Chapter 234

Fiona POV

Pain.

Stupid, throbbing, aching pain screams in the back of my head as I feel myself coming out of a heavy, groggy sleep.

What the heck happened?

Blinking, I force my eyes open and find myself still covered in darkness. Though, it’s not pitch black. There is a bit of sunlight coming into the room from a small window high on the wall. I also realize that I’m laying on a thin mattress in what seems to be the corner of the room.

“H-Hello?” I rub at the pain in my head, sit up, and groan when it aches even more. Something sticky seeps onto my hand, and when I pull it away, I find blood on my fingertips.

The last thing I remember was being in the Kingdom Center. We were shopping, then we were leaving but something happened.

We were attacked.

Laxus was shot, and then… nothing. I can’t remember anything after that.

Nausea rolls through me at the thought, and I look around. The dark room I’m in is small and silent, and there’s no one else here. My friends, my guards, Laxus; none of them are here with me, which means they’re still back at the Kingdom Center.

Are they okay? Is Laxus okay?

I remember the blood. There was so much blood coming from his wound that he could be dead. I shake my head, ignoring the pain and nausea that swells at the movement. Laxus is stronger than that. He’ll be okay.

Now, I just need to get out of here so I can be okay.

“Ethan?”

The bond between us feels heavy yet nonexistent at the same time. I push at it a bit more, but there’s some sort of block, like a wall, that keeps me from getting to him. I try again, calling his name down our bond, sending him my fear and worry.

Again, it bounces back at me, sending a shiver down my spine.

When I don’t get a response from Ethan or any of my friends, I turn inward and search for my wolf. We’ve bonded over the last two weeks, but not even she responds.

The woozy, nauseous feeling spikes again, and I close my eyes to breathe through the dizziness.

Looking around, I squint through the darkness and find a door. My body shakes and my legs wobble as I push myself up, but I eventually stand and stumble over to the door. The knob is cold to the touch, and when I try to turn it, of course, it jolts uselessly.

Locked.

I shouldn’t have thought otherwise.

My eyes then land on the window at the top of the wall. It’s too small to climb out of, even if it didn’t have bars on it, but maybe I could call for help. If someone is out there, they’d help, wouldn’t they?

Probably not. If this is enemy territory, no one would help me.

Another wave of nausea hits me, and I stumble to the little mattress, falling just as I reach the edge. The pain in the back of my head grows as I drag myself into the corner and pull my legs up to my chest.

“Luna?” I whisper to my wolf, wanting to hear her respond. She’s been a steady supporter since she appeared, helping me with my shifts when Ethan was busy. She may have been suppressed all these years, but her instinct is spot on.

Honestly, it’s strange that she doesn’t respond, but again, I am weak and injured. My body won’t stop shaking from weakness, so I lift my fingers to my wrist, feeling for a pulse. I press the pads of my fingers into my skin and count.

Slower than usual.

Had my captors drugged me?

It would explain the weakness and the dizziness, also it would clarify why I can’t get in contact with Ethan, my wolf, or my friends.

Wrapping my arms around my legs, I curl up into a tighter ball, with my back to the wall, and look out at the empty and dark room around me. How am I supposed to get out of here if I can’t contact anyone? I’m not strong enough to fight and even if I was, I don’t know how. I also don’t know where I am, who kidnapped me, or their reason.

The thick sense of isolation sinks into me, paired with a heavy dose of worry. Are my babies alright? What if they’re hurt by whatever my captor drugged me with? I press my back closer to the wall. They have to be okay.

Another thought pierces my mind.

Does Ethan know I’ve been kidnapped?

As I worry, a long, loud creaking sound fills the room, startling me and bringing my attention back to the door that’s on the opposite wall from me. It creaks open, light flooding in from the doorway, illuminating a silhouette.

A large, manly silhouette.

I can’t make out his features or really anything about the man because the light behind him nearly blinds me. I blink quickly against it and lift my hand to cover my eyes.

“How are you enjoying your stay, my Queen?” A deep voice asks in a mocking tone. “I do hope you are comfortable.”

“Who are you? Why have you brought me here?” I demand, my voice shaking. I try not to sound scared, but I am.

A chuckle from the man sends another shiver down my spine.

“You and that incessant, annoying mate of yours continue to ruin my plans,” he says, and I blink against the light again. “Things were going very well until you two showed up. You should have stayed in the East.”

“What are you talking about? What plans? Who are you?”

He doesn’t answer me, just continues with his tirade. His voice doesn’t sound familiar, but he seems to know a lot about me, since he knew where I would be earlier.

“I do hope you said goodbye to your mate,” the man says. I try to make out any feature of the man as he goes on, “If you had stayed in the East and kept your mate there, I would not have needed to interfere. Now, you won’t be seeing him again.”

The thought of never seeing Ethan again has my stomach cramping and my heart aching.

“He’ll come find me.”

“I plan on it.” His words make me want to throw up.

“What exactly do you have planned for Ethan? What do you want?”

Again, he doesn’t answer me, which only worries me more. The chuckle that fills the room is nerve wracking, and I can’t help but tighten my arms around my legs. I don’t know if he plans to kill me or keep me, but neither is good.

“You and your mate should have stayed with the humans. Now, I must get my hands dirty.”

Then, with his words echoing in my head, the man turns and slams the door shut, leaving me alone in the darkness with one thought.

I might not make it out of this alive.