Chapter 159

Chapter 159
Phina's POV

I woke with a jolt, my vision blurred and my head throbbing. Cold metal pressed into my neck, heavy and unforgiving, and my hands were tied tightly behind the chair. Panic clawed at my chest as I realized my powers were suppressed; the chain around me was a cruel cage I couldn’t break.

A voice sliced through the haze.

“Good morning, Phina,” Sheila said, stepping into the dim light. Her tone was smooth, mocking, as if she had been waiting just for this moment.

My stomach dropped. Ellie… she had delivered me. Betrayal tasted bitter, sharp against my tongue. I struggled against the bindings, testing the chain, willing my energy to flow, but nothing answered. Rage bubbled inside me, hot and furious.

“You—how dare you?” I spat, my voice shaking with fury and fear. “Ellie—she’s… she made a deal with you?”

Sheila’s laugh was soft but cold, bouncing off the walls like knives.

“Oh, yes. Clever girl, aren’t you? Always so perceptive. I must admit, I expected less from you.”

Her eyes flicked with surprise as she realized how much I already knew. She had counted on fear and ignorance, not knowledge.

I swallowed the lump of anger and grief twisting my throat. My mind raced through every detail, every whisper I’d overheard, every warning I’d pieced together about her and her family.

“You think I don’t know anything about you,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “Your plans. Your history. What you’ve done—and what you want to take from me. You miscalculated.”

Sheila’s smile faltered, just slightly, as she stepped closer. The room smelled of dust and herbs, faintly metallic, with the weight of oppressive air pressing down. I felt the bindings bite deeper into my skin with every movement, but my pulse was alive, alert.

“You are… bold,” she said, her voice a whisper now, edged with disbelief. “Most would have cowered. Yet you sit there and speak like a queen.”

My heart hammered, fury mingling with clarity. I would not break here. Not now. I tilted my chin, meeting her gaze with defiance.

“I will not be a pawn,” I said firmly. “And I am not afraid of what you think you can do.”

Sheila’s eyes narrowed, shock and irritation flickering in them. For the first time, I felt a subtle shift in power, a spark of control in a room designed to cage me.

Then her eyes widened slightly, just enough for me to notice. Her usual confidence wavered when I began recounting the details she assumed I could not know. I spoke calmly, each word deliberate, letting the weight of my knowledge sink in.

“You thought I wouldn’t understand,” I said, my voice steady despite the chain biting into my neck. “You, the witches, your plan to take my powers… I know everything.”

The chain clinked softly as I shifted, a subtle reminder of my captivity, yet my words carried ice and fire together. Sheila’s lips pressed into a thin line, her sharp breaths breaking the tense silence that filled the room.

“You—how could you possibly—” she started, but I cut her off with a hard stare.

“Do not underestimate me. I am not afraid of you or your schemes. Leave Asher and his pack alone.”

She tilted her head, studying me as though I were a curious puzzle. The faint smell of wax and herbs clung to the air, a reminder of her mystical defenses and the power she wielded so confidently.

“You are bold,” she hissed, her voice tight, “and foolish to think words will protect them.”

I drew in a slow, controlled breath, ignoring the sting of the chain against my skin.

“I am the reason your attacks fail,” I said, my tone sharp. “It is my presence that shields them. Every plan you make, every strike you try—they cannot touch Asher’s pack because I stand in their way.”

Sheila’s eyes flickered with something between irritation and fear. She had expected submission, silence, or panic, but not this. The clinking of the chain punctuated the room, each movement I made emphasizing my defiance even while restrained.

“You speak too freely,” she said, her voice lowering, dangerous. “Most would have begged or trembled. Yet here you sit, chained, and still commanding me to retreat. Do you truly believe you have the power to stop us?”

I held her gaze, refusing to flinch.

“You’ve underestimated me from the start. I am not powerless here, and I am not afraid to make you regret that miscalculation.”

Sheila’s jaw tightened, her fingers twitching with suppressed tension. The room felt smaller, heavier, each of us aware of the psychological battle raging silently between us. My defiance hung in the air like a challenge, a warning she could not ignore.

Sheila leaned closer, her voice cold and deliberate, cutting through the stale air like steel.

“Asher’s pack will fall,” she said, letting each word sink in. “No matter what you do, no matter how strong they think they are.”

I felt a surge of anger bubble up, my hands straining uselessly against the chains. My heart pounded, my pulse echoing in my ears. The warmth of the room pressed against me, thick and oppressive, as if even the air conspired with my captor.

“You’re the only reason they remain untouched,” Sheila continued, her eyes gleaming with a cruel satisfaction. “Because of you, I cannot strike them. Every plan I make, every strike I would send their way, is stalled by your presence.”

I swallowed hard, clinging to control. Rage and frustration burned through me, but beneath it lay the steady pulse of determination. I would not be broken here; knowledge was still my weapon, even bound and chained.

The chains rattled softly as I shifted, the cold metal biting into my wrists and neck. I could feel the lingering hum of Sheila’s magic pressing in around me, a reminder of the limits she had imposed. Yet each breath I drew reminded me that I was alive, and alive meant I could fight.

“You underestimate me,” I said, my voice steady, cutting through the tension. “You may have chains and spells, but I am not powerless. You think holding me here gives you control, but it only delays what is coming.”

Sheila’s lips curled into a faint, dangerous smile.

“Bold words for someone who cannot move freely,” she said. “You think courage alone will save you? We will strip your powers, and soon, the pack will fall with nothing to stop us.”

I let the chains bite as I inhaled slowly, letting my mind focus on every detail. The faint scent of herbs in the room, the cold metal against my skin, the subtle vibration of her magical presence—all of it fed my awareness. My resolve hardened. I would escape. I would reclaim what was mine.

“I may be bound,” I said, meeting her gaze without flinching, “but I am not defeated. You will see that soon enough.”

Sheila’s eyes narrowed, the room thick with unspoken threats. Silence fell, broken only by the faint clinking of my chains, each sound a reminder of the game we were in—one I had no intention of losing.

“It's only a matter of time before Jason initiates the next part of the plan. I'm sure you won't know what's coming next…” she smiled as she made for the door, leaving me with fear and confusion.