Chapter 10 The Gilded Cage
I thought it’d be a dungeon. Not just any place - dark, maybe with rodents scurrying around. Cold stones underfoot instead of soft ground. Water leaking from cracks, slow drips echoing now and then.
I wasn't expecting anything fancy.
Once the guards quit hauling me around, I got tossed into a space that felt like a luxury hotel suite. A giant bed sat in the middle, wrapped in light, flowy fabric. On one side, a dressing table held fancy scents - glass bottles lined up neat. Inside the closet, row after row of pale gowns hung waiting.
Yet the room had no windows at all. Also, the entrance was thick iron - no handle inside.
Welcome back, container," the guard mocked while shutting the door hard.
The latch snapped shut - loud, metallic, cutting through the quiet like a blade.
I jumped up, rushing to the door, slamming my hands against it. "Open up! Ryker! RYKER!"
Silence.
I leaned my ear into the chilly steel. Silence now - no more battle sounds. The throne chamber’s madness had vanished. Did they take his life? Could he be sprawled on that slick stone, just for shielding me?
"No," I whispered, sliding down the door until I hit the floor. "He’s the Blood Moon Alpha. He doesn't die. He doesn't die."
I pulled my knees tight against me, that dark dress ripped and smeared with guard’s blood from Ryker’s attack. Hours passed like that - cold, trembling, just sitting while I waited on the headsman.
Yet the hangman never showed up.
The door made a beeping sound instead.
I leapt to my feet, shuffling backward while snatching a thick glass perfume bottle off the dresser - could work as a weapon.
The door opened.
Emperor Valen stepped inside.
He’d ditched the royal robes. Instead, he wore a clean white suit - simple, quiet. He seemed like any old granddad coming by for tea, yet somehow that made him scarier than ever.
He shut the door after stepping out. Then his eyes landed on the perfume I was holding - his face lit up right away.
"Put it down, child. You can't hurt me. Even if you hit me, I heal instantly. You, however... you are fragile."
“Where’s Ryker?” I said, squeezing the bottle harder.
He’s still breathing, Valen remarked, strolling toward the closet, checking out the gowns. For the time being
My legs almost buckled from the weight lifting. He’s still breathing.
"Let us go," I said, my voice shaking. "We won't challenge you. We’ll go back to the Badlands. We’ll disappear."
Valen laughed. It was a dry, rasping sound. "Disappear? Elara, you are the last White Wolf in existence. You are the most valuable creature on this planet. Do you really think I would let you go back to playing house with a defective mongrel like Ryker?"
He looked at me, his dark eyes empty like stone.
"Do you know why the White Wolves died out?" he asked.
"The history books say it was a plague," I said.
"History is written by the victors," Valen corrected. "I killed them. I hunted them down, one by one. Because a King cannot rule if there are gods walking among his subjects. Your kind... your Authority... it threatens the natural order."
He moved closer. As he did, I shifted back till my legs bumped the mattress.
"I thought I killed them all," Valen mused. "But clearly, one slipped through the cracks. And now, here you are. A latent gene. A miracle."
"If you hate us so much, why didn't you kill me in the Throne Room?" I asked.
"Because I am pragmatic," Valen said. "I am old, Elara. My power is fading. I need an heir. A true heir. Not these weaklings in the Council."
He waved his hand toward the walls.
"This is the Breeding Wing. It is where we keep the special bloodlines. You will stay here. You will be fed, bathed, and cared for. And once a month, during your heat cycle, you will be mated."
The color faded from my cheeks. Then it hit - just how bad things really were.
"Mated?" I whispered. "To who?"
"To whoever I choose," Valen said. "Perhaps a strong Alpha from the North. Perhaps my own son. We will experiment until we produce a pup that carries your White Wolf gene, but has my loyalty."
"I would rather die," I spat. "I will kill myself before I let anyone touch me."
Valen let out a breath, like I wasn't making things easy. From his pocket came a small device - he aimed it toward the wall.
A piece of the wall moved aside, showing a big display.
Flickering stopped - suddenly, real-time footage came on screen.
It was like a cellar - dark, hidden below ground.
In the middle of the hole sat a huge dark wolf, locked to the stone with thick silver cuffs. While its fur blended into shadows, one red eye glowed faintly. Though silent, it watched every move from behind cold metal links. As if waiting. Not attacking. Just breathing slow, steady pulses in the dim air.
Ryker.
He looked rough. Blood clumped in his fur, sticky and dark. Metal stakes pierced both shoulders - kept him stuck in this form. Breathing hard, he let his head droop.
Ryker!" I yelled, rushing toward the monitor - fingers hitting the pane, water from my eyes rolling down fast.
"He is strong," Valen commented. "He killed twelve of my best guards before we managed to drug him. Silver burns him, you know. Every second he is in those chains, it feels like fire."
"Stop it!" I begged, turning to Valen. "Please! Let him go!"
"That depends on you," Valen said.
He came toward me, hunching a little. His scent mixed decay with pricey perfume.
"You will be a good guest, Elara. You will eat your food. You will wear the white dresses. And when I bring a male to your room, you will submit."
He looked toward the screen. When the guard hit Ryker’s wolf with a shock stick in the footage, it twitched back.
"If you fight," Valen whispered, "I will have them peel the skin off his back, inch by inch. I will make him scream until his mind shatters completely. And I will make you watch."
I looked at him. But I felt like tearing into his neck. Yet part of me thought about using the Voice.
KNEEL, I yelled inside my mind.
But nothing happened. The power was gone. I was drained.
I stared at the display. Ryker’s pain came from my choices. Fight - then he’d be gone.
I let go of the glass vial. Then it hit the floor mat with a soft bump.
“Nice job,” Valen said, grinning. Then he touched my hair - his fingers moving slow. I tensed up, feeling a shiver run through me, yet stayed still.
"Get some rest," Valen said. "Your first appointment is tomorrow. I believe Alpha Kade is eager to... reconnect."
Valen spun around, heading outside. Behind him, the thick metal door shut hard. Then came the sound of the bolt locking into place.
I sat by myself, just me and the glowing display.
I dropped down onto the floor, eyes stuck on the blurry scene - my husband losing blood somewhere in the shadows. While he coughed weakly, I stayed frozen, unable to move or scream.
I'm sorry,” I said quietly to the display. “I really didn't mean it
I curled up tight, tears pouring out. Until my ribs ached, I just kept sobbing. Grieving the life ripped away, missing the man they were hurting, trapped by luck gone wrong - me, once invisible, now locked down.
Yet when the crying stopped, a weird thing occurred.
A soft heat started moving through my ribs. Not like the Voice’s purple flames. More hushed than that.
Quit weeping, someone muttered.
I froze. Then I sat up, glancing around the bare room. Who was hiding there?
Quit sobbing, Elara - everyone’s staring. You seem broken right now.
The voice echoed in my mind. A woman’s tone - old, sharp, laced with pride. Like royalty snapping at someone beneath her.
My eyes widened.
"Are you... my wolf?" I whispered.
At last, the voice came slow. Wondered how long it’d take for you to notice me. Name’s Freya. Besides that, I’ve had enough of seeing you flinch around those puny guys.
I grabbed my head. "You're real. Ryker said... he said you were waiting until I was strong."
You’re not tough, Frexa shot back. You're a wreck - still, you belong to me. Yet we don’t bow to bullies.
On the screen, Ryker raised his gaze. Not just looking - staring right through the lens, like he knew I was there. A rough snarl rumbled from his throat, quiet but bold.
Frey purred inside my head - solid partner, that one. Fights clean, moves smart. So we’re sticking with him. Got no reason to walk away.
"How?" I whispered. "I have no magic left. I’m trapped."
You’ve lost your magic - since you’re clinging to being just human, Freya muttered. You keep shielding that fragile piece of yourself. Just drop it, Elara. Shatter the wall holding you back.
I got on my feet. Then I moved toward the glass.
My face looked right at me. Yet those eyes… now they held something new - faint purple fog twisting inside. Not just brown like before.
"They want to breed me," I told Freya. "They want to use me."
Go ahead, Freya chuckled - deep, eerie, sending chills. Kade can show up if he wants. Step right into this place. He’s walking in thinking he’ll catch someone helpless.
I brushed away the final drop on my face. Then, my look turned firm.
He doesn't get it, Freya murmured - stepping right into a trap where something's waiting. Though he moves forward, unaware, she knew the danger was close.