Chapter 41 The Entity
Chapter 41 The Entity
CHAPTER 41: The Entity
Author's POV
The forest was quiet in a wrong way. A lone figure moved between the trees with their boots crunching against dead leaves and damp soil.
The person wore black from head to toe with a hood pulled low enough to hide their face completely. Their steps were uneven and a little unsteady like they had been walking for far too long. More than once, they stumbled over roots or loose stones, nearly falling flat on their face only to catch themselves at the last second and keep going.
After a while, the figure slowed and stopped beside a trees. The bark was scarred but carved into it were strange symbols... sharp lines and curves that did not belong to any known language. The person reached out and touched one of them and the symbol glowed.. not bright.. just a faint pulse of light like a heartbeat.
The figure tilted their head, as if listening, then stepped back and continued walking. Every few minutes, another tree appeared with another marking and another soft glow when touched.
Markers and guides. That's what these were.
The deeper the person went, the darker the forest became until even the moonlight struggled to reach the ground. Finally, the trees thinned, revealing a small cave tucked into a rocky hill. The opening was narrow but the darkness inside was almost solid. It felt less like an absence of light and more like something alive.
The figure stopped at the entrance and a voice boomed from deep within the cave, low and heavy, vibrating through stone and bone alike.
“Is it time?”
The hooded figure did not flinch.
“Almost.”
The voice hummed, pleased.
“Explain.”
“The pack is tearing itself apart,” the figure said calmly. “The Lycan King is unraveling over a weak little human girl. He’s angry and getting reckless. The elders fear him and the people are confused.”
A low chuckle echoed from the darkness.
“Good.”
“They argue, they fight and they doubt him,” the figure went on. “They are distracted.”
“Let them,” the voice said. “Division makes them fragile.”
The hooded figure laughed then. It was flat and mechanical and empty of warmth.
“And when they’re weak enough, the Grimhowls will step in and the last of Aric Draven’s supporters will be wiped out.”
The cave went silent for a long moment and then the voice spoke again and softer now.
“Do not fail me.”
“I won’t,” the figure replied.
They turned and then vanished back into the forest.
Seraphine's POV
Day two in the dungeons felt longer than the rest of my life combined.
They gave me water once. If you could even call it water. It was muddy and smelled like something died in it . I refused it at first because I still had a little pride left and because dying of thirst felt slightly better than drinking whatever that was. Turns out pride does not beat thirst.
By the time my lips cracked and my tongue felt like sandpaper, I grabbed the bowl and drank every last drop. I regretted it immediately but at least I wasn’t dizzy anymore.
Food never came.
My wrists ached from the chains, heavy iron wrapped tight enough to remind me every second that I wasn’t going anywhere. My legs were chained too, limiting me to about three sad steps in any direction.
The floor was cold and the air smelled quite badly too. My only companion was a skeleton slumped in the corner.
“I’m guessing you didn’t have a great time either,” I muttered to it.
The skeleton did not reply.
I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes, ignoring the ache in my ribs where Vespera had kicked me and the dull throb in my jaw. I’d been beaten before. I’d survived worse. What hurt more was the silence. No Aric, no shouting and no footsteps pacing outside my cell.. just nothing.
Somewhere between the hunger and the exhaustion, the truth finally settled in.
I loved him. Really loved him and not the mate bond, not the pull. Just him..
Aric Draven. Big, angry and stubborn wolf king with a temper problem and eyes that saw too much. I’d spent so long fighting the bond that I never stopped to ask myself what I wanted underneath it. Turns out, I wanted him!
I snorted softly.
“Great timing, Seraphine.”
I pushed myself upright and forced my mind into focus. Feelings were nice but they didn’t get you out of chains. Planning did. Escape first. Regret later.
The problem was… after I escaped, then what? Run? Hide? Go back to his people?
Would they even let me live long enough to explain?
I sighed.
“One crisis at a time.”
Night came slowly, the dungeon grew colder and quieter, guards changed shifts, I listened, counted steps, noted voices and my the time the hour before dawn rolled in, I was ready.
I leaned forward and groaned loudly.
“Hey,” I called weakly. “Hey, I don’t feel so good.”
No answer.
“I think I’m going to throw up,” I added. “I think.. I think I'm going to pass out!”
A guard scoffed from outside.
“Good.”
“Are you sure you want me dying in here?” I said softly. “You think Aric would be happy about that?”
That got their attention. The door creaked open.
“Don’t try anything,” one guard warned as he stepped inside with another.
I swayed on my feet.
“I’m not...”
Then I let my eyes roll back and collapsed.
“Shit,” one of them muttered, rushing forward.
Bad move.
I came up quickly.. slammed my head into his nose and felt cartilage crunch, then spun and kicked the second guard square in the knee. He went down screaming. I grabbed the first man’s sword, slammed the hilt into his temple and he dropped like a sack of rocks.
I stood there breathing hard with chains clanking softly.
“Well,” I said to the skeleton, “that went better than expected.”
I toke their keys and toke off the chains from my hands and legs and then grabbed a dagger too, just in case and stepped out of the cell.. straight into three massive Lycans in the hallway!
They were in their wolf forms slightly towering over me and snarling with fangs bared and their eyes glowing in the dark…