Chapter 46 Messed Up Things
CHAPTER 46: Messed Up Things
Seraphine's POV
“Baylor!”
I screamed as I jumped off my horse without thinking, hit the ground hard and ran. I didn’t care about claws or teeth or the fact that I was human and stupid and outmatched. I only saw him.. I only heard his name tearing out of my throat again and again.. but I didn’t make it three steps.
Something slammed into my side, knocking the air from my lungs. Then another body hit me from behind.. then another. I crashed face-first into the dirt, the breath ripped out of me as crushing weight pinned me down. Claws dug into my shoulders and a knee pressed into my spine so hard I thought something cracked.
“No!” I screamed, kicking, twisting, fighting like a wild thing. “Get off me! Baylor!”
I thrashed with everything I had, nails scraping skin, heels digging into flesh, but it was useless. They were too strong.. too many. My face was forced to the ground, dirt filling my mouth, my cheek pressed so hard against the earth it burned and then I saw it..
Baylor’s eyes met mine and for half a second, there was recognition.. pain and regret. He tried to say something but the Lycan’s jaws tightened and the sound that came out of him broke something deep inside me. Blood spilled as his body jerked once then went still.
I screamed until my throat burned raw…
It felt like Red River Village all over again. The helplessness. The horror. The feeling that no matter how loud I screamed, no one who mattered would come. I bucked and fought harder, sobbing, rage and grief crashing through me in ugly waves.
“I’ll kill you!” I screamed. “I swear I’ll kill every one of you!”
Through the chaos, through the blood and the screams, I felt it again.. That familiar pull. Aric. He was close. I could feel him, clear as day like he was standing just beyond the trees.
My heart cracked open.
“What the hell are you doing?” I sobbed. “Aric, stop this!”
A slow clap cut through the noise.
“Well, hello there,” a smooth voice drawled. “Not so tough now, are we?”
My head was forced up by rough fingers grabbing my hair. I blinked through tears and dirt and saw him.
Sardor..!
My blood went cold.
“You,” I breathed, fury cutting through my shock. “You bastard.”
He smiled, slow and cruel, enjoying every second of this.
“Missed me?”
I thrashed again, snarling like an animal.
“You’re going to pay for this. I swear to the gods, Sardor, I’ll make you suffer for what you’ve done!”
He laughed, loud and careless.
“Listen to her. Still barking. Cute.”
I tried to lunge at him but the Lycans holding me slammed me back down. Sardor crouched in front of me, his eyes glittering with sick amusement.
“You really thought you’d come back here and be welcomed?” he said softly. “After everything?”
I spat at him.
“You’re dead. Do you hear me? Dead.”
He wiped his cheek slowly, still smiling.
“Sleep now, little traitor.”
Pain exploded at the back of my head then nothing.
When I woke up, pain came first. My arms burned. My legs ached. My head throbbed like someone had split it open and put it back together wrong. I tried to move and couldn’t. Panic hit instantly, sharp and choking.
Chains.. thick heavy chains wrapped around my wrists, my ankles and my waist. I rattled them instinctively with the sound echoing loud and ugly. They barely gave an inch.
I wasn’t in a dungeon.
I frowned, blinking as my vision cleared. The walls were stone, rough and uneven, damp with moisture. The ceiling curved upward, jagged and natural. A cave. Torches burned low along the walls, casting long, twisted shadows.
“Great,” I muttered hoarsely. “Just perfect.”
I pulled against the chains again, muscles screaming, but it was useless. Whoever did this had no intention of letting me move freely. I slumped back against the cold stone, breath shaking as the images came rushing back.
Baylor.. his eyes.. the blood.
A sob tore out of me before I could stop it.
Footsteps echoed slowly and deliberately.
And then a voice drifted in, sweet and sharp and irritating in a way that made my skin crawl.
“Oh good. You’re awake.”
I didn’t need to look to know who it was.
“Vespera,” I said through clenched teeth.
She stepped into view, dressed elegantly as always, her lips curved in a smug smile that made me want to bite something.
“Welcome,” she said lightly. “This is one of our highest security holding places. Very exclusive.”
I rattled the chains again, rage bubbling up.
“You won’t get away with this. When Aric finds out what you’ve done, he’s going to fry your ass.”
She laughed, soft and musical.
“Oh, my poor, delusional Seraphine.”
She reached into her cloak and pulled out a rolled parchment. With slow care, she unrolled it and held it up so I could see.
The seal hit me like a blade.. the Lycan King’s seal.
Aric’s seal!
Signed. Stamped. Official.
My chest caved in.
“All of this,” Vespera said cheerfully, “is being done on Aric’s orders.”
The world tilted.
“No,” I whispered. “You’re lying.”
She tilted her head.
“Why would I lie? Didn’t you feel him nearby earlier? Of course you did. He was there.”
Everything made sense in the worst way possible.. the timing. The attack. The trap.
Vespera smiled wider.
“He’s severed all ties with the humans. No more games. No more half-measures. The war is back on, and this time, there will be no mercy until every last pathetic human is wiped out.”
I stared at her, numb.
“And as for you,” she continued lightly, “I have some wonderful news. Aric and I will be officially mated in two fortnights.”
The words felt unreal.
“You,” she added, eyes gleaming, “are his gift to me.”
My stomach twisted violently.
“I can do whatever I want with you,” Vespera said softly. “Isn’t that generous of him?”
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. My body felt hollow, like everything inside me had been ripped out and left behind.
She turned, satisfied, and walked away, her footsteps fading into the cave.
When she was gone, the silence crushed me.
I lay there, chains biting into my skin, staring at the cold stone ceiling. Baylor’s face burned behind my eyes. I had brought him here. I had dragged him into this nightmare.
What had I been thinking?
My own people had turned on me. I should have known better than to believe this place would be different.
Tears slid down my temples, soaking into the dirt beneath my head.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to Baylor, to the dark, to myself.
In my mind, I screamed his name.
Aric.
As if he could hear me.. as if any of this still mattered…