Chapter 90: From one Cage to Another
Ivy’s POV
The world exploded into chaos the moment the howl faded.
The truck skidded violently, throwing me and the others forward. A deafening crunch echoed as something massive slammed into the front, bringing us to a dead stop. Then came the sounds—the unmistakable symphony of war.
Growls erupted from all around us, deep and guttural, sending a shiver through my spine. Claws scraped against metal, and the sickening snap of bone filled the air. The cries of agony that followed were more beast than man. I clenched my hands over my ears, heart hammering, bracing for the worst.
And then—silence.
The stillness was heavier than the violence that came before it. Inside the truck, we exchanged wary glances, our breaths quick and panicked. No one dared to move, each of us straining to hear what was coming next.
The door was wrenched open.
Towering figures loomed over us, their massive frames blocking out the dim light filtering through the trees. I had never seen wolves like these before—ancient, primal.
Their chests and arms were bare, adorned with swirling tribal tattoos, each marking a history I couldn’t decipher. Their eyes glowed, feral and merciless, their muscles coiled with restrained power.
“Get down. All of you,” one of them commanded in a strange accent, his voice deep and hoarse, dripping with authority.
I and the others scrambled out as quickly as we could, our bound feet making it nearly impossible to move with any grace. The moment my feet hit the ground, I realized how truly isolated we were.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and moss, the dense forest around us stretching endlessly. No roads. No signs of civilization. Just towering trees and the suffocating presence of the unknown.
If the rogues had planned to take us the rest of the way on foot, I had no idea where that might have been.
The warriors surrounding us stood motionless, their sharp eyes sweeping over us with a mix of intrigue and something closer to amusement.
Their massive frames blocked out the sparse light filtering through the forest canopy, making their tribal markings appear even darker, etched deep into their skin like living history.
I swallowed hard. These weren’t just wolves. They looked like something pulled straight from the stories of the old world—the ones whispered around campfires to scare young pups. Wolves before civilization. Before packs had borders and treaties.
They were how our kind used to be—wild, untamed, unbreakable.
And the way they were staring… it sent a chill down my spine.
Their eyes dragged over every inch of me and the others, studying us with the kind of curiosity one might reserve for a caged animal.
I suddenly became painfully aware of my clothing—dirty and torn from hours of captivity, but still covering more skin than these warriors seemed accustomed to.
Then, out of nowhere, one of the prisoners collapsed onto his knees.
“Thank you,” the man gasped, his voice breaking with raw emotion. “You saved us! You saved us from those monsters!”
The others shared wide-eyed looks, their fear giving way to something dangerous—hope.
A murmur rippled through the group, a flicker of relief passing between us as we realized that maybe—just maybe—we have been rescued.
One of the warriors, a broad-shouldered man with deep scars slashing across his chest, stepped forward. He tilted his head slightly as he reached out, tugging at the fabric of my sleeve between his fingers. His nostrils flared as if trying to understand its purpose.
I jerked away, and his eyes snapped to mine.
A slow smirk crept onto his face, not of kindness, but of something far more unsettling.
Just then, one of our captors, who had been standing silently at the edge of the group, took his chance. He lunged forward, knife in hand, aiming for the scarred warrior’s back.
I barely had time to react.
But the warrior didn’t need to turn around.
Without a glance, without even shifting his stance, his arm shot back in a blur. There was a sickening crack, a choked gurgle—then silence.
The rogue’s body crumpled to the ground, his head twisted at an unnatural angle. His eyes were still wide with shock, his knife falling uselessly beside him.
One of the warriors lifted his nose and inhaled sharply. A deep growl rumbled through his chest before he snarled, “Rogues.”
He lunged without hesitation, his claws unsheathing mid-air before sinking into the flesh of another captor. The rogue barely had time to scream before his throat was torn open, his body collapsing in a lifeless heap.
Good. Let them die. Let them all die.
For a fleeting moment, I dared to hope that this was a rescue. That these warriors had come to free us. But that hope withered when the tallest of them, the one who had yet to move, called out, “Enough.”
The attacker stilled instantly, but his hunger for blood remained evident in the way he bared his teeth.
Then, the leader’s gaze settled on me and the others. His expression twisted into something like disgust, as though the very sight of us offended him. He spat at the ground near my feet, his nostrils flaring.
“They are all rogues,” he declared coldly. “Round them up. The Alpha will be delighted.”
“No—no—no!” My voice cracked as panic seized me. “I’m not one of them! I’m Ivy Blackwood!” I shouted, as if my name alone could shield me from this nightmare.
I barely had time to breathe before he was on me. One second, he was standing a few feet away. The next, I was yanked off the ground, his enormous hand wrapped around my throat.
“You do not speak,” he growled, his grip tightening. “Not until you are spoken to.”
My hands clawed at his wrist as I frantically nodded, my lungs burning for air.
Without warning, he released me. I crashed to the ground, the impact rattling my bones. A sharp, searing pain shot up my leg—something had broken. Before I could even cry out, a rough burlap sack was yanked over my head.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
I was dragged forward, forced to limp with every agonizing step. The path beneath me was uneven, filled with rocks and roots that I could barely navigate. My entire body ached, exhaustion weighing me down like lead. I wanted to stop. I wanted to collapse and let them finish me off.
But I couldn’t. I refuse to die like this.
Minutes stretched into eternity as we walked. The air changed, growing heavier, more oppressive. Even through the sack, I felt the shift. We have entered their territory.
A faint murmur surrounded us—whispers, gasps. The sound of people watching. Judging.
A terrible thought crawled into my mind, making my stomach twist.
They aren’t cannibals too… right?
More shoving. More steps. And then—finally—the sack was ripped away.
My eyes burned as they adjusted to the dim light. When I took in my surroundings, my breath caught in my throat.
A massive settlement stretched before me, unlike anything I had ever seen. Structures carved into the mountainside, flames flickering in large iron braziers, illuminating the faces of warriors and civilians alike. Some looked intrigued. Others… hungry.
A prison? A fortress? A stronghold lost to time?
Then I saw it—the way their eyes followed us, assessing, calculating. Amusement curled at the edges of their lips, but beneath it lurked something far worse.
Dread coiled in my stomach as the truth settled deep in my bones.
We were better off in the hands of the rogues.