Chapter 53 Not Long Now

Chapter 53 Not Long Now
Lucienne's Point of View

I had no idea what time it was. The thick, suffocating darkness of the warehouse seemed endless. When Beatrice had ordered Michaela upstairs, she’d deliberately switched off the only powered light, leaving me to eat in the dark. The cold seeped into my bones, the stale air heavy with the scent of mildew and iron.

My body trembled from exhaustion and hunger; the pitiful scraps they fed me were barely enough to keep me conscious. Thankfully, I was just like a human still, which meant I didn’t need as much fuel to sustain me—but even so, I still longed for her strength, her presence, to return to me.

Yet, amidst the weakness, I could feel a faint shift—a flicker of hope. The activated charcoal was working, slowly but surely purging the wolfsbane from my system. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to stoke a fragile fire within me.

Curled into the corner of my cell, I clung to that flicker, willing myself to stay alert. My body was still weak and far from ready, but something was stirring deep within me—something that had been lying dormant, waiting.

Clio, my Lycan, was awakening.

Though she wasn't yet at full strength, the mere presence of her strength was enough to give me a flicker of hope. We weren't finished. Not yet. The bond between us, sacred and unyielding, pulsed with life. But I knew better than to give in to the excitement. There was no room for errors.

We had to remain silent. We had to be careful.

I whispered softly, my breath barely audible as I reached out to her within my mind. Clio, don't make a sound. We're not out of danger yet. Her response was faint but reassuring, a ripple of power against the walls of my consciousness. She was still there. We'll get through this.

The sound of footsteps above me made my heart skip a beat, my senses snapping to high alert. Each groaning creak of the old stairs seemed louder than the last, the oppressive weight of Rodney’s approach suffocating the air around me. A chill ran down my spine, and my stomach twisted painfully—not just from disgust but from the unspoken fear I dared not let show. What if he decided I was his to take? The thought alone made my skin crawl.

I clenched my fists, trying to steady the tremble in my hands. I had no one to turn to, no one who could intervene in this hellhole. My mates—my alphas—should have been here. They were my safe place, the only ones I could ever want, but they didn’t even know how deeply I cared.

How could I have been so stubborn? I’d never told Marc or Cole that I loved them. I always thought I’d have time for it, something I told myself I’d say when the moment was right. But now, trapped here, facing the sickening possibility of being defiled by someone like Rodney, I felt the sharp regret of what I hadn’t said.

Those kinds of emotions were so hard for me—raw and vulnerable, like exposing the deepest part of my soul. But I didn’t want anyone else. Not now, not ever. My bond with Marc and Cole was sacred, and no one could replace it. I swallowed hard, willing myself to stay strong even as terror clawed at the edges of my mind. I prayed that I would get the chance to tell them, to let them know they weren’t just my mates—they were my heart, my everything.

Rodney’s footsteps grew closer, and the fear I fought to suppress threatened to overwhelm me. I forced myself to focus on survival, knowing I couldn’t afford to break now—not when the fight for my freedom, future, and love wasn’t over yet.

Close behind followed Elizabeth's sharp, calculated steps. She was nothing more than a waste of space, her mere presence a toxic weight in the room. While Rodney evoked fear, Elizabeth only fueled my contempt. Her smirk was audible in her movements, and I could practically feel the whip in her hand before I even saw it. I knew there would be no mercy today.

I drew in a deep breath, forcing my face to remain neutral. No matter how much I loathed any of them or how much I wanted to lash out, I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me fear them. 

Elizabeth's cold, cruel gaze met mine as she neared. The whip, glinting darkly in the pale light, was a constant reminder of her sadistic pleasure. I flinched involuntarily, but I quickly buried the reaction. I wasn't weak anymore. I wouldn't let her break me.

She smirked, enjoying every second of my discomfort. But then, to my surprise, her voice changed. It was more conspiratorial now, the kind of tone I would expect her to use when she thought she had the upper hand.

“She’ll be waiting for them,” Elizabeth murmured to Rodney, her voice dripping with mock sweetness though her eyes gleamed with malice. “We contacted Marc and Cole earlier. They were quick to agree—of course, they’d rather align themselves with someone like Beatrice. They’ve decided you’re not worth the trouble, Lucienne. They’ll be here soon, ready to cast you aside for her.”

My stomach twisted at her words, but not from the betrayal she was trying to sow. I knew better. The warmth of Marc and Cole’s voices still lingered in my mind from our earlier link, their determination and love grounding me even in this dark place. They would never choose anyone over me, but I had to play along, no matter how much it grated against my instincts.

I lowered my gaze, letting a flicker of doubt cross my face as if her words had struck a nerve. I couldn’t let her suspect I knew the truth—that her supposed victory was nothing more than a web of lies. I needed to be convincing if I wanted to survive long enough to see Marc and Cole again.

“Give me the whip, Elizabeth,” Rodney demanded. “I’m going to make sure they know exactly why they need to reject her.”

“No,” Elizabeth answered. “It is my turn to have a go. I’m going to enjoy this.”

“Just don’t go so hard that you kill her,” he said.

“Why shouldn’t I?” she sneered. “It doesn’t matter if she dies. She is just surplus to requirements. Besides, they’ll be weaker if she does, meaning they no longer have their marks. It’ll make sure that Beatrice can mark them without any problems.”

My poor mates. I had to survive this—for them, for us. The thought of Marc and Cole tormented by my death was hard to imagine. They’d be heartbroken if I didn’t make it through this, not to mention weak. I couldn’t let Elizabeth’s schemes destroy them.

Clio stirred within me, her presence a steadying force against my growing fear. “We will not let this stand,” she growled in my mind, her strength like a flicker of flame in the darkness. She was awake now, not fully recovered but strong enough to lend me what I needed to push back against this nightmare.

Elizabeth’s voice grated on my nerves as she continued, her tone filled with disdain. “You think they care? They’ve already moved on, little Gamma. They’ll belong to Beatrice soon, and you’ll be nothing but a memory—if that.”

The fury in Clio’s growl matched the fire rising in my chest. “Shift, Lucienne. We’ll show her what we’re made of. She wants to break us? She’ll regret underestimating us.”

I hesitated briefly, glancing at Rodney, who loomed nearby with that predatory gleam in his eye. If I shifted now, there would be no turning back. But I couldn’t let them control me any longer. I couldn’t let fear paralyse me.

Drawing in a shaky breath, I closed my eyes and reached for Clio. Her strength flooded my limbs as the familiar warmth of the shift began. My bones ached, but the pain was nothing compared to my determination.

Elizabeth froze mid-sentence, her expression flickering between surprise and anger. “What are you doing?” she spat, taking a step back as my body began to change.

Rodney stepped closer, his face twisted in a sneer, his dark eyes glinting with smug confidence. “Don’t be stupid, girl. You can’t shift,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension. He gestured pointedly at my wrists, where the silver cuffs bit into my skin, a constant, burning reminder of their cruelty. “You’re still wearing those, in case you’ve forgotten. You can’t shift with them on. And don’t think we’ve overlooked the wolfsbane—there’s still enough of it in your system to keep you weak. You’re nothing but a human now with no way out.”

He laughed, the sound cruel and dismissive, as though he’d already decided I was beaten. But his ignorance of what I truly was—of who I truly was—might just be the key to my survival.

They underestimated me, underestimated us. I could feel Clio’s power building, a storm waiting to be unleashed. As my Lycan form took shape, I met Elizabeth’s furious gaze and bared my teeth.

“I’m not surplus to anything,” I growled, my voice distorted but stronger than it had been in days. “And you’ll regret ever thinking otherwise.”

I would take great pleasure in seeing the fear I’d felt previously, now reflected in Rodney’s and Elizabeth’s eyes.

“You stupid bitch! You never told me she was a member of the Royal Family. She’s a fucking Lycan!”