Chapter 105

Alpha Dean’s POV

The girl lays in the dark cell, her wolf form almost identical to her mother’s, and I can’t pull my eyes from the monitor’s screen. Her mother’s white wolf was brighter than the silver wolf that the Ashford family is known for, but she’s beautiful, nonetheless.

Ricket, my doctor, says passes me a paper with DNA and blood analysis charts, and I sigh. He knows I don’t understand all this science nonsense, yet he persists in annoying me.

“It’s confirmed, Alpha Dean. The girl is Grayson and Elizabeth Ashford’s daughter,” he finally says.

My eyes are drawn back to the computer screen when she moves. Her fur is dirty, stained with blood and dirt from what Ricket has put her through.

Seeing her in such a state has me feeling conflicted. One part of me likes that she’s suffering, since it will bring Grayson pain. Another part of me feels sorry for the young woman who is the only piece of the life I no longer live.

“Any word from Grayson?” I ask, forcing my eyes away from the security footage. The more I look at her, the more I think about Elizabeth.

“Not yet, Alpha. Do you think he’s ignoring his own daughter?” Ricket asks, a strange grin on his face.

I’ve let him do his experiments during the last few days while testing her blood and Lycan abilities, but I can tell it’s getting to him. He wants more; however, I couldn’t let him keep going. If she dies, I won’t get my revenge.

“Bring her to me. It’s time to agitate our dear Lycan King.”

Aurora’s POV

Thorne is dead.

He has to be. That must be why he hasn’t come to save me. I can’t think of any other reason why he hasn’t come.

Again, the memory of his wolf lying bloody on the grass flits into my mind. I try to shake the image from my mind, but it cements itself there, constantly bringing more pain. If Thorne is really dead, then I’ll never get out of here.

My head pounds, and my body grows colder as I lay on the stone floor. My fur isn’t keeping me warm anymore, and each time the thin man comes to take more blood, I get colder.

I’ll die here.

The cell door creaks open, and I scoot myself back into the corner. I try to get as far away as possible from the large guard who comes into the cell, but there’s only so far I can go. The thin man follows the guard, his usual, sickening grin on his face.

A whimper slips from my muzzle, as I push my aching body closer to the wall.

Please leave me alone.

Just go away.

Don’t touch me.

I can’t speak, unable to shift back to my human form after everything they’ve done. Staying in this form is safer… I think.

However, I can’t move far enough away because the guard grabs one of my back legs and drags me to the edge of the cell. Quicker than I can move, he slaps a heavy collar around my neck. Instantly, electricity burns through my body, making me yelp and fall back to the floor.

“Be a good girl, now,” the guard says, holding up a remote. He waves it in my face, taunting me as my body shakes from the electrocution. “You’ll get another zap if you bite me, and this one will be worse than the little tick you just got.”

Another whimper falls from me at the thought. The shock collar could seriously hurt me if they turn it up high enough, and with how they’ve been treating me, I wouldn’t put it past them to turn the dial all the way up.

The thin man walks toward me, “Come with us. The Alpha wants to speak to you, little princess.”

The nickname sends a shiver down my spine. Nothing good can come from seeing that terrifying Alpha again, especially if he’s requesting—or demanding—my presence.

When I don’t move, the man lifts the shock collar remote and clicks the button. My entire body locks up, my muscles seizing as I shake on the ground. I cry out, a broken howl bursting from my chest.

Panting, I slump to the floor.

Will this hell ever end?

“Are you going to come, or do I need to zap you again?” The guard asks, and the thin man laughs. The sound grates on my nerves, but I scramble to my feet, stumbling as my legs shake.

With my tail tucked between my legs, I follow the men out of my cell. It’s the first time they’ve let me walk anywhere, and this time, I can’t even run. If I tried, they would certainly punish me, and I don’t think I can take anymore pain.

As I follow the thin man, my body shakes from pain, weakness, and exhaustion. It takes all my energy not to topple over with each step. Small glimpses of sunlight filter through windows high on the walls, telling me it’s daytime.

I blink against the brightness, my left eye clear, and my right eye still slightly hazy from the thin man’s knife.

How long have I been here?

One day?

Three days?

My head pulses, the constant pain throbbing at the back of my skull as I try to do mental math without any useful information. It feels like years, but in reality, I can’t tell. Has it been more than a week?

It couldn’t have been a week. I would know if I’d been here for seven days… right?

Another wave of exhaustion hits me, and I stumble over my paws. It’s still hard to move in this new body, and that doesn’t account for my weakened state.

“Keep moving,” the guard behind me growls, kicking my backside and forcing me forward. I nearly run into the thin man, but he steps to the side and watches as I tumble into the room in front of us.

My legs buckle beneath me, and I crash to the floor. I lay there for a moment, breathing deeply and letting the dizziness subside.

A deep chuckle draws my attention forward, and I stiffen. The Alpha with the scar across his face sits in a chair, his arm draped over the side as he lounges like a king.

“Not such a noble princess, are you?” He asks while standing. I cower, lowering my head when he reaches for me and wraps his hand around my muzzle. “You’re a filthy little thing, aren’t you?”

The heavy weight of his Alpha presence presses me into the ground, warning me to show proper respect. But I fight it. I try to keep my head up, knowing it’s the only way I can fight back.

Then, without warning, he grabs me by the scruff of my neck and lifts me off the ground. In one hand, he holds me, an in the other, he holds a phone.

“Maybe this will get your father’s attention.”

My father?

The camera’s shutter clicks just before he tosses me aside like I weigh no more than a feather. My body slams into the wall, my bones rattle, and my skull cracks against the cement. Pain splinters through me, and stars dance in my vision.

Darkness creeps into the sides of my vision as I try to crawl away, but it’s no use. The blazing fire that rips through my body pulls me further into unconsciousness as the Alpha speaks, “Put her back in her cell. I’ve got what I needed.”

The guard grabs me by the neck and drags me from the room.

Thorne isn’t coming.

I’m never leaving this place.