Chapter 176 CHAPTER 176

Chapter 176 CHAPTER 176
Matthias’s POV

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was a terrible headache. A dull, relentless pressure throbbed behind my eyes, making it difficult to think clearly. I tried to roll onto my side, as I usually did when I woke up, but my body refused to move.

That was when I realized I wasn't in bed.

I was sitting upright on a chair, my back pressed against the hard wooden frame. My hands were bound tightly behind me, and my legs were secured to the chair as well. I tested the restraints instinctively, pulling against them, but the rope only bit deeper into my skin.

My heart began to pound.

I lifted my head and forced myself to take in my surroundings. The room was unfamiliar, dimly lit, and painfully quiet. There was a faint, stale scent in the air, mixed with something distinctly wolfish. My senses were still sluggish from whatever had happened to me, but even through the headache, my wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin.

I tried to make sense of where I was. Then, suddenly, the memory hit me. The previous night came rushing back in fragments.

Alexa.

I remembered stopping her. I remembered the anger that had driven me toward her, the certainty that I could take her down if I caught her off guard. Then she had shifted.

My stomach tightened at the memory.

Alexa's wolf had been far more intimidating than I had expected. The transformation had been swift and terrifying, and the strength that followed had caught me completely off guard. What I had imagined would be a confrontation had turned into a short, humiliating encounter.

I had underestimated her. Badly. I clenched my jaw as another wave of pain pulsed through my head. I could still remember the sheer force behind her attacks and the way my body had struggled to keep up. Even now, my wolf seemed reluctant to revisit the memory, its instincts sending a quiet warning through me.

Lila had been right about her. I hated admitting it, but there was no denying it anymore. Alexa was stronger than I had given her credit for, and I had walked straight into a fight without understanding what I was dealing with.

I tugged at my restraints again, more carefully this time. They held firm.

My gaze swept across the room, searching for anything I could use to free myself. There was nothing obvious. No weapon. No loose object. No convenient weakness in the bindings.

I was being held captive. And judging by everything I could remember from the night before, I was almost certain this was Alexa's doing. The thought made my wolf bristle beneath my skin.

If Alexa had gone to the trouble of tying me up and bringing me here, then she clearly wasn't finished with me yet.

Silence had been my companion for hours. At first, it had been unbearable, but after so long, I was beginning to grow accustomed to the sound of my own breathing and the occasional restless stir of my wolf beneath my skin. Then I heard something outside.

My head lifted immediately.

Footsteps.

They were faint at first, but they grew louder with every passing second. The sound echoed through the corridor, and I found myself straightening in the chair despite the ache in my body.

My first thought was food.

I hadn't been fed all day, although I had no idea what time it was anymore. The lack of sunlight and the absence of any windows had left me completely disoriented. For all I knew, it could have been evening already or even the middle of the night.

The footsteps stopped directly outside my cell. I held my breath. A key slipped into the lock. The metallic click sounded unnaturally loud in the silence. My wolf stirred at once, alert to the unfamiliar presence on the other side of the door. I watched as the lock turned and the door slowly swung open.

But it wasn't a guard carrying food. Kael stood there. He immediately raised a finger to his lips.

"Shh."

I swallowed and lowered my voice to barely more than a whisper.

"How are you here? How did you manage to escape?"

He didn't respond. He stepped inside and carefully pulled the door almost closed behind him before moving toward me. His eyes flicked around the room as though he expected someone to appear at any moment.

Then his attention settled on the restraints. He crouched beside me and examined the chains securing my hands and legs. His fingers ran over the metal, testing each link and the lock holding it in place.

"We can't break you out of here," he said, still examining the chains.

"Please," I pleaded. "Help me."

He frowned and finally looked at me. There was a mixture of frustration and disbelief in his eyes.

"How did you get yourself into this mess and ruin our cover, Matthias? We were supposed to do this mission together. What happened?"

I bit my lip, weighing how much I could tell him. I needed him to help me, and that meant giving him enough information to understand what had happened.

"I saw her," I replied quietly. "It wasn't my intention, but I thought she was pretending when she acted like she didn't know us. I thought she was trying to deceive us. But she actually doesn't remember us."

He didn't believe me.

"Alexa has gone rogue,” I added.

He said nothing.

"You shouldn't have gone behind my back," he said suddenly after a few seconds.

He stood and took another look around the room before returning his attention to the chains. His fingers traced one of the links, but he eventually shook his head.

"It might be impossible for you to get out of here. I don't see how I can free you without alerting everyone."

My stomach sank.

"I'll keep my head low," he continued. "If things don't look favorable, I'll leave at twilight. But if it looks as though things may still work out, then I'll stay behind and, hopefully, find a way to get you out."

"Silas will have your head as fast as I blink my eyes if you return without me," I warned.

He looked at me, completely unimpressed.

"You were the one who betrayed the plan. I have no fears."

I stared at him, stunned by his calmness. Even with me sitting there bound and helpless, Kael seemed more concerned about the mission than the danger I was in.

My wolf shifted restlessly beneath my skin, irritated by his words and even more irritated by my own helplessness. I clenched my fists against the restraints, forcing myself to remain calm.

He glanced toward the door.

"We don't have much time," he murmured. "Whatever happens next, don't make things worse for yourself."

He turned toward the door, leaving me with the uncomfortable realization that my fate was now almost entirely out of my hands.

–
I heard footsteps approaching my cell, followed by the familiar sound of the door creaking open for the second time that day. This time, I really hoped it was food.

Instead, Alexa was standing in front of me.

She remained in the doorway for a moment, her eyes fixed on me. There was something different about her expression now. The uncertainty I had expected was gone, replaced by a quiet intensity that made my wolf tense.

"Who are you?" she asked.

I forced myself to meet her gaze.

"I told you, Matthias, a travelling scholar," I replied.

She stepped forward.

"No. That is not true."

She stopped a few feet away from me, her eyes narrowing as she studied my face.

"I know who you are, Mr. Dimitrev.”