Chapter 10 010
~LYKA~
I struggled against the men’s iron grip, twisting and kicking as hard as I could, but my efforts were useless. No matter what I did, they didn’t budge.... not even an inch. It was as if I were fighting stone statues instead of living beings. My wrists ached, my shoulders burned, and eventually, I sighed in frustration and stopped resisting, allowing them to drag me wherever they pleased.
There was no point wasting strength on battles I couldn’t win....not yet.
“Stay here,” one of the men said coldly, shoving me forward. “The Alpha will attend to you when he deems fit.”
The door slammed shut behind me.
I scoffed loudly, folding my arms across my chest.
Brutes. All of them.
A demon Alpha and his crazy pack of brainless followers.
“What exactly is he planning to do with my friends?” I muttered, staring at the closed door as if it might answer me. My chest tightened at the thought of them....defenseless, frightened, and surrounded by wolves who wouldn’t hesitate to tear them apart if ordered to.
I inhaled shakily and forced myself to hope. Hope was dangerous, but it was all I had.
“Oh, Moon Goddess,” I whispered softly, clasping my hands together, “please protect my friends from the wrath of that mad Alpha. I can’t lose them. I’ve already lost too much.”
The words left my lips like a silent plea, and I leaned back against the door, closing my eyes. Slowly, I tried to calm my racing heart and retrace my steps....every decision, every calculation that had led me here.
Where did I go wrong?
How did he even have the time to check up on me when the festival was in full bloom? That alone didn’t make sense. An Alpha like him wouldn’t abandon a public event unless something....or someone....had caught his attention.
Me, I realized bitterly.
I shook my head, refusing to dwell on it. Thinking about him only unsettled me more. Instead, I focused on what mattered....getting out of here.
“Let’s see how easy it is to break out of this room,” I murmured, turning slowly as I examined my surroundings.
My mouth fell open.
“What the....”
The room was… beautiful. Elegant. Almost luxurious. Soft lighting, expensive furniture, rich drapes, and carefully chosen colors that soothed the eyes. Anyone else might have mistaken it for a guest chamber.
But I wasn’t fooled.
This is a cage.
“Did they seriously expect a human to live here?” I scoffed, stepping further inside.
The more I looked, the clearer it became. Everything was meticulously designed....not for comfort, but for containment. Beauty used as camouflage. Every corner screamed impenetrable.
My lips curled into a knowing smirk.
“The wooden window is a trap,” I muttered, studying it closely. It was glazed over with layers of paint, deceptively fragile in appearance. But I knew better. Any attempt to break it would likely trigger an explosion....or worse.
They were thorough. Too thorough.
I sighed deeply and decided to undress, my body still sore and sticky from sweat....but then I froze.
The guards outside.
If I removed my clothes now, those idiots might burst in at the slightest excuse, and the thought alone made my stomach churn.
‘I wouldn’t mind if our mate barged in, though,’ Elysia purred shamelessly in my head.
I rolled my eyes hard. You’re impossible.
Before I could respond, I tested the door lock slightly....just enough to make it click.
Immediately, I felt the guards panic. Their boots shifted, voices murmured, and the door rattled as they prepared to force their way in.
I sighed. “Are you really that worried I might escape?” I called out dryly. “Relax. This place is a trap on its own.”
Their movements slowed.
It was the truth. There was no escape....not without help or serious damage. They didn’t need to hover over me like paranoid vultures.
After convincing them I wasn’t trying anything, I turned toward the restroom, hoping....praying....that there might be some secret passage hidden inside. Alphas loved their secret tunnels.
That was how I escaped the night my pack was attacked.
I searched carefully. The walls. The mirrors. The floor.
Nothing.
“There’s nothing here,” I breathed out, disappointment weighing heavy in my chest.
Reluctantly, I took a quick bath, washing away the dirt, blood, and fear clinging to my skin. When I was done, I wrapped a bathrobe tightly around myself and stepped back into the room.
That was when I felt it.
A presence.
The air felt… wrong.
The scent didn’t belong to me. It wasn’t there before.
‘Don’t tell me one of those brats snuck in,’ Elysia growled.
I inhaled slowly, masking my tension, and scanned the room again.
That was when I saw it.... a slight movement behind the closet.
I scoffed.
How naïve.
In one swift motion, I grabbed the knife resting on the table. Before the person could react, I yanked away the clothes he was hiding behind and slammed him against the wall, pressing the blade firmly to his throat.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
He smirked.
His eyes drifted.... lingered.... on my chest.
I hissed in fury and pressed the knife harder into his skin.
“Ahh!” he groaned as blood trickled where the blade kissed his neck.
“Who. Are. You?” I repeated, my voice cold and lethal.
His eyes reddened with pain as he tried to break free, but I didn’t loosen my grip.
“You pervert,” I snarled. “Does it excite you to spy on a woman while she bathes?”
Tears welled in his eyes as the pressure increased.
“L-let me go,” he gasped. “Pretty woman....I mean no harm.”
My nostrils flared.
Pretty woman?
Was it not enough that the Alpha was a pervert? His men too?
“You freak!” I yelled, punching him square in the mouth. He whimpered, staggering.... but I didn’t care.
“Every wrong answer will cost you your flesh,” I warned calmly. “So think wisely. What are you doing here?”
He stayed silent.
Without hesitation, I tightened my grip, my nerves steady, my resolve unshaken. One wrong move and he’d be bleeding out on the floor.
“Your life is on the line,” I said softly. “Choose wisely.”
Fear filled his eyes.
I smiled.
That was exactly what I wanted.
“I.... I’m from Aiden,” he finally gasped.
I froze.
The knife slipped from his neck as I released him instantly.
“Aiden?” I echoed sharply. “What do you mean you’re from Aiden?”
He collapsed to the floor, coughing violently as he tried to catch his breath, but my patience was already thinning.
“He sent me,” the man said hoarsely. “He asked me to deliver something to you.”
My heart skipped.
“What?” I breathed. “Aiden sent you… to give me something?”
My pulse thundered in my ears.
What could Aiden possibly want to give me.... something important enough to risk sneaking into the Demon Alpha’s territory?