Chapter 92 ~A Trap Within a Trap~
(Fiona's POV)
I screamed till my throat was sore as Cassia dragged me down the rough stairs of the podium. Her fangs sank into my feet, and I felt raw pain.
“Xander!” I needed help. But he couldn't help me as he was surrounded by Beckett and Loki's wolves, alongside warrior werewolves who threw chains around him from every direction.
He tried to break free, but this made the chains even tighter.
He was bound.
Cassia dragged me roughly and I tried to protect my belly by wrapping my hands around it. Finally, we reached a darkly lit, empty room where she shifted back to her human form.
I could still hear the guttural screams and snapping of bones from the school gym. I felt bile rise up my throat.
“Cassia! How could you!” I couldn't help but yell at her.
“Haven't you heard?” She smirked. “That would be Luna Cassia of Ashridge.”
I scoffed.
“Being a Luna doesn't make you any less terrible.” I shuddered.
“Look at the bloodshed, you're killing people that did nothing to you!” By now, I was screaming. “How does that make you feel?”
Cassia shrugged, unmoved. “Very good, actually. Anything that gets you this mad, makes me happy.”
How was I ever friends with this person?
She chuckled darkly. “I remember your little bathroom confrontation. You thought the attack was going to happen in Silvereign but right now, there's a massacre going on outside and by dawn, all students of NorthVale will be carcasses. But guess who'd give me the most pleasure killing?”
Me.
“You will regret this, Cassia. I promise you.” I couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of guilt that clawed at my veins.
Directly or indirectly, I was responsible for the killings, and it made me feel sick to the bones.
“But don't worry, darling. This is just the tip of the iceberg.” Cassia retrieved a chair and sat in front of me.
The screams of terror outside were driving me insane.
“What do you mean?”
“There are shipments of weapons, and our real warriors— They're surrounding Silvereign borders as we speak, one word from Beckett, and Silvereign will be blood and ashes.
Cassia glared at me. “I wonder how Silvereign will be able to fight back when their Alpha and Luna are dead… oh, their betas too.”
A chill ran down my spine. I widened my eyes in disbelief.
“What? You think killing a bunch of hormonal teenagers with eating disorders is going to increase our dopamine? Be serious!” Cassia smirked. “Not everyone is as dumb as you.”
So, this was their plan all along? The prom attack was only a distraction?
“I'm pretty sure your dimwit of a mate must have reached out to Silvereign warriors to come and save his dying ‘friends’. But what he doesn't know is that he's falling into our plans.”
She stared at me coldly. “He leaves Silvereign unguarded, and by morning, we strike. We kill everything that breathes, take over Silvereign and add it to our territories. And guess who'll be the new Alpha?”
Loki!
I knew he had to be involved. Someone so desperate that he could betray his family for a throne.
I heard piercing screams of terror from outside. I pressed my palms on my ears to block out the painful voices. Tears spilled from my eyes.
This seemed to please Cassia. “Don't worry, the screams won't last forever. Soon, you'll be one of them.”
I could hear the snapping of the spine and the sounds of bones breaking—not one, not two. The terrifying noises had jumbled together so that it was the combined sound of death.
“Stop it. Please. Tell them to stop it.” I couldn't help the tears that fell. My body was trembling in fright.
“Don't start grovelling now, honey.” Cassia raised my chin. “There'll be more than enough time for that.”
My mind was wracking with a way of escape. I needed to tell Xander everything she'd revealed.
Cassia's brows furrowed in concentration for a while. Then a cruel smile stretched her lips. “Guess what?”
I stared at her, my jaw set. I didn't respond.
“I just got a mindlink from my mate. He said, ‘That wench is still alive?’”
She brought out a shiny dagger from a string around her waist. “Guess I'll have to kill you now.”
I made a beeline for the door while she wasn't paying attention.
I fumbled with the doorknob, my fingers shaky, when I felt Cassia's elbow hit me hard on my head.
I fell to the ground with a thud, wincing at the pain.
She dragged me by my hair like a rag doll. I could feel my hair breaking from her grip.
I screamed in pain.
“Oh poor wolfless thing, it would be so cruel sinking my fangs into your throat. Let's go for hand combat.” She eyed me, a small smirk played on her lips. “Whoever wins gets to live, whoever loses dies. Fair. See, I'm not so cruel.”
I spat at her feet, pain still clawing at my bones. “Go fuck yourself!”
Cassia’s cool mask slipped instantly, and she advanced at me, her face a cruel sneer.
“Fucking bitch!” She stomped down on me with her boots, and my head hit the ground.
She began kicking my stomach, punctuating each painful jab with a curse. “Dumb. Fucking. Bitch. I. Will. Take. You. To. Hell.”
The pain was unbearable. I curled into a ball to protect my baby, but blood was already trickling down my legs.
“Ah.” I winced as I rolled on the ground. A sharp pain stabbed my belly. “My baby.”
I could see Cassia's kicks reduce in intensity till she finally stopped. Realization washed over her face. “You're with child?”
She eyed me from head to toe.
I was still clutching my belly, in intense pain.
“So, essentially, I'll be killing two birds with one stone.” Her cruel laughter echoed in the room.
But I didn't find it funny.
I glared at her. Hatred burned through me.
“Fight me!” She yelled. “You know, I remember those days at Ashridge, the head of the warriors praised you for being quick-witted, sharp, better than the rest of us omegas. ‘She's the new girl, but she's so much smarter than you all.’ You stole Beckett. I loved him first!” Cassia screamed. “But you tried to outshine everybody. Look at you now, pathetic!”
So all the bullying and jabs in Ashridge were actually from envy? How did I not notice?
Cassia slapped me hard across the cheek. “Now is your time to prove it. So, fight me!”
I curled myself into a tight ball.
“Fight me!”
Tears fell from my cheeks.
“Get up and fucking fight me!” She banged my head against a shelf, and tears were also falling from her eyes.
I felt myself slipping in and out of consciousness.
She pulled out the sharp dagger, it glinted brightly. “Ready or not, here I come.”
Her eyes burned with raw, unbridled hate as she towered over me. She pressed the knife to my belly.
“You will be missed…” her voice was laced with venom, “just not by me.”