enough shots of wolfsbane to knock me out, brought me down here, orchestrated my death and became alpha."
The great war. It happened around the time when werewolves and witches were at war, it was a century old hatred. It all came to an end when the new Lycan Queen Saphira and her mate who is part witch, part wolf came together as mates to put an end to the bloodshed.
"I've been down here for three years. Haven't seen the sun for three good years." I heard his voice break at that last part. He must have felt so lonely without anyone willing to listen to him.
I gave a moment of silence, then spoke. "You're a good brother. Cole is an ungrateful asshole to hurt a someone as kind as you."
"I can tell you were a good mate to him." He said.
"Dont even get me started. There's no use crying over spilled milk, we need to get out of here."
I need to leave this pack and so does he. There must be someway out if here. I tried wresting against the silver chains not giving up.
"If there was a way out, I wouldn't be here for this long." I paused. He was right. I didn'twant to admit it but pulling these chains was not working.
Cole would murder those people by midnight. I was no time expert but the night light illuminating from a small window said it was thirty minuites to midnight.
What do I do? I need to think of something.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of footsteps caught my attention. It could be cole, coming to give me another shot of wolfsbane before he began his murder spree, a bunch of thoughts ran through my mind in less than a minuite.
The clicking sound continued, the person stood right in front of my cell. My heart thundered. "You look awful. Prisoner life is definitely not your style." That voice.
I looked up to see a woman with a mop of black and red hair, a playful smirk playing on her lips. Miranda, my little sister.
"Mira, what are you doing here, you could get caught." As much thrilled as I was to see her, this was dangerous waters.
She shrugged. "Nope. Knocked the guard out with a spell. By the time he wakes up, we'll be long gone."
"Enough with the chit chat. Help her." My mom's voice came from her phone.
"Mum asked me to bail you out. Would've done it in a more cooler way though, this method is so boring."
My mother kept tabs on both her daughters. She is a perfectionist, a strong woman with Alpha blood running through her veins who also happens to be a council member in my former pack. Her mate, my dad, happened to be a witch to which she was deeply disappointed but loved him anyways.
She was over the moon when I inherited her traits. Full blooded alpha wolf, stunning figure and her looks as well. Imagine, her perfectionist self when she found out Mira didn't inherit any of her traits except for her nose of course.
I suppose it's why they never see eye to eye and fight all the time.
Miranda ripped the cell door from the hinges like it was nothing without making any physical contact at all and placed it softly on the ground. My chains were off in an instant.
I rubbed my palm over my hand, red harsh lines ran over my wrist, from the burn of the silver and pulling too hard.
Miranda handed the phone to me and I had never been happier to see my mum.
"Alright, let's move."
"Wait, please help me out of here." Casian croaked out.
I had temporarily forgotten about him because of my family drama. Miranda looked unsure, afterall, this wasn't part of the plan.
"Help him out Mira, he's Cole older brother, poor guy been here for three years."
She gave him a once over. "He certainly looks and smells the part."
"Mira..." I reprimanded.
"What? He does." She defended and raised her hand in the air, her magic pulling out the door like it was nothing. She muttered something about how she wouldn't be blamed if he turned out to be a super villain.
She then reached into her pockets and brought out three pendants, "These are Isla, Viviane and james." Placing the pendant around her neck, she turned into a completely different person. I wore mine as well. This wasn't the first time I tried one of Mira's appearance changing pendants but it amazed me everytime.
Now, I had red hair and a completely different face however, my scent and height could not change. If someone saw me, this disguise was enough to confuse them for a while till they managed to put two and two together.
Casian's appearance changed as well while Mira begrudgingly fixed his shirt.
"Let's go. We are not bringing stinky over here with us. He was not part of the plan." She said, crossing her arms.
"I am really grateful for your help. The two of you. I will find my own way from here." A look of gratitude graced his face.
A sudden thought crossed my mind.
"This pack is lost with Cole as it's Alpha. I know it's not my place but I hope that when you've regained your strength, you can take your rightful place here."
He only nodded and the three of us exited the underground cell.
My mother's voice came through the phone. "Mira finally did something useful with her powers."
"Jane, please tell mother dearest I can hear her." She snapped.
"I know, dear. That's why I said it."
"Bitch."
"I know you didn't just call your own mother a bitch." I could imagine her annoyed expression over the phone.
Thier banter was entertaining to witness.
"Hmm. A bitch is a female dog, correct? It's not far from the truth." Mira retorted.
A snicker escaped me as I hung up the phone. We didn't need to get caught over trivial matters.
"We need to make it to the packs borders where a car and driver will be waiting for us.
Right. Cole. Murder. Pack members. I just hope I'm not too late.
"I need to get to Cole's office. I won't leave without going there first." I said out of breath, my body felt weak from the wolfsbane still in my system but I made up my mind. I was going to save them in the best way I knew how.