Chapter 68

Chapter 68
 Jesse’s POV

The second Maddox left, I started looking around the room again, trying to figure out any possible way out of here. He made it pretty clear that if I tried anything, Rhea would suffer for it. That didn’t stop me from wanting to try anyway. But every time I got close to the idea of doing something stupid, I pictured her in a cold cell with no one on her side. That was enough to force me to slow down.

I walked to the door and tried the handle, it was still locked, of course. I didn’t know why I even bothered. Maddox wasn’t careless. He probably had someone standing on the other side just waiting for me to make a wrong move.

I checked the windows next. They opened. I could actually jump out if I wanted to. It wasn’t that high, and even in my injured state, I could survive the fall. But that was the problem. Maddox wanted that. He wanted me to try something so he’d have a reason to go after Rhea. I could almost imagine him smirking about it, waiting to see if I’d take the bait.

I stepped back from the window.

“Not happening,” I muttered to myself. “I’m not giving you that excuse.”

I tried to think of another way. Maybe I could find the dungeon once everyone was asleep. But I didn’t know this place well enough. The halls were confusing, and there were guards everywhere. One wrong turn and I’d end up right back in Maddox’s hands, and Rhea would pay before I even had a chance to explain myself.

So I forced myself to calm down. Play it safe. Play it cool. At least until I had a real plan. Maddox said tomorrow would be a big day or something. I didn’t trust whatever that meant, but maybe something would happen that gave me an opening.

I walked back to the bed and sat down. My head wouldn’t stop replaying that moment earlier, Maddox pinning me, pushing me down like he owned every part of me. It made my skin crawl, and at the same time, it left this weird tension in my chest I didn’t even want to think about. He was trying to get into my head. That was fine. I’d figure out a way around it. I wasn’t just going to let him win.

The hours passed slowly. No one came in again. No sound came from outside the door. It was like they were waiting to see what I’d do. And the whole time, I kept thinking about Rhea. Whether she was hurt. Whether she was scared. Or if she was still fighting like she always did.

Eventually, night fell. I saw the sky darken through the window and the room grew colder. I kept pacing around, trying to think of something that wasn’t completely stupid.

Then, finally, I heard the lock click.

The door opened, and a Beta stepped inside. He had the stiff posture all Variant wolves seemed to have.

“Alpha Maddox requests your presence downstairs,” he said. “It’s time for dinner.”.

I didn’t know what Maddox was trying to do, but whatever this was, it wasn’t normal, and it wasn’t harmless. Still… I didn’t have a choice.

“Lead the way,” I said.

The Beta led me down a long hallway, and I followed without saying anything. The deeper we went, the stronger the smell of food became. Real food. Not scraps. Not dried meat. Not whatever the rogues had thrown together. Actual warm food that made my stomach cramp because I hadn’t eaten properly in so long.

When we reached the dining room, I froze for a second.

There was a whole buffet spread out across a long table. Meat, vegetables, pies, fruits, things I hadn’t even thought about in months. The smell hit me so hard my mouth watered instantly. For a second, my brain forgot where I was.

Then Maddox spoke.

“Help yourself,” he said, mockingly, like he was amused just watching me stand there.

I clenched my jaw, but honestly, the food won. I walked toward the table, trying to act normal even though I felt like a starving animal.

There were already people seated. Older wolves. Elders.

They all stared at me the second I came into view. Hard stares and confused ones. Some of them leaned in to whisper to each other, and even though they were quiet, I picked up a few words.

“Look alike.”

“Uncanny resemblance.”

Whatever they were talking about, I had no idea.

I pretended not to hear them, but the words stuck in my head. Look alike to who? Maddox? Someone else? I didn’t know what to make of it, so I ignored it for now.

I loaded a plate that was way too full but I didn’t care. The first bite almost made me groan, it was that good. Warm, seasoned, fresh. My body practically sighed.

While I ate, the elders kept whispering. Maddox didn’t bother to stop them, he sat across from me with this satisfied look on his face, like he’d planned every single part of this moment.

Halfway through the dinner, Maddox lifted a glass and tapped it lightly.

“I’d like to make a quick toast,” he said.

Everyone went quiet.

“To Jesse,” Maddox continued. “For finally coming back home.”

My stomach twisted hard. Home? Variant pack was not my home. It would never be my home. Him saying that out loud in front of everyone made me feel sick.

I put down my fork. I couldn’t keep pretending. I couldn’t sit here and eat while Rhea was locked in some dungeon.

“I want to see Rhea,” I said.

Maddox didn’t react at first. No smirk, ho threat, no lecturing.

He just looked at me.

“I want to see her,” I repeated, louder. “Now not later.”

The elders looked between the two of us, tense, like they expected Maddox to explode.

But instead, he nodded.

“Fine,” he said simply. “You can see her.”

What? He agreed. I was too shocked to respond. I expected him to fight me on it, to twist it into some kind of punishment or game. But he didn’t. He just agreed like it was nothing.

I pushed away from the table, still confused.

A guard walked me down a long hallway, and the deeper we went, the colder it got. The smell changed too. Metal, stone, and damp air. It didn’t take long before I knew we were close to the dungeon.

So Rhea was somewhere down here, alone, hurt, maybe terrified. I hated imagining it.

The guard stopped at a metal door and unlocked it. When it opened, the room on the other side was dim, lit by a single lantern hanging from a hook.

Rhea was sitting on the floor, chained by the wrist, her hair messy and her face tired. But the second she saw me, her eyes lit up.

“Jesse?” she breathed out, like she wasn’t sure I was real.

I rushed inside. “Yeah. It’s me.”

She laughed, almost shaky. “I thought Dorne got you. I swear I did. When they dragged me here, all I kept thinking was, he didn’t make it out.”

I knelt beside her. “I made it out,” I said, trying to smile for her sake. “But don’t give me too much credit. Rogue Land wasn’t exactly peachy.”

She snorted. “You? Complaining?”

“Trust me,” I muttered. “After what I saw? I earned the right.”

"I’m so happy you’re alive,” she said. “I kept thinking I messed everything up. I should have convinced you bot to take up Dorne’s offer.”

“No,” I said instantly. “Don’t do that. None of this is on you.”

“Well, Maddox says I’m a traitor,” she muttered. “So that’s fun.”

I clenched my jaw at the mention of his name. “Yeah. He told me.”

Her face dropped. “Jesse… are you okay? He didn’t hurt you?”

I didn’t know how to answer that. Not physically, but mentally? Emotionally? Maddox had this way of messing with my whole head just by breathing near me.

“I’m alive. That’s the best I can explain it.”

She studied me for a second. “You look different. Not bad different. Just… stressed.”

“That’s the Maddox effect,” I muttered.

Rhea kicked my foot lightly. “Jesse, don’t joke. My brother is dangerous.”

“I know.”

I really did.

We sat in silence for a moment. Just breathing. Just trying to figure out how we were going to get out of this mess. Rhea looked hopeful again, though. She always found a way to be hopeful.

“Are you going to get me out?” she asked quietly.

The question hit me hard. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to promise her everything.

Instead, I said, “I’m going to try. I won’t leave you here.”

She nodded, trusting me in a way that made my stomach twist.

The guard cleared his throat at the door. “Alpha wants him back.”

Rhea grabbed my wrist before I could stand. “Be careful. Please.”

“I will,” I told her.

I pulled away gently and stepped out of the cell. The door shut behind me, and that sound dug into my chest. That wasn’t a normal door closing. That was a trap sealing itself.

The guard led me all the way back up the stairs, through the hall, and back to the big room Maddox had given me. He opened the door, pushed me in, and left.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Maddox stepped out of the corner like he’d been waiting.

His eyes dragged over me slowly, and he smirked.

“Good,” he said. “Now you understand.”

I frowned instantly. “Understand what?”

He stepped closer, his voice low, steady, and way too sure.

“I own you now, Jesse.”