Chapter 88
ELARA'S POV
When I regained consciousness, the pounding in my head was the initial feeling that hit me. It resembled a muted, ongoing pain that mirrored the dread surging through my heart. The atmosphere was dense, laden with an odor that was unfamiliar yet somewhat disagreeable... maybe something sharp or metallic? Whatever it was, it caused my stomach to twist uneasily.
I attempted to rise, but a sudden pull at my ankles halted me. My eyes grew wide as alarm surged. I glanced downward.
Chains.
Thick, metal chains were fastened around my legs, securing me to the coarse mattress beneath me.
My pulse raced against my ribcage. This wasn't a dream. This was reality. I had truly been abducted and ensnared in a ploy.
I compelled myself to inhale slowly and steadily, striving to quell the escalating wave of anxiety. I had to reason, to evaluate my circumstances.
Where was I located? Who had captured me? And above all...
A sharp intake of breath left me as I laid a shaky hand on my abdomen, my fingers softly caressing my modestly rounded belly.
My baby...
A surge of freezing horror enveloped me as I envisioned the most dire outcomes.
Had they injured my child? Had the kidnapping inflicted any harm?
Please, stay safe, please endure for me. I silently begged, my heart wrenching.
Shortly after, I sensed a movement in my belly; to confirm I wasn't hallucinating, I checked my pulse, and to my solace, I still detected the faint rhythm.
I shut my eyes, exhaling in relief. The baby was alright. For the moment.
Nevertheless, I needed to remain vigilant. The child's current well-being didn't grant me license to act recklessly.
I should have heeded Liam's advice. He had been correct.
Wallowing in regret wouldn't help. I ought to survey my environment first. The walls were moist and deteriorating, marred by streaks of filth. A lone, wavering torch projected elongated, flickering shadows, distorting ordinary forms into hideous figures. I tried to shift my arms and discovered they were restrained as well.
Sturdy cuffs secured my wrists to the bed's edges, limiting my motion to a few painful inches.
Fury, intense and vehement, started to bubble under the surface of my fear.
A noise—the resounding thump of footsteps on stone—resounded from the corridor beyond. My breath caught.
Someone approached.
I prepared myself, in spite of the dread tearing at my core.
The door groaned ajar. A sentinel, a massive thug with a marred visage and lifeless gaze, entered the chamber. Another, just as threatening, trailed him.
Rogues.
I recognized it immediately.
The reek of unclean forms, of lingering bloodthirst, adhered to them like an additional layer. They moved with a boastful strut, a clear disdain for any rules or ethics. Their stares fixed on me, causing me to tremble beneath their piercing scrutiny.
These weren't the individuals who had seized me—
"The Alpha requests the healer's presence," one of the sentinels declared, his tone a rough snarl.
Alpha? Which Alpha?
The sentinel's icy gaze swept across my form, making me wish I could burrow into the ground and conceal myself.
I only hoped they hadn't yet realized I was pregnant.
The other sentinel acknowledged with a nod and retrieved a set of keys from his pocket, the clinking metal resounding in the tight quarters.
He advanced toward me, his silhouette eclipsing mine, and proceeded to unfasten the restraints on my legs.
My heart pounded fiercely against my chest as I remained seated, observing them.
What did they intend? Which Alpha desired me—could it be?
My lips quivered as I dreaded the worst possibility.
Darius.
That was the sole rationale.
The bindings clattered to the floor, jolting me from my reverie. The sentinel seized my arm harshly, his hold so firm that I cried out. "Attempt to flee, and you'll rue it," he growled, his breath warm and repulsive against my skin.
I remained silent and simply swallowed thickly. He yanked me abruptly from the bed, compelling me to lurch ahead. I suppressed a yelp of discomfort, fighting to steady myself. My legs felt feeble and unstable after prolonged immobility.
He then bound my hands with cuffs, linking them to a chain, and started pulling me along, the links digging into my wrists. The other sentinel trailed closely, his eyes perpetually surveying the passage, as though anticipating an assault or something amiss.
I yearned to flee, but I couldn't. That would equate to demise, and my own life wasn't my priority now.
I was concerned for my blameless child.
My pulse quickened as he continued hauling me through a labyrinth of shadowy, winding hallways. Where were they escorting me? The notion triggered a new surge of terror over me.
The air became denser and more noxious, the odor of rot growing stronger. I could detect distant groans, subdued cries of agony reverberating from the depths of the structure.
It was likely the slumbering wolves they had captured.
Was this my fate? Agony? Demise? If this was indeed Darius's scheme, then failure to cure his daughter would mean one outcome... Death.
At last, they paused before a substantial wooden door. Two additional sentinels, similarly stern and formidable, positioned outside. Upon a signal from my escorts, they opened the door, unveiling a faintly illuminated room.
The sentinel propelled me inside, causing me to stagger into the space. I steadied myself just in time, averting a tumble that could have jeopardized my baby. I rose swiftly, my gaze sweeping about, absorbing every aspect.
The room was expansive and minimally decorated, centered around a grand bed. The linens were soiled and disheveled, the atmosphere dense with the aroma of illness and hopelessness. And then, my eyes settled on him.
Darius.
He was even more formidable than I'd pictured. Tall and robustly constructed, he radiated an essence of primal, unchecked strength. His features were severe, a prominent scar splitting his left brow, an enduring mark of conflicts endured and triumphed. His eyes, shadowy and penetrating, possessed a chilling fervor, a trace of insanity simmering below.
"Alpha," the sentinels behind me announced. "The healer has arrived."
I swallowed forcefully, my eyes expanding. I retreated a step, but a hand impeded me. I tilted my head upward and gulped when one of the sentinels glared down at me.
"Finally," Darius uttered, prompting me to redirect my attention to him, his voice a deep, raspy rumble that sent yet another chill along my spine. "After all the hassle... you're here at last."