133

Rain's Pov. 

My belly is empty. My strength wanes.. I clutch at my chest, a desperate attempt to tame my wildly beating heart as that wave of nausea returns again with a blinding force. 

Doubling over, I vomit the bitter viscous liquid and tumble over the wall. Streaks of the vomit stain the corner of my mouth while I dab at it. 

My bleary eyes gaze across the dark room. I feel so cold. So lonely. So scared. I let my eyes linger on the strand of sun rays slipping into the base through a crack on the wall. 

Gasping and in need of warmth, I chase after it. A blissful sigh slips past my lips as the warm sun kisses my skin. 

I don't know how long I've been locked in here but it's definitely been long enough to bring such change to my body. 

I almost doubted the fact, but Mrs. Sinai confirmed it some time ago. I am pregnant. 

An inconspicuous bump is protruding from my belly, a glaring confirmation of my worst fear. 

A tiny being is growing inside me, but the problem is that I don't know who it belongs to. 

Could it be Logan? 

Mr. Hanks, Grant, Fell or Ford? 

Whose seed is forming in my belly? 

Goddess, the thought of bearing those vile men's children makes my skin crawl. 

It brews hatred inside me and I've wanted to abort the baby. To remove it from inside me but my attempts are futile. There's no sharp object I can use to kill it and also waste my life in the process. 

They've all ensured to remove anything that'll aid my imagination from manifesting. Lately, I lie on the cold floor, awaiting the day they'll seal my fate. 

Footsteps pound ahead and I bristle, edging close to the bars as if the person will be my savior. Unfortunately,  It's one of the guards. 

He sneers down at me, nose crooked. In his hand lies a dried bread and he throws it on the dirty floor, watching me. 

I look at the bread, shaking my head. Even dogs are not served food in such a manner. It only tells me they've reduced me below a dog standard. 

I swallow the bitter thoughts, grounding the tears from escaping my eyes. No more tears, I tell myself, but for how long will I hold on? 

"Go on, lycan, eat your food." The guard who has a crooked nose taunt. His lips curl satisfactorily in a smile when he sees me glaring. "Ahh, you want raw meat?" He adds, laughing heartily when I growl at him. 

I don't touch the bread until he's out of sight. I still don't want to touch it but my grumbling stomach has me reaching out to It. 

My teeth snick the bread and I chew like a starved Neanderthal. 

Once I finish gobbling it down, I rest against the wall and continue waiting like I've always done. 

Sometime in the day, Mrs. Sinai comes. As always, her eyes lack warmth. Her face devoid of a smile. 

"It is tonight. They've sent me to inform you." 

I blink at the tears saturating my eyes and whimper. I look at her for redemption but the woman offers none. 

Riot growls inside me but remains still. After getting shot the last time, my Lycan has barely moved inside me. She's always still. Always growling. 

Mrs. Sinai's footsteps fade and I begin to shake in fear. 

My end is nigh. I welcome the thought but it hurts most knowing I won't get to see Logan one last time. Lately, thoughts of him are nothing but a distant memory. His powerful masculine features are all a blur. 

Slowly, everything about him and my time with him will fade. 

*

*

*

The metal doors rattle. The guards pry the lock and tug the doors open. I jerk as they storm into the room reeking with the stench of my piss and shit, and drag me to my feet. 

"Pig!" One of them blasts, spitting on the floor as the other clasps silver chains on my wrists and legs. 

I glower at the one that insulted me while the other drags me outside. 

Goddess, my legs feel so numb from being inactive for how long now? I wrack my mind but can't seem to grasp it. 

My heart pounds as they take me up the flight of stairs that leads away from the basement. That's when I know it's nightfall already. To make it worse, the moon is here to witness my downfall. 

I stumble when the guards push me into an empty, windowless room. Scanning my wide eyes around, I find the wedding dress sitting on the floor.

I scoot closer and pick up, gasping at the sight of dried blood staining it. The blood is almost dark brown now, no longer its normal red color. 

It stinks and it makes my belly turn. I manageably down the saliva the sight of it pools in my mouth. 

Why did they give me this?  I wonder, clenching the worn fabric in my hand. Suddenly, the door creaks open, and I whip around only to see Mrs. Sinai. 

"I expected to see you already dressed!" She hisses. 

I raise the gown and ask. "To dress in this filth?" A bland chuckle leaves my lips. "You all don't even have the decency of dressing me up in neat clothes!" I holler but the woman only grins. 

"If wishes were horses..." She shrugs. "Since this tradition, the Slayers have retained that bloody wedding dress for all their brides." 

Shocked, I gasp and throw the dress away. Over how many women wore that? 

How much blood is on that dress? 

Fifty? A hundred? 

My stomach twists at the thought, wide eyes staring at her. "I'm not...going to wear that!" I stutter, backpedaling. 

"Oh, I assure you, you will. Your mother did, so why won't you?"  

My mother? Goddess! I weep inwardly but the tears cascade down my cheeks. Sinai orders me to wear it again but I refuse. 

Then she calls the guards. Two hefty men barrel into the windowless room, staring between us. 

"Strip her!" She orders. 

I shudder as the men come closer. I try to attack them but the chains binding my wrists restrict me. 

Latching onto my arms, one of the men holds me still while his fellow strips me bare. I know the negligee I'm putting on is hardly covering me but having a man that isn't Logan strip me naked twists my head. 

I cry and scramble but he proceeds. His fingers glide over my skin as he removes the negligee. 

I stand naked before their devouring eyes. Sinai grins and orders the man to dress me in the bloody dress. 

He does without delay. Afterward, I stand before them with matted hair, weakened limbs, and eyes shimmering with tears. 

"Now, that's more like it. The bloody bride." Mrs Sinai comments. To the guards, she deigns. "Bring her out, it is time." 

Nodding at her words, the guards lead me outside into the shore where the Slayers have all gathered, dressed in black.  A few other men gather around. 

Some have their wrists bound like me. My brows shrivel when it dawns on me they are werewolves. 

What are they doing here with the slayers? I wonder.

However, I notice something odd about the werewolves. It seems their minds have been stripped away from them. 

They seem more like slaves to the slayers, and the thought of that worries me.

What did the Slayers do to them? 

As I pass, I cut my eyes away from them. I take in the Slayers' faces. There's this perceptible note of victory lurking in their gazes when they see me, and I all but curse at them. 

There's a fire set up in the middle. The flame roars as its embers crackle and spear the night air. 

I draw to a halt the instant I see who's standing beside the fire. 

Alpha Yazi- Logan's father. 

There's not a single recognition in his eyes when looks at me, and when they push me in the middle beside the fire, he growls. The sound jarring my nerves.

And then I knew, the alpha would make a meal out of me tonight, he's been enchanted to take my life. 

"Tonight, we present another sacrifice to you, the moon goddess. A sacrifice to retain the eternal life you've given the Four." Mrs. Sinai's voice ripples. Firm and cold amid the blasting sea waves.  She's begun the incantation. 

When I turn my head back, I see the Slayers holding their hands together. 

My breaths turn choppy as the incantation continues and the alpha howls a few feet away from me. Eyes bloodshot. 

As the incantation continues, I begin to buck against the chains keeping me in place. 

No. This can't be, I cry inwardly, seeking a chance at escape. 

The Slayers begin to repeat some words after Sinai. I jitter. I scramble and struggle, wanting to flee. 

However, the chant comes to a stop quickly afterward. Sinai walks up to me with a goblet and dagger. 

Her eyes are intent when she closes the gap between us. Holding my tear-rimmed eyes, she stabs my belly. The dagger didn't move deep. It only drew blood, and with a pained expression, I watched the liquid fill the goblet. 

Horror fills my eyes as she skitters over to where the alpha wolf is, stabbing his side and adding his blood to mine. 

Then she finishes her incantation by raising the goblet to the sky. The sea waves still and silence takes over right after she finishes chanting. The sound of a pin being dropped could be heard now. 

The Slayers' eyes are wide as Sinai approaches them with the goblet, handing it over to them. 

One after the other, they all drink the blood and I notice when something shifts in them. I notice when the power floats through their veins, fortifying them. 

"It is done." Says Mr. Hanks with a gravelly voice. "Set him free. It's time he feeds..." 

Eyes wider at his words, I stand straighter watching as Mrs. Sinai releases alpha Yazi from the enchantment holding him in place. 

He thunders a growl to the sky and zooms towards me. 

Adrenaline floods my veins instantly. I don't know where it happens but I see myself kick at the guards, pushing them down as I run for my life. 

But it's not over because the mindless wolf is coming after me. 

And I can't shift into my lycan form to save myself. 

TBC.