Chapter 135 Chapter 135
Pain had a memory. It lived in the body long after the moment that created it had passed. It lingered in the bone, in the hollow ache behind the ribs. As I opened my eyes to the dim, suffocating room, I felt that memory everywhere.
My wrists burned from the ropes, my throat felt raw from screaming. And my heart, it felt like something had reached inside my chest and twisted.
Two days.
It had been two days of captivity. Two days of fear. Two days of crying and wondering if Lucian could still feel me through the bond. And the poison running through her veins, I wondered how long it would be before it eventually killed me.
The silence of the room pressed in on me until it felt like it might suffocate me. Then footsteps approached. It was slow and hesitant and I already knew it was Damian.
The door creaked open. Damian stepped inside, just like I had predicted.
For a brief second, relief flickered in my chest not because I trusted him, but because silence was worse than anything. He held a tray of food.
His eyes lingered on my face, soft with something that almost looked like guilt.
“You look weaker” he murmured. A humorless laugh escaped my mouth.
“Are you serious right now?” I said weakly.
He hesitated, setting the tray down.
“I brought food”
“I’m tied up in a room after being kidnapped by someone I trusted” she said quietly. “Forgive me if I’m not hungry”
Damian sighed, dragging a hand down his face.
“Don’t make this harder than it is. I’ve told you countless times, it’s not what you think. Moreover, you are weak, if you want to fight that poison you have to eat” my gaze sharpened.
“That sentence has lost all meaning coming from you”
He snickered and the silence stretched between us, heavy and uncomfortable. We just stared at each other.
Then Damian stepped closer and began loosening the ropes around my wrists just enough for her to eat. The contact of his fingers against my skin made my stomach churn.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked quietly. His jaw tightened.
“To protect you, Ailsa. Don’t make me regret bringing you food” I stared at him.
“What or who are you protecting me from?”
“From them” my chest tightened.
“You are them. Don’t make yourself look good”
The words landed like a blow and Damian flinched. For a moment, something in his expression fractured, I couldn’t tell if it was guilt, regret or anger.
“I didn’t want this. I just wanted you” he whispered.
The confession sat between us. I swallowed. I didn’t know the extent of Damian’s need.
“You don’t get to destroy my life and call it love. If you really loved me you’ll let me leave” His eyes darkened.
“You don’t understand what it’s like to want someone who belongs to someone else”
“I belong to no one” I said coldly. There was a pause again but this time it felt dangerous.
Damian looked at me as if he were memorizing my face, every detail, every breath.
“I could take you away” he murmured. “We could leave. Start over somewhere no one would find us”
The words made my stomach twist. The thought of not seeing Lucian again because of Damian’s obsession had me wanting to puke.
“You kidnapped me, Damian” she whispered.
“You hit me. You tied me up and now you think I would run away with you? How am I sure I’ll be safe if I leave with you?” His hands clenched.
“I did what I had to do so you wouldn’t be killed. Why can’t you understand that?” He snapped.
“Killed by who?”
He didn’t answer. His silence told me everything I needed to know. My wolf stirred uneasily.
She sensed danger.
Then I noticed it. The ropes were looser, my heart skipped.
An opportunity that I couldn’t miss. I forced myself to look weak, fragile and broken.
“I’m tired, Damian. Can I just eat in peace?”
“Good, there’ll be no need arguing with me. I call the shots here” I nodded, trying not to vex him further.
Damian watched me with conflicted eyes as I slowly lifted the food to my lips. His gaze made me uncomfortable but I kept my cool.
I took one bite, the second and the third. My pulse hammered as I calculated my move. I didn’t want to fuck this up, timing mattered but patience mattered the most. I kept eating the food slowly and when Damian turned away to grab the cup of water, I moved.
Fast.
Adrenaline exploded through my veins as I lunged toward the door, ignoring the dizziness that struck instantly. My bare feet hit the cold floor as I ran.
Hope ignited in me but I didn’t want to overthink my freedom until I was far away from here. Just a few more steps out and then a hand grabbed my arm.
Rough and hard. It made my pulse race.
Damian.
“You shouldn’t have done that” he said quietly. Fear coiled in my stomach. I struggled, clawing at his grip.
“Let me go! Please!!” I said desperately. His expression hardened.
“I’m trying to save you!”
“By imprisoning me? This is not saving, Damian. Please just let me go back to Lucian. I promise I won’t say anything” I pleaded, tears already flowing.
His jaw clenched.
“It’s too late Ailsa”
Then the door opened again. Dahlia stepped inside. Her expression was cold.
“Well, you should have done that” she said smoothly. My blood ran cold.
Dahlia’s eyes swept over the scene, Damian’s grip on me and my frantic breathing, the loose ropes.
“You hesitated Damian. I’ve told you not to use emotions here” Dahlia told Damian. He didn’t respond. Dahlia’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Anyways, there’s been a situation. She’s no longer going to stay here” my heart skipped.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Dahlia turned her gaze toward me
“It means you’re being moved”
Moved where? Fear crashed into my chest. Damian’s expression tightened.
“To who?” he asked. Dahlia smiled.
“To someone very interested in seeing her”
My blood ran cold.
“No” I shook my head. Dahlia’s eyes glittered.
“Yes. You don’t have any choice in this matter” Damian stepped forward.
“You said we were keeping her here. What is the situation that you couldn’t inform me before making such a decision”
“Well, Elara has been arrested and you know she’s never getting out of there. It won’t be too long before Lucian finds out the truth and he’ll come for us so we have to move”
“You’re handing her over” his voice was low and sounded angry. Dahlia’s smile widened.
“I’m trading her. It’s better she’s not found with us. We can deny Elara if she calls us as accomplice but that can only happen if Ailsa is not with us” my stomach dropped.
They were treating me like a pawn, a mere object. The realization shattered something inside me. I wasn’t just a hostage. I was leverage. Damian’s fists clenched.
“You promised…”
“I promised nothing. Elara was the one who made the promise. Well that has changed now and it’s not my fault. We both know we can’t handle Lucian’s wrath” Dahlia snapped at him and he remained silent.
Then Damian looked at me again and something inside him broke.
“I didn’t know” he whispered.
“I thought… I thought I could take you away.”
My chest tightened. I wanted to believe he still had some good in him but I would just be fooling myself.
“You were never saving me”
His eyes filled with something raw.
“I just wanted you” Dahlia laughed softly.
“Save your romantic delusions and get to work” she moved closer to me and stabbed something into my neck. I felt dizziness hit suddenly.
Silver.
My vision blurred and my knees buckled. Damian caught me before I met with the ground. Dahlia’s smile faded.
“We have limited time. The silver would weaken her body for a few hours so we need to move”
“She needs to be alive” I heard Damian say.
“Oh, she will be. Lorcan wants breathing” Dahlia said calmly.
The name struck like lightning. I was barely conscious but I heard the name clearly.
Lorcan.
Memories from the past surged. Pain, betrayal and a love that had turned to ashes. Fear twisted in me. Damian’s grip tightened.
“You’re taking her to him?” He sounded surprised.
“Why do you think Elara wanted her in the first place? He’s been waiting. We need to move”
My pulse thundered.
No, no, no. I wanted to scream but weakness dragged at my body. The silver made me exhausted and weak. Damian lifted me into his arms. I struggled weakly.
“D-don’t take me, please, don’t do this” I managed to whisper.
“I’m sorry” his voice cracked.
He had betrayed me again. And this time, I was never going to forgive him. They carried me outside. Cold air hit my skin for the first time in two days. Darkness stretched beyond the trees.
Dahlia opened the door of maybe a carriage. I felt Damian’s hesitation. For a moment, I thought he was not going to do it. Then he placed me inside and shut the door.
My hope faded. Then the carriage started. As the vehicle moved, I pressed my head back, tears sliding silently down my cheeks. My wolf whimpered but there was nothing any of us could do.
Lucian.
Was he coming?
My pulse raced because Lorcan was waiting. I hated that fact. The carriage drove for what felt like hours. I tried to keep my eyes open, to memorize the turns.
Darkness had swallowed the road. Silence filled the space. Damian avoided my gaze.
My body was beyond exhausted, I was slowly giving in to the dark. My heart pounded with dread and then the vehicle slowed and then stopped.
The door opened. Cold air rushed in. Damian lifted me again. My strength was gone. Only fear remained. We walked toward deep within the forest. I knew they were taking me to the pack house. Torches flickered and guards stood watch.
And then, a scent hit me. Very familiar that it made me want to bolt.
Lorcan.
My heart shattered into chaos. Damian stopped.
Before I could open my eyes , a voice echoed from the shadows.
“I was wondering when you’d bring her”
My breath stopped and then shattered.
And slowly, I lifted my gaze toward the darkness where the voice had come from.