Chapter 31 Behind The Mask

Chapter 31 Behind The Mask
Lena’s POV

The first thing I noticed was the smell.
It was horrible. Thick. Rotten. Suffocating.
The rough fabric covering my head trapped it in, making every breath feel heavier than the last. 

I shifted slightly, my face brushing against the inside of the stinking blanket, and I almost gagged.

Ugh… what the hell is this?

I forced myself to stay still. To breathe slowly. To think. I wasn’t unconscious. I remembered everything.

The footsteps behind me. The sudden hit. The darkness that followed. And now… this.

My wrists burned. I moved them carefully, testing the rope tied around them. It was too tight.

And the moment I tried to apply force, Pain shot through my veins. I gasped softly, freezing.

Wolfsbane. Of course.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
“Smart,” I muttered under my breath.
Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing.

The wolfsbane wasn’t just weakening me, it was suppressing my wolf completely. I could barely feel it inside me, like it was locked away, unreachable.

And that meant one thing. Breaking out physically wasn’t going to be easy. I shifted again, ignoring the dull ache in my head, trying to loosen the rope by twisting my wrists slowly instead.

Careful. Steady. I wasn’t going to sit here and wait like some helpless victim.

The rope scratched against my skin as I twisted, my teeth clenching from the discomfort. I could feel a little space forming.

Yes… just a bit more.

Then a sound echoed. The door opened and My body went still instantly.

The footsteps were coming closer.
I straightened slightly, forcing my breathing to steady as the footsteps stopped right in front of me.

Then a voice. Low. Amused.
“Trying to escape?”

I didn’t respond immediately. Instead, I tilted my head slightly, letting out a soft scoff.
“What do you think?” I replied dryly.

A chuckle followed. “Bold,” the voice said. “Even in this situation.”

I smirked slightly under the blanket.
“If you’re expecting me to cry and beg, you kidnapped the wrong person.”

There was a pause. Then the man stepped closer. I could feel his presence now, close enough to be dangerous.

“You think you’re strong?” he asked.

“I think you’re a coward,” I shot back immediately.

Silence. Then, I leaned forward slightly.
“Kidnapping someone and hiding your face?” I continued. “What are you scared of? That I’ll recognize you?”

That did it. I felt it. The shift in the air.
The tension. Good. I struck a nerve.

“You have quite the mouth,” he said slowly.

“And you have quite the nerve,” I replied. “Now take this filthy cloth off my head.”

He took another pause. Longer this time.

“Fine.”

The fabric was suddenly yanked off my head. Light flooded my vision, making me squint as my eyes adjusted quickly.

And then I saw him. My breath hitched.
But only for a second.

Professor Hawthorne?!

It was him. Shock slammed into me hard, but I forced my face to remain calm. Neutral. Unbothered.

I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
Instead, I leaned back slightly and smirked.

“Took you long enough,” I said.

His brows lifted slightly.
“Oh?” he said. “You’re not surprised?”

I shrugged lightly, even though my heart was still racing.
“I had a feeling,” I lied smoothly. “Never trusted you anyway.”

He laughed.
“That’s interesting,” he said. “Considering you brought your friend to me for help.”

My jaw tightened. “Shut up,” I snapped.

His smile didn’t fade. Instead, he crouched slightly in front of me, studying my face like I was some kind of experiment.

“You’re still brave,” he murmured. “Even now.”

“I’m not brave,” I said coldly. “I’m just not scared of people like you.”

That made his eyes flicker. Good.
“What do you want?” I asked, cutting straight to the point.

No more games. No more pretending.
He tilted his head slightly.
“Relax,” he said calmly. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

My eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”

He stood up slowly.
“It means,” he said, “that we’re waiting for someone.”

A cold feeling settled in my chest.
“…Who?”

He smiled. “Your friend, Zara”

My heart dropped.
“No,” I said immediately. “Leave her out of this.”

He didn’t react.
“Don’t touch her,” I continued, my voice sharper now. “If you lay a finger on her, I swear…”

“You’ll do what?” he cut in calmly.

I clenched my fists.
“Try me.”

For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then he sighed softly.
“You still don’t understand,” he said.

“Then explain it,” I snapped.

He shook his head slightly.
“Not yet.”

My patience snapped.
“Why are you doing this?” I demanded.

He looked at me and for the first time, there was something darker in his eyes.
“Because,” he said slowly, “you’re more important than you think and you can't e existing in this world.”

My stomach tightened. “What does that mean?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned away slightly.
“But your friend…” he added casually, “she was always meant to die.”

My blood ran cold.
“What?”

He glanced back at me.
“Those visions you’ve been having,” he said. “The one where she dies?”

My heart started racing.
“The figure you couldn’t see…”

He smiled faintly.
“…was me.”

My breath caught. No. No way.
“You’re lying,” I said immediately.

“Am I?” he asked.

Rage flared inside me.
“If you touch her…”

“She’s already on her way,” he interrupted.

My chest tightened.
“No…”

He didn’t say anything else. Just turned and walked out. The door shut behind him. And I was alone again. My mind was racing.

She couldn’t come here. She couldn’t. I twisted my wrists again, ignoring the burning pain from the wolfsbane.

“Come on…” I muttered under my breath.
I had to get out. I had to stop this.

The rope scraped against my skin, but I didn’t stop. Not when everything was falling apart. Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. I couldn’t tell.

Then u heard footsteps again. My head snapped up. The door opened. And someone stepped in.
My heart jumped.

“Zara!”

Relief flooded through me instantly. She was okay. She wasn’t hurt.
She was standing right there but then…
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice rising.

She looked at me, her expression serious.
“I came for you,” she said.

My stomach dropped.
“No,” I said immediately.
“No, no, no… what are you doing here alone?”

She hesitated.
“I had to…”

“Are you crazy?” I snapped, anger replacing the relief instantly.

Her brows furrowed. “Lena…”

“This is a trap!” I cut in. “You shouldn’t be here!”

She stepped closer. “I’m not leaving you…”

“Yes, you are!” I shouted.

Fear gripped me tightly.
“You don’t understand,” I said, my voice dropping. “You have to go.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

I clenched my fists.
“You don’t get it!” I said, panic creeping in now. “He’s after you too!”

She froze.
“…What?”

My heart pounded.
“He knows about the visions,” I said quickly. “He knows everything.”

Her expression shifted. Confusion.
“Who are you talking about?”

And that only made it worse.
“Professor Hawthorne. You have to leave,” I said again, more urgently this time. “Now.”