134
NIRVANA
That bastard! He betrayed me, my own mate. My. Own. Fucking. Husband.
I sighed and scratched my head in annoyance. I hadn’t tried teleporting. Maybe it would work, but that was the only move I had left, and they could never know that.
“Sweetheart, stay put!”
“Don’t call me that.” Anger boiled under my skin, and my muscles contracted. “Don’t tell me what to do, asshole! I hate you. Right now, you’re the last person I want to see. Get out! We have nothing to discuss if you don’t let me out of here. I don’t wanna see your face ever again. Do you understand? Fuck you!”
I stepped closer towards them, only the shield spell that separated us and for me not to claw those eyes out- they were beautiful and sad, but I couldn’t care less.
Staring at him in the eye, I let my anger simmer. “You and I are over. I don’t give a shit of defeating Cyrius. Good luck saving your people. I’m not one of your kind anyway, so I’m out. I’m fucking out.”
When he dropped his gaze as if guilt tore him, but I doubted an asshole werewolf could feel anything, I turned to Zarah. “I thought I could trust you. I thought you were all my friends.” Califf and Shadow sighed, giving me a guilty look. “Go ahead. Leave me to rot in here.”
“Nirvana-”
I raised my hand at Zarah. “Don’t. Whatever you’re about to say won’t change the fact that you and he conspired against me.”
As I slumped my ass back to bed, I lay down. I couldn’t find my boots in every corner of the room. They took the only weapon that mattered to him, just as I thought. I shouldn’t have trusted him, but I fell for his shit.
Goddamn it! How could I be so stupid? Of course, he just wanted to use me. He could have known all this shit was happening before I did. He was an alpha, after all. He just played me too well that I believed all his bullshit, and what was worst? I loved that asshole. I married him, for fuck’s sake.
My body shook in anger. Asina almost got in control of me. Of course, like every werewolf, their wolves were overprotective and easily triggered by threats, and right now, she was not impressed.
“Can I get you something to eat?” Shadow asked calmly.
I raised my hand and showed her my middle finger without turning my head at her.
“I didn’t know this was going to happen, Vana. Trust me, I’d been in this room twice. I guess alphas act alike, but I do believe their intentions are genuine. Knight wants to stop you from killing yourself in the end, and he loves you.”
“Bullshit, and you can’t talk me out of it like no one could talk him out of what he did to me. And I’m good, thanks. Just leave me alone to starve to death. Maybe if I can’t die defeating Cyrius, a hunger strike is more martyr than killing my own husband because if I get the chance to get out of here, I will kill him myself. I hope he’s listening!” I said louder in the last part.
“Let it cool. You’re still mad at him, and your reaction is understandable. I was mad at Califf for saving myself and losing my wolf in the end, but at the end of the day, he still saved me. Knight truly loves you. He wouldn’t have done this if he didn’t. Losing a mate will kill the other half. I know you know that, Vana.”
“Enough with pep-talk, Shadow. I need to wallow in self-pity. I didn’t just lose a husband today. I also lost friends.” I turned my back and closed my eyes because the sense of deep sadness and loss was overwhelming.
Waking up alone and being treated like a subject for experimentation tore my heart apart. And a pang of sadness knotted my stomach that I lost everything I had- my hopes of saving the people I cared about. How had this become my life?
Hours later, I lost track of time, or this was another new day. I got up from bed. There was a small door, probably a bathroom. I was sure Zarah had this small hole shielded, too.
I entered the bathroom and locked the door behind me. Withdrawing all my strength, I focused on one thing- trying my luck for the thought that the spell had flaws or something. Heart racing, I paused, and I jumped out of this place.
I was in the bathroom for one moment and outside the building for the next blink. I looked around and saw the pack house.
“Fuck. It worked.” It was either a flaw, or Zarah did it on purpose. I teleported back into the bathroom, grinning.
I seized on my anger and celebration before my thoughts could go in another direction. I washed my face and looked at myself in the mirror, and the reminder of betrayal caught my eyes- his mark on my neck. I wished I could tear it off my skin.
I returned to the room and found a roller tray of food, books, a stack of magazines, a bottle of wine, and disposable cups. With hopes rising, I sat Indian style and ate with a good appetite.
The door swung open, but I did not smell Knight.
“Hey, stranger.”
I lifted my gaze to Zack. “Hey. Don’t get closer. I’m in quarantined. You don’t wanna get infected.” I poured a wine into the disposable cup and raised at him. “I’d like to share this with you, but I can’t.”
“Thanks.” He sat before the shield. “I don’t wanna ask how you feel, but I just wanna check out on you.”
“You mean, you’re here to babyshit me?”
Zack laughed. “Babyshit. That’s funny.”
“You don’t have to be here. I can’t go anywhere anyway. I tried it, but it didn’t work. Zarah is hellbent on not letting me escape.”
“I’m sorry, Vana, but all our allies will work together in defeating Cyrius. We just lost two members recently. I know what it feels like to be helpless.”
“I’m not helpless, Zack. That’s why I want to do everything to end this so that everyone will not die.”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
“But you will die in the end.”
“It’s worth the price, Zack. Come on. Think of it. One life versus thousands or millions.” I took a bite of the lamb roast. It was good. It melted in my mouth. “This is damn delicious. Who cooked this? I hope this is not the last supper.”
“Really? You’re more interested in who’s the cook.” I knew what he meant, but over my dead body, I was not going to ask where Knight was. That part of the conversation didn’t exist anymore.
“I know it’s useless. I can’t cook here, but Grandpa has a restaurant. Maybe he can share his secret with me.”
“Alpha Knight and Alpha Califf went to see the council,” he informed.
“I don’t care.” I ate noisily and burped loudly, making him chuckle. A part of me wanted to know what the meeting was about, but the other part of me was still hurt and bleeding from his betrayal. “I’m a prisoner, and that’s what I should be.”
“You don’t mean that. You’re hurting because you care.”
I glared at him. “I thought I was, but I was only wasting my time. If he wants me to live, then by all means. Tell Zarah, I’m ready to make a deal.”