Chapter 133 Chapter 133
The moment the hand clamped over my mouth, my heart slammed so violently against my ribs that it felt like it might shatter them.
A scream rose inside me, sharp and desperate, but it died against the rough palm pressed firmly over my lips. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, twisting, struggling, clawing at the arm restraining me as panic flooded every vein.
No, no, no, no.
I had been so close. So close to freedom.
The corridor stretched before me like salvation moments ago, moonlight spilling through the broken window and painting the floor silver. I had tasted hope. I had felt it bloom inside my chest like something fragile but fierce.
And now, it was gone.
A breath brushed my ear, warm and uneven.
“Ailsa… stop fighting”
My entire body went rigid. That voice. The world tilted. Slowly, the hand loosened, and I turned, dread pooling in my stomach like poison.
Damian stood behind me.
For a moment, everything inside me went silent, the panic, the pounding of my heart, even the ache from the poison that still lingered in my veins.
“You” I whispered, the word trembling with disbelief and fury. “Of course it’s you”
Damian’s expression was unreadable in the dim light, shadows cutting across his face in harsh lines. But his eyes, those eyes that once held warmth and teasing amusement now burned with something darker. Something obsessive.
“You shouldn’t have tried to run” he said quietly.
I laughed. It wasn’t a happy sound. It was raw and bitter and cracked with pain.
“You kidnapped me” I spat.
“You tied me up. You let them hurt me. And you’re surprised I tried to run?” His jaw tightened.
“I told you. I did this to save you” he murmured, stepping closer.
The words ignited rage so fierce it burned through my fear.
“Save me?” My voice rose, sharp and shaking.
“You call this saving me? Swear, that you’re not trying to kill me”
I gestured wildly at my bruised wrists, the dried blood on my lip, the exhaustion dragging at my bones.
“You’re insane”
For a split second, hurt flickered across his face, then it disappeared almost immediately.
“You don’t understand. They were going to kill you” he said.
My wolf stirred inside me, weak but alert, whispering caution.
Don’t provoke him.
But my anger took over even though I was weak.
“And now what?” I demanded. “You expect me to thank you for kidnapping me with them? For dragging me into this nightmare?”
Damian stepped forward, gripping my arm before I could move away. The sudden contact sent pain shooting through my body, the poison reacting violently to the stress. I winced.His grip loosened immediately.
“You’re getting weaker” he murmured, concern replacing anger.
“The poison is still affecting you.”
Ice slid down my spine.
“So you admit it. You all planned to poison me” I whispered.
“I didn’t want….” He paused.
Something inside me broke.
“I trusted you” I said softly, the words more painful than any wound.
“I thought you were my friend” Damian’s expression twisted.
“I am. I still am” he insisted.
“No. Friends don’t do this” I breathed.
The corridor fell into heavy silence. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
“Please Damian, if you ever thought of me as your friend. Let me go. Pretend like you didn’t see me, please” I pleaded desperately.
Then Damian sighed, running a hand through his hair, frustration radiating from him.
“You weren’t supposed to escape. If Dahlia finds out…” he muttered.
Fear coiled in my chest.
“What will she do?” I asked quietly.
His hesitation told me everything. I swallowed hard.
“She really plans to kill me, doesn’t she?”
Damian’s eyes flickered.
“That’s not going to happen”
“How can you promise that?” I demanded.
“Because I won’t let it”
The conviction in his voice should have been comforting. Instead, it terrified me because there was something unhinged about it. Something desperate.
“We’re leaving” he said suddenly. My breath caught.
“What? You’ll help me escape?” A little hope bloomed in my chest. Damian’s gaze softened, almost pleading.
“We’re running away” he said. “Tonight. Just you and me”
For a moment, I thought I had misheard him. Then I laughed.
“You’ve lost your mind” His expression darkened.
“I’m serious”
“And I’m not going anywhere with you” I snapped. The air shifted.
The gentleness vanished from his face, replaced by something colder.
“You don’t have a choice. I’m your only chance to freedom”
My heart stuttered.
“Yes, I do have a choice”
Before he could react, I shoved him with every ounce of strength I had left and bolted down the corridor. Pain exploded through my body instantly. The poison was trying to take control. My vision blurred.
But I ran. I ran like my life depended on it because it did. Footsteps thundered behind me.
“Ailsa!” Damian’s voice echoed, laced with anger and desperation.
“Stop!”
I didn’t. The end of the corridor approached, the broken window glowing like salvation. Just a few more steps.
Just… Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, lifting me off my feet. I screamed, kicking and thrashing as Damian spun me around.
“Enough!” he shouted.
The sound of his voice, sharp and furious stunned me into stillness. Tears blurred my vision.
“I hate you” I whispered.
The words hit him like a physical blow. For a moment, he just stared at me. Then something snapped. His hand came out of nowhere, striking my cheek with brutal force. Pain exploded across my face.
My head snapped to the side, the metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth. Silence fell. Damian froze, horror dawning across his features.
“I…” he breathed. “I didn’t…”
But I was already laughing again. It was a hysterical and broken laugh.
“There it is. The real you” I murmured. His expression crumbled.
“I’m sorry” he whispered.
But the apology meant nothing.
“You’re pathetic. You thinking hitting me and apologizing will change anything? Would make me love you? You think kidnapping me will make me choose you?” I said, meeting his gaze with cold fury. His hands tightened around my arms.
“I’m doing this for us”
“There is no us and there’ll never be. Not in this life or in the one to come”
The words landed like daggers and something dangerous flickered in his eyes.
“You don’t mean that. Take that back!!” He snapped.
“I do. I would rather die than go anywhere with you” I said.
The corridor seemed to shrink around us. Damian’s breathing grew uneven. I knew that I had made him angry.
“You’re at my mercy” he said with a clipped tone. Fear clawed at my chest, but I refused to show it.
“If you kill me. Your partners wont be happy after all I’m the key to whatever she’s planning so you’ll ruin her plans” I whispered. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“You think I care about her plans?”
“No. I think you care about yourself” I said.
The corridor became silent, think and charged with tension.
“You make me sick. I wish I had never met you” I continued softly.
The words shattered whatever restraint he had left. Damian grabbed my chin roughly, forcing me to meet his gaze.
“You’ll regret this. I’ve been protecting you. But maybe you don’t deserve that” he whispered.
Pain flared where his fingers pressed into my skin, but I didn’t look away.
“Go ahead. Do your worst. Hit me!!” I said.
For a long moment, he just stared at me. Then he released me abruptly.
“You have a choice. Come with me…or die here” he said coldly. My answer came without hesitation.
“I’d rather die instead”
The words echoed in the corridor.
Damian’s expression hardened, something inside him breaking completely.
“Fine”
He dragged me roughly and back to the room I had just ran away from.
“Please Damian, just let me go” I cried as he sat me back on the chair and started tying the ropes, this time tight her than the last before he turned to leave.
The moment his footsteps faded, sobs ripping through my chest as the weight of everything crashed down on me. It was too much.
I pressed my head back against the wall, tears soaking into the dust as my body trembled uncontrollably. I didn’t want to die. I wasn’t ready.
Lucian.
His name echoed in my mind like a lifeline.
I reached for the bond, desperate, but it felt distant and faint like trying to grasp smoke.
“Please. Find me” I whispered.
My wolf stirred weakly, offering what little comfort she could.
He will come.
I clung to that hope like oxygen. Because it was all I had left.
“I don’t want to die here” I sobbed.
The poison pulsed through my veins again, draining what little strength remained. My vision blurred, exhaustion dragging me toward unconsciousness.
But I fought it. I had to stay awake. I had to survive.
For him. For us.
“I’ll hold on” I whispered into the empty room. “Just a little longer”
And somewhere deep inside, beyond the fear and pain and betrayal, a quiet certainty settled.
Lucian was coming.
And when he did…everything would burn.