Chapter 161: PLANS

DARIUS.

"Take a look at that," Darius exclaimed aggressively, flinging the envelope at Rocky as soon as he entered the room.

A surprised-looking Rocky bent down and picked up the envelope, his gaze skimming through.

Darius did not say anything while the guard read the letter, but he did stop pacing and stood still to gauge Rocky's reaction.

"What the hell is this?" Rocky inquired, his eyes darting up to meet Darius's terrifying look.

"It’s self-explanatory. Draken Havix has requested to see me. He is torturing Brielle. He also sent me photos." Darius rasped out, his voice oddly calm, although he was anything but.

He was like a raging volcano, ready to erupt and spew. His wrath was like lava rushing through his veins, threatening to consume him.

"What pictures?" Rocky asked, and Darius' attention shifted briefly to the images on the floor beneath him.

Bending down carefully, he packed the cards before almost whispering, "The pictures are so degrading and gory. I would not want you to see them."

His voice broke at the end, and he sniffed back a tear about to fall down his cheek. He was slowly breaking.

"Oh my goodness!" Rocky screamed, "If he has Brielle, could he be the one who burned down the motel where she was staying? You requested me to look into that, but we still have no tangible information."

As Rocky stated this, it all made perfect sense. Of course, there was no better reason than Draken destroying the motel and capturing Brielle.

His appearance after all these years, as well as the dawning realization that he had a relative about whom his late parents had told him nothing, was something he had yet to recover from.

Now this...Darius couldn't believe it.

"What are we going to do now, Master?" Are we taking the bait?"

"I… I…" Darius began, then stopped, saying nothing for a time.

What would he do?

'You're not allowed to ask that question. You know just what to do. Our mate is in danger. So you're going to storm that accursed place with your men and ammunitions and bring the building down to the ground. You are going to destroy the entire area, and once that is done, you will grab Draken Havix, bring him back to this mansion, and subject him to inexplicable agony to compensate for what he did to Brielle.' His wolf growled furiously.

"Brielle…" The word slipped out of his mouth. After so many days, he finally said the name he had dreaded the most.

Fuck! She was going through a lot, and it was his fault.

If he had permitted her to stay in his mansion for a while, perhaps none of this would have happened. If only he had listened to her pleadings. She wasn't completely innocent, but the atrocities against his family were her father's fault, not hers. He should have realized that putting her on the streets rendered her vulnerable to his adversaries.

"I will take the bait." Darius halted for a second. "That's the only sensible option. He said he wants to discuss and reach a truce, right?" Darius inquired, and Rocky nodded in response.

"Well, we'd do just that." His voice grew louder as he went on. "We will storm over to that place tomorrow and bring the building down. "We are..."

"Master!" Rocky cut in. “I believe you need to think this through. We need to organize our actions and ensure that we are well-prepared. I know you're unhappy about everything, but we have to be sensible and do what will result in triumph for you. If he wants to talk, you should offer him the opportunity. I assume he needs something because he is asking for a truce."

"What could he possibly want?" Darius spat, but Rocky shrugged.

"We do not know yet. You do not. But if he asks for something absurd, another action can be taken. Be it violent or not."

Darius took deep breaths and nodded as Rocky spoke. The guard was making sense.

Dropping the pictures in a secure office area, he turned to Rocky. "Yes, you are correct. What should we plan?”

Rocky flashed him a smug smirk before walking to the opposite seat. He sat down, palms folded, and laid out some strategies.

As time passed and Darius became quiet, his resolve grew more assertive.

He would push Draken Havix to the brink of disaster. Regardless of what was required!

***

BRIELLE.

'I've come for you, Brielle. I apologize for leaving you for so long. I'm deeply sorry...’

Brielle was in complete shock as Darius knelt in front of her and took her feeble hands in his. He tried to hoist her up, but she was unable to move.

She just sobbed and continued begging him to leave before Draken arrived.

'I won't leave you here, Brielle. There is no way I will ever let you go again. I apologize for what I did, and...’ He stopped, sniffing and wiping his eyes with the back of his hands.

'Darius, you crying?' She asked in disbelief, but he did not reply.

Instead, he asked aggressively. 'Who the fuck did this to you?’ He hissed, and Brielle noticed his eyes darkening even in the poorly lighted room.

Brielle could tell he was upset by the way his eyes darted over her injured flesh and the gritting of his jaw. He did not like her current state.

She tried to calm him down by touching his arms, but he refused. He flinched at her touch.

‘Who did this to you, Brielle? Tell me who the fuck did this to you. I'm going to slice their throat and feed it to those feral wolves. Who the fuck put you through this?’

'Darius, you, I…' Brielle stammered, unsure what to say.

She wanted to tell him to go ahead and exact his retribution on Draken Havix since he deserved it all. She wanted him to rip Draken's face off and pull him by his hair until he begged forgiveness. She wanted the measly older man to pay for what he'd done to her. However, she was also concerned about a potential threat to him. Draken was powerful. Very powerful.

She had seen his guards, and the authority he wielded was not to be taken lightly. Furthermore, he had been plotting his attack for days. Despite having his men, Darius could be outnumbered if he tried something unusual. Brielle did not want that. She did not want to lose him.

'Brielle, talk to me...' He urged again, but she did not respond instantly.

Instead, she summoned all of her remaining power and, leaning forward, kissed his lips tenderly.

‘Darius just…’ She started to say something, but her words were cut short when his hands sank into her hair, and his lips overtook hers in a furious kiss.

It was unlike any they'd ever had. It was almost feral—hungry, passionate, and all-consuming.

"Darius…" Brielle moaned, and despite the painful pangs that ran through her entire body, she leaned into him.

'I hope we could be like this forever.' More tears flowed down her cheeks as she said this. She grasped him firmly. 'Please stay with me...' She murmured desperately. She needed him. She…~

"Fucking wake up bitch!" Brielle's eyes widened in fear as she heard the angry voice.

At the same time, she felt ice-cold water saturate her entire body. The dream she'd just experienced vanished, as did the warmth she felt seconds before.

Her heart raced as someone picked her up by the arm, and she sobbed in pain. The chilly water cascading down her body made her skin tremble and felt like sharp needles stabbing deep.

Brielle blinked and tried to wipe the water from her face with her chained wrists, but her movements were effortless.

"Arghhhhh…" She hissed, seeing the two guards in front of her.

The look they gave her was homicidal, full of disdain and disgust. They immediately pushed her to the ground, the chains rattling loudly in the silence.

It was time for another round of torture, as demonstrated by the whips and flogger they'd brought along. She opened her lips as if to beg, but she stopped herself just in time, knowing it would make no difference.

She was helpless in this situation, and she loathed herself for it. She resented herself for being so feeble. She had never felt more defeated, powerless, and vulnerable. She despised it here.

"Let's begin, shall we." One of the guards grinned wickedly at her as the other approached her. She could smell their awful breath as if it contained disease and decay.

They started like they always did. Slowly. Excruciatingly. Agonizingly. Brielle groaned in anguish and misery as the metal shackles pierced into her body after their heavy boots hit her.

She closed her eyes as she felt the whip’s lash on her back, searing the skin before the cold numbed it. Her eyes remained closed, and tears streamed down her face.

When the final hit landed, she could hear the men laughing as they exited the dungeon.

Brielle curled up into a ball on the floor, waiting for the nightmare to end. But it never would. This was her idea of hell, or maybe worse.