Chapter 86 Chapter 86
_Leah’s POV_
Pain woke me up. A deep and heavy pain sat behind my eyes and throbbed inside my skull. My head felt like someone had hit it with a stone. I tried to move but my body felt stiff and strange. For a few seconds, I did not remember anything. Then everything rushed back at once. The restaurant. Natasha. The strange drink. The dizziness. My heart jumped in fear.
I slowly opened my eyes. At first, everything was blurry. My vision would not focus. The room around me looked dark and unclear, like I was looking through fog. I blinked many times, trying to adjust. There was a weak and flickering light above me. It swung gently from the ceiling and made long shadows dance on the walls. The air smelled old and damp.
Where was I?
Athena’s voice came to me, faint and weak. Leah… are you alright?
“No,” I whispered inside my mind. “Something is wrong.”
I tried to lift my hands. I could not. Panic shot through me. My hands were tied tightly behind my back. Rough rope cut into my skin. My feet were also bound together. I tried to speak but something covered my mouth; a gag. Fear flooded my chest.
I tried to scream but only muffled sounds came out. I shook my head, trying to get it off, but it was too tight.
Athena growled weakly inside me. Stay calm.
“I can’t,” I thought desperately. “I can’t move.”
I forced myself to look around again. The room was small and dirty. The walls were made of old concrete. There were no windows but only one heavy metal door in front of me. The floor was cold under my body. I was sitting on a hard wooden chair. My heart was pounding fast.
Where was Kayden? Where was Fred? How did I get here?
Memories came back in broken pieces. I had felt strong arms grabbing me and then the world went black. Tears filled my eyes.
“Athena,” I whispered inside my mind, “please help me.”
Her voice was tired and distant. I cannot feel my strength. Something is blocking me.
“What do you mean?” I asked in panic.
I cannot reach my power, she replied. It is like a wall around us.
That terrified me even more. I tried to struggle again but the ropes only became tighter. Pain shot through my wrists. Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside the door. My whole body froze. The lock turned. The door opened with a loud creak.
A tall figure walked inside.
It was Tariq.
My blood turned cold. He smiled when he saw me.
“Oh,” he said slowly, “you are finally awake, sweetheart.”
I stared at him with pure hatred.
“We finally meet again after so many days,” he continued. “I have missed you so much.”
I tried to speak but the gag stopped me. He walked closer and crouched in front of me.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I will let you talk.”
He reached out and removed the gag from my mouth. I gasped for air. Fresh breath filled my lungs.
“Why are you after my life?” I shouted at him. “Let me go!”
Tariq laughed softly. “Both you and I know why you are here,” he replied calmly. “I need you for the sacrifice.” My heart dropped. “Don’t pretend you don’t know,” he added. “I know that you know everything.”
I glared at him. “You are sick,” I said.
He smiled. “Maybe.”
He stood up and walked around me slowly. “I was a fool not to notice earlier,” he said. “I should have realized something was wrong when you started distancing yourself from me.” His eyes turned dark. “I should have known that you had learned the truth.”
Anger burned inside me. “I was the fool,” I said. “I trusted you. You lured me with your sweet words. I didn’t know you were such a monster.”
Tariq threw his head back and laughed loudly. “A monster?” he repeated. “Oh Leah… I am worse than that.”
Fear crawled up my spine.
“Do you want to know how I killed your mother and father?” he asked suddenly.
My body went cold. “No,” I whispered. “Stop.”
He ignored me.
“Your parents were very brave,” he said. “Especially your mother.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Please stop,” I begged. But he kept talking.
“I staged a car accident,” he continued. “I made sure you were not with them. I needed you alive.” My hands shook behind my back. “I hired someone to drive a heavy truck into their car,” Tariq said calmly. “The impact was perfect.”
A sob escaped my throat.
“Your mother tried to use her powers,” he went on. “She fought very hard. But even she could not stop the car from falling off the cliff.”
I closed my eyes. “Stop… please…”
He smiled cruelly. “They survived the fall at first,” he added. “Your mother used her magic to save herself and your father. They clung to the edge of the cliff.”
His voice became darker. “That is when Susan came.”
My heart pounded wildly.
“Susan attacked them with dark magic,” he said. “Your mother fought like a warrior. She protected your father even while she was injured.” Tears rolled down my cheeks. “But Susan was stronger that day,” Tariq continued. “She drained your mother’s power slowly. She tortured them both before killing them.”
“No!” I cried.
He nodded. “Yes. Daphne died screaming. And Eric died begging.”
My whole body trembled with pain and anger. “Why?” I shouted. “Why did you do this to them? They never harmed you!”
Tariq’s face hardened. “They ruined my plans,” he said. “I wanted Daphne to be my wife. I tried to win her heart. But Eric came and took her from me.”
I stared at him in horror.
“So I made them pay,” he finished coldly.
Athena growled inside me. He is evil.
Tariq kept talking. “I had to arrange a burned body of a little girl so your grandparents would believe you died too,” he said. “I then handed you to the Alpha of the BloodMoon pack. He took you in out of pity.”
Everything made horrible sense now.
“I made sure he believed you were an omega,” Tariq continued. “So you would stay isolated and never realize you had royal blood.”
I felt sick listening to him.
“I watched you for years, waiting for the right moment,” he said. “When your eighteenth birthday came closer, I prepared Selena. I used her to manipulate Kayden so he would reject you.”
Anger filled me completely.
“All of that effort,” Tariq said proudly, “and now my curse will finally end. You are the key, Leah. The key to make me the strongest Alpha.”
Rage exploded inside me. “I will not spare you for what you did!” I shouted. “I will avenge my parents!”
I tried to focus. I tried to call my power.
But nothing happened.
Athena whispered weakly, I cannot reach you.
Tariq laughed. “Trying to use your powers?” He pointed to the floor. “Look around you.”
I followed his gaze. A thin white line circled the chair I was sitting on.
“This is a circle of ash,” he explained. “Susan infused it with dark magic. As long as you are inside, your powers are useless.”
Despair washed over me.
“You are trapped, sweetheart,” he said. “There is no way out.”
Tears burned my eyes. “Kayden will come for me,” I whispered. “He will find me.”
Tariq laughed again. “That is unlikely. We are in a very remote location. And Natasha will mislead him. She will keep him away from you.”
My head snapped up. “Natasha?”
“Yes,” he said with a smile. “She made all of this possible.”
My heart shattered.
“If it were not for her,” he continued, “I would never have been able to lay my hands on you.”
Anger and betrayal twisted inside me.
He reached into his pocket. “Let me show you something,” he said.
He pulled out my amulet.
My real amulet.
I looked down at my neck. Another pendant hung there. It was surely a fake one.
“Natasha replaced your real amulet,” Tariq said. “She also drugged you so my men could kidnap you.”
“I knew it,” I whispered. “I knew something was wrong with her.”
Tariq nodded. “She told me you were starting to doubt her,” he said. “So I ordered her to finish the job quickly.”
My voice shook. “How could she do this?”
“She had no choice,” he replied. “I kidnapped her husband Ray. She obeys me to keep him alive.”
I felt sick.
“You are pure evil,” I said.
Tariq smiled proudly. “I don’t think there are many people more evil than me.”
He walked toward the door. “Rest now, sweetheart. I will come back later. I have some important work to do."
“No!” I shouted.
He ignored me, placed the gag back over my mouth and left.
The door slammed shut. Silence filled the room. Tears poured down my face.
Athena whispered softly, We will not give up.
“I know,” I thought.
But deep inside, fear grew stronger. I was trapped, alone and at the mercy of a monster.
And I did not know if anyone would reach me in time.