Trapped in the Dark

Trapped in the Dark
 Shanella Anderson

I failed.
The next day came and went — and no one came to the room. Not for food. Not for water. Not even to check if I was still breathing. My lips were cracked, my throat felt like sand, and the ropes burned against my wrists. My stomach growled so loudly that it almost echoed in the small wooden room.
This is his plan, Gigi, my wolf, growled in my head. He wants to break us. He wants us weak enough to bow to him when he finally comes.
“I will never bow,” I whispered, though my voice was hoarse, rasping.
You may not bow, but if you starve, you won’t have the strength to fight, Gigi replied grimly. Stay alert. Conserve your energy. Terence is waiting for you to beg. Don’t give him that satisfaction.
I took deep, slow breaths to stay calm. The cabin smelled of pine and wet earth, like the deep forest after a storm. It was remote. Isolated. No one would find me unless they were already close.
I shifted my weight, trying to loosen the ropes, but the knots were tight, and the wolfsbane coating them made my skin sting. Each tug sent sharp pain up my arms.
By the time the door opened again, I was dizzy and lightheaded.
The first person I saw was Joseph. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, a tray in his hand.
“Well, you’re still alive,” he said casually. “Good. Father said it would be a waste if you died too soon.”
I glared at him. “If you came to gloat, get it over with. Otherwise, put the food down and leave.”
He smirked. “So you are hungry. I was beginning to think you had some kind of death wish.”
“Just do it,” I snapped.
He stepped inside and crouched next to me, setting the tray on the floor. “You know, you could make this easier on yourself. Stop fighting. Stop acting like someone’s going to save you. No one is coming.”
I bit back my retort, my chest aching with anger. “Brad will find me. My father will find me. And when they do, they’ll destroy this place and every single one of you.”
Joseph chuckled darkly. “I wouldn’t count on it. My father’s good at covering tracks. By the time anyone even realizes where you are, it’ll be too late.”
He leaned closer, his tone almost mocking. “Tomorrow, you’ll be marked. And you’ll be the Luna of this pack whether you want it or not.”
I flinched, unable to stop the tremor that ran through me.
“You can’t just force a bond!” I yelled, struggling against the ropes until they cut into my wrists.
Joseph tilted his head. “Watch us.”
“Joseph, please…” My voice cracked, but I forced myself to keep speaking. “Let me go. You don’t have to be part of this. If you help me, I swear I’ll make sure my father spares you when he comes.”
For a second, I thought he might actually be listening — but then his smirk returned. “Eat before it gets cold,” he said simply, then walked out, locking the door behind him.
I stared at the tray for a long time. A small piece of bread. A cup of water. Barely enough to keep me alive.
Eat it, Gigi said firmly. You need your strength if we’re going to escape.
So I forced myself to eat, swallowing hard against the dryness of my throat.
When night fell, I didn’t sleep. I pressed my ear to the floor, listening. That’s when I heard it — voices outside.
“She’s stubborn,” Joseph said. “She’ll fight you.”
“She can fight all she wants,” Terence’s deep voice replied. “It will make claiming her even more satisfying.”
“And if her mate comes?” Joseph asked carefully.
“Then we kill him,” Terence said coldly. “Brad Pierson, Billy Hamilton — I don’t care who it is. Anyone who stands between me and Shanella dies.”
A shiver went down my spine.
We have to escape before tomorrow, Gigi said urgently. Do you hear me? Before tomorrow.
“I know,” I whispered, pulling at the ropes until my fingers bled. “I’m trying.”
But I couldn’t free myself before dawn.
The door creaked open again, and this time, it wasn’t Joseph.
It was Terence.
I froze as his tall frame filled the doorway. His dark hair was messy, his golden eyes burning with hunger — not the kind that came from lack of food, but from obsession.
“Well, well,” he said with a grin. “The little princess is awake. Good. I’d hate to marry an unconscious mate.”
My blood turned to ice. “I am not your mate!” I spat.
He stepped closer until he was towering over me. “Oh, you are. You just don’t know it yet. And soon, everyone else will know it too.”
I tried to pull back, but there was nowhere to go. “Please, let me go. You don’t have to do this.”
He chuckled, crouching so we were eye level. “Oh, but I do. You belong to me, Shanella. You were meant to be mine. Brad, Billy, your father — they can all burn for all I care. You will stay here, you will be marked, and then you will carry my heirs.”
“No!” I screamed, my voice echoing in the small cabin. “You can’t do this!”
He grinned wider. “I can. And tomorrow night, it will be done.”
With that, he stood and walked to the door, his laughter lingering in the room long after he left.
I slumped against the ropes, shaking.
We can’t wait anymore, Gigi said fiercely. We fight tonight — even if it kills us.
I nodded, tears sliding down my cheeks. “Tonight,” I whispered. “We end this tonight.”