Chapter 42

**Trigger warning**

this chapter does contain violence and torture so heads up

**Roman’s POV**

“Oh my Goddess Qi! I can’t believe you’re alive!” I stare at the boy completely bewildered. I believe Greta is also reeling from seeing Qiang alive and breathing in front of us since she drops the hold she has on my hair and crawls into the furthest corner away from me, bringing her knees to her chest, curling into a ball.

Re-focusing my attention to Qiang, my mind is racing, how is he alive? I have to get word to Uncle Ji and Aunt Estelle, what has he gone through while here?

I continue the useless struggle against my chains so I can try to get closer but after trying to fight my way out of them so many times today they have leached any strength left in my tired body. “Qiang, are you okay? Your parents will be so happy to learn you survived!”

“If my parents aren't already dead, they will soon be Willa. So will everyone” his voice is almost a whisper, and it chills me to my core. He bends down and starts to pick up the scattered bowls and cutlery that he dropped upon seeing us, something that looks like porridge splattered on the grimey cement. Qiangs hands tremble as he tries to clean up his mess and I can only hope it doesn't lead to him getting punished.

“Qiang, please talk to me, what has happened to you these past three years?”

“Todd will be down soon, he will hurt you less if you just answer his questions” he says, his voice still so quiet that if I weren't a werewolf I probably would be unable to discern the words. Once he has gathered up the dishware onto the tray and wiped up most of the slop that was supposed to be our meal he leaves. The darkness returns and I mourn the bright young boy that I used to know, now replaced by a scared young man.

Greta and I sit in silence till we get our next visitor. I want nothing more than to comfort her, and help her heal physically and mentally but I don't know how. Just like Qiang warned, we don't have to wait long before Todd shows up, entering our cell with a bag of various tools, blades and other horrific items perfect for inflicting pain.

Todd completely ignores Greta in the corner and directs all his attention on me, approaching with a sinister grin. “You can ask whatever you want but I won't tell you a damn thing mutt”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that, but today I have no interest in questions. Instead I just want to see you bleed like my brother” he threatens while placing new shackles on my wrists. A wave of relief hits me as the collar around my neck falls away but it is only brief because now I am no longer tethered to the wall on a short leash, I can be dragged into a standing position by a chain on my wrists. I am yanked up so high that only my toes are reaching the ground and my shoulders feel as if they will dislocate but if I try to wriggle out of the position the pain increases.

I grunt in discomfort and Todd relishes in it. If I am strong enough to escape here I will enjoy killing him just as I killed his brother. He begins to rummage around his bag of nightmares before he pulls out a small silver knife and a vial of liquid that he uses to coat the blade. “Hmm where shall I use this?”

Tearing open the buttons on my dirty dress shirt that I was wearing when I was taken he exposes my chest. With access to his canvas he uses the blade to leave small slices in my skin, searing pain courses through me and I cannot stop the scream that tears from my throat. Silver is always guaranteed to cause incredible pains to shifters but whatever that liquid is, it feels like acid creeping into my bloodstream.

Over and over again the knife tears into me, all over my chest, and once he has grown bored with my already exposed skin he tears the remains of my shirt off my body so he can get to work on my arms.

Eventually the pain stops and I open my eyes to see that Greta has left her hiding spot to tackle Todd to the ground and I want to thank her for the reprieve from his torture. The past week here has left my friend weak though and the same wolf who I have seen take down five warriors at once in a warrior tournament is easily taken down by a singular wolf. He buries the knife in her arm below her shoulder and the shock of the pain gives him an opportunity to attach a chain to the collar around her neck.

“Bitch” he spits at her, blood mixed in with his saliva which means she was at least able to hurt him before he overpowered her. Todd leans down and I can see him get close to her ear to whisper some horrible taunt but Greta uses it as a chance to bite down on his ear tearing off the lobe before raising her knee into his gut.

The fire that has always been present in Greta has yet to be extinguished and she will not surrender to Dark Claw and I can’t either. Todd stumbles back clutching at his ear with one hand and clutching his torso with the other and I laugh at the blood trickling down his neck.

All the confidence he had walking in here, ready to torture two seeming helpless wolves has dissipated as he stumbles out of the cellar like prison with his tool bag in tow.

“Thanks for the knife Todd!” Greta yells once the roof door is closed and I realise that it is still lodged in her upper arm. At my feet on the ground is the blue tie that my father gave me and I kick it over to her as a peace offering since I’m still stuck in my position of standing while barely being able to plant my feet.

“When you pull out the knife, use that as a bandage, Thank you for saving me” I say and she does exactly that, before grabbing scrap of my shirt from the ground, using it to wrap the blade so she can safely tuck it into the waistband of her pants.

“Even if you fucked up Pup, you’re still going to be my Alpha and my job is to protect you. Besides Todd was the one that killed my James so I am going kill him even if its the last thing I do”

I want to continue talking to her, I want to know what has happened while she was here, what she knows and start to rebuild her trust in me but the pain and exhaustion have started to pull me under and I can’t keep my eyelids open any longer even as I hear someone calling my name repeatedly.