Chapter 89: Caged
Ivy’s POV
A sharp, searing pain shot through my skull as I slowly opened my eyes. My vision blurred, my surroundings nothing more than dark, shifting shadows. I sucked in a breath, but it did little to steady my pounding head.
Someone had hit me.
The realization sent a fresh wave of nausea rolling through me. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the dizziness to subside, then opened them again, bracing against the pain that exploded across my skull. Slowly, my trembling hand traveled to the back of my head, fingers brushing against something clotted.
Blood.
My breath hitched as I pulled my hand back, the dark crimson staining my fingertips. The shock cut through the fog in my mind, allowing fragmented memories to slam into me all at once.
Isabella. Lila.
Betrayal struck me like a dagger to the chest, sharp and unforgiving. I had trusted Isabella. I had clung to the fragile hope that there was still good in her, that maybe—just maybe—she had saved me from Daniel because she cared. I had wanted to give her a chance to explain, to prove that she wasn’t the monster Leo warned me about.
But I had been a fool.
A blind, desperate fool.
She hadn’t saved me out of kindness. She had simply been biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And I had walked straight into her trap.
How did this happen anyway? When did they join forces?
Just then as I thought of Leo and how I should have listened to him, I remembered Isabella’s chilling words.
‘Leo is the Alpha King. And he needs you dead to break his curse.’
My pulse thundered in my ears.
Was that why he had always been drawn to me? Why he had craved my blood with such insatiable hunger? Had our entire connection been nothing more than a cruel trick of fate—one designed to lead me straight to my death?
A sharp pain lanced through my chest, different from the physical agony throbbing at the back of my skull.
There and then, I made a silent vow.
I would kill whatever feelings I had left for Leo.
He is a monster.
Where the hell am I? Why does it feel like I’m in a moving vehicle? Determined, I pushed myself upright—but something yanked me back. My feet.
Bound.
A wave of panic surged through me as I scanned my surroundings. I was indeed in a moving truck.
It was a little dark, but through the cracks on both sides of the truck, slivers of dim light seeped in, just enough for me to make out the forms around me.
There were others.
The realization sent ice crawling through my veins. The people around me—young, frightened, some barely out of their teens—weren’t just captives.
They were all werewolves.
My breath hitched as I met their terrified glowing eyes, their wolves flashing in quiet distress.
A chill ran down my spine.
Was I being sold? My mind raced with possibilities, none better than the other. Organ harvesters? Sex traffickers? Slavery?
A girl, no older than twenty, suddenly broke into sobs, cutting me off from my train of thought. Panic spread like wildfire through the prisoners, their quiet whimpers building into something uncontrollable. The truck jolted, and from the front, a sharp, commanding voice barked out.
“Shut up! All of you!”
But the girl couldn’t stop. Her cries escalated into a full-blown scream.
I clenched my jaw, willing the others to understand what I already knew. There was no way out of this.
If they made noise, if they fought back—they would be punished. That is the pattern.
Before I could warn them, the truck came to a violent halt.
A thick silence fell over us, broken only by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the rear.
Metal groaned. A lock was fumbled with.
And then—
The door was wrenched open.
Blinding light flooded in, and I squeezed my eyes shut against the harsh morning glare.
Two men stood outside, their towering forms casting long shadows over the truck bed. They were built like warriors—broad, ruthless, their faces void of any emotion except for the sick amusement lurking in their eyes.
The taller one stepped forward, his voice smooth and chilling.
“If anyone wants to leave, step forward now. We’ll let you go.”
No one moved.
I held my breath, praying none of the prisoners would take the bait. I had seen enough deception in my life to recognize a trap when I heard one.
This is clearly a test. No way will they come this far only to let anyone go.
The man sighed dramatically. “Second and last time,” he called. “The door is open. Just run, and you’re free.”
Silence.
And then—
A girl, bold and desperate, stood.
She dragged another girl up with her, despite the other’s fearful resistance.
A boy on the other end of the truck yanked the other girl back down and grabbed her wrist, his voice a desperate whisper. “Sit down Lori. Please.”
But she didn’t.
Instead, she took a single step forward.
The man outside sneered. “Brave girl.” He gestured to the trees behind him. “For your courage, I’ll reward you. Now. Run.”
The girl wasted no time.
She bolted.
Her body shifted mid-air, fur exploding from her skin as she transformed, her wolf tearing through the trees in a desperate bid for freedom.
For a moment, I dared to hope.
Just then— A blur of motion.
The second man, the one who had remained silent, lunged forward.
The sound of bones snapping—flesh tearing—shattered the morning air.
The girl didn’t make it past the first tree.
Her broken, lifeless body crumpled onto the forest floor, her limbs twisted at unnatural angles.
Blood pooled beneath her, the stark red staining the earth.
My breath caught in my throat as the man wiped his bloodied claws on his pants, a grin curling his lips. He turned back to the truck, his gaze sweeping over the captives with dark amusement.
“I guess that’s enough lessons for the day,” he murmured.
Terror held me frozen, while the other captives stifled their cries.
These weren’t ordinary criminals. They were rogues.
The truck lurched forward once more, the heavy doors slamming shut.
Darkness swallowed us whole.
I barely noticed.
An hour or two into the unending journey, my ears perked up as a deep, haunting howl split through the air.
A sound that sent a shiver down my spine.
A sound that carried a single, undeniable truth.
Someone was coming. Someone more deadly than these rogues.