Chapter 74: Chapter Seventy-Four

Chapter Seventy-Four

Theodota

I banged my fists against the bars one more time, veins popping on my head, eyes spitting imaginary flames. Both gammas flinched and backed away. They exchanged glances and remained in position.

“Open the door and let me out,” I commanded. “Now.” I said through gritted teeth.

The first gamma—the one who had a little slit underneath his left eye—smirked. “We don’t take orders from you, little girl.” He dismissed my words.

I heaved. “Open the door!!” I fumed. My yell startled them briefly. Then the second gamma narrowed his eyes. He advanced towards me, and I smiled inwardly.

Closer…

Just a little bit…

I watched him intently, hands ready, but his partner blocked his path. He shook his head.

“Don’t.” He simply said. “The Alpha told us to maintain our distance from her.” He said.

The second gamma scoffed. “Take a look at her. Aside from her madness-filled tantrums and disheveled state, she doesn’t look like someone capable of hurting anybody.” He said. I banged the bars one more time.

“Stop it!” The first gamma bellowed. I ignored him. My fists were starting to hurt, but I didn’t care one bit. I wanted; needed to get out of this wretched place. My head woozed and at the back of my mind, a voice screamed at me to shed blood. To burn down this place. To kill without blinking. Reality dulled, but I could catch the conversation between the men.

“She might look harmless, but she managed to injure Redmond.” The first gamma was saying.

“What?” The second gamma jerked his head in my direction. I bared my teeth at him, and he took a step back.

“I don’t know how it happened, but after they took the bathtub into the room, Redmond came out with a large gash on his chest. He’s in the pack’s hospital.” The first gamma said, casting me a wary glance.

I injured someone? Good.

My strength was beginning to fail me, and remaining on my feet was a big chore. I hung my head, putting a pause on my frantic bangs against the door, and took deep breaths. I glanced at my knuckles. They were bleeding. I stared, like I was a stranger in my own body. Why didn’t I feel any pain? Why was I alive?

I banged at the door once more, blood staining the bars, and making the gammas yell at me.

“Let me out of here, and I can consider sparing your lives,” I said, putting on an air of bravado. They exchanged glances again, and burst into laughter.

“I don’t know how you got lucky enough to injure Redmond, but that’s all there is to you, Omega.” The second gamma laughed. “You’re nothing. You’re worthless. You can’t hurt us.” He said, and something inside me snapped.

Worthless.

Nothing.

Those were Dimitris’ favorite words to use against me. His favorite way of humiliating me with words, and lowering my self-esteem. I thought I was past the pain. I thought I’d grown a mental fortitude that couldn’t be breached. I was wrong. Was I broken? An involuntary whimper escaped my lips.

“How dare you?” I enunciated each word, my voice sounding foreign. The gammas paused, eyes roaming over me warily as they stood at a distance away from me. “How dare you belittle me?” I spat in a shrill voice.

The first gamma shook his head. “Let’s get away from here now.” He said. The second gamma followed his lead. I inhaled sharply and let out an ear-blasting scream. The bars rattled, and the ground shook.

“I command you to let me out!” I screamed. A dazed look covered the second gamma’s face, and he turned towards me.

“Yes,” he said in a distant voice. I beckoned on him with my right hand, and he advanced towards me slowly. The first gamma panicked, and he reached forward to shake his partner’s body.

“What are you doing?” He demanded. The former shook his hand off and continued walking towards me.

“Come,” I beckoned, my hand swaying slowly. With a decisiveness that shocked me, the first gamma struck his partner’s head sharply, shaking him out of the trance he’d fallen into. My eyes narrowed into slits. Realizing what almost happened, the second gamma’s face darkened.

“You…” he choked, fear and anger apparent in his eyes. I clutched at the bars, turning my attention to the trail of my blood that flowed down, and watching it with a new interest.

“Let’s get the hell out of here and find the Alpha,” the second gamma was the one who spoke up this time. His voice was slightly shaky, evidence that he was afraid of me.

“The Alpha said we shouldn’t bother him except something interesting happens.” The first gamma said.

“Isn’t this interesting? Scary, even?” The second gamma asked in disbelief. “You saw what just happened. Can you make any sense of it?”

His partner hesitated. “Let it be.”

Both of them retreated and as I heard the sounds of the receding footsteps, my body fell limply to the ground. I crawled my way back to the middle of the room. The water had been scrubbed off, and there was no evidence that I was almost cooked to death in this particular room. My head buzzed again, and I let my tired body relax against the cold hard floor, looking up at the white ceiling. The room seemed to blur just then, and objects materialized in my line of vision.

“Dria?” I whispered. “Do you think I’m turning mad?”

There was no response. And then I saw him. I laughed—a sound that bellied my sting and rage. He was standing close to the mirror, eyes watching me with an aloofness I’d come to associate with him during my time at Calvary. The rage came faster than I expected. I crawled to a sitting position, thrusting my index finger in his direction.

“You!” I spat. “How dare you show yourself in my presence?” My voice was the only echo I could hear. He didn’t respond. He was dressed in the same outfit as he was, the night he took me away from Calvary. The night that my dress shimmered under the influence of the mating ceremony’s ritual. How long had it been? A year? More than?

“You let them take me away,” I cried on, my voice raw and angry. I forced myself up, and my figure swayed. “You’re a heartless man. Did you ever care about me?” My voice lowered down, and pain carried the note. “Look around you, Andreas Kai, son of Alpha Gael, and the Alpha-to-be of Calvary. Or would you prefer Starblade pack?” I asked on, taking shaky steps in his direction yet again. He didn’t reply, nor did he acknowledge my words.

“Answer me!” I demanded. “Answer me right now!” I growled. “Did you ever care?” I spat.

His lips moved as if he was about to speak, but I heard no words. I was almost upon him now.

“Take a look around you, Andreas. Do you know what this place is? A torture ground. I am passing through a second death and I can’t do a thing about it.” My voice rose. Once within reach, I struck at his neck, but my hand went through the empty air, smashing at the mirror. I didn’t feel the pain of its impact.

“Stand still, you coward. You stood there that night, and let this monster take me away. So, do what you’re so good at doing—standing still!” I screamed, and struck again. This time wasn’t any different. My hand went through the empty air. I heaved, shaky whimpers coming out of my mouth as I struggled to regain my bearing.

A warm liquid crept up my throat, and leaning forward, I retched. Blood. I vomited blood. I caught the reflection of my blood-stained lips through the cracked mirror. Andreas had disappeared.

I was hallucinating.

The objects appeared once more, swaying in the air and making me dizzier than I already was.

“Stay back. You–” I jerked sideways, falling to the ground, my nails scratching at the surface. I growled. I grabbed at my belly with my left hand, yelling with all my strength. The door opened, and I lifted my head to see three unfamiliar gammas rush in, hostile expression on their faces. Then I noticed the whips in their hands. Looking closer, I saw the black tinge on its surface, and my body jolted. Wolfsbane.

Amari. I wasn’t in the state to fight against the effect that coming in contact with wolfsbane was going to have on me. I moved back, but it felt like I hadn’t moved at all.

“You’re such a nuisance. Know your place.” One of them said.

My body shook. “You’re one to talk. A servant like you.” I retorted.

My skin peeled under the sudden swipe of the whip against it. From all angles; left, right, back and front, the whips rained down on my body. I laid down there, willing myself not to scream, and hoping it’d be over soon.

‘Fight,’ the voice inside me said. ‘Kill them.’ It commanded.

I growled.

“Amari. The girl is truly turning to a lunatic.” I heard them say.

The lashes soon lessened, and my skin throbbed with pain.

I opened my mouth to yell, but that familiar dull sensation hit me, as one of them struck my neck with a needle and injected something into me. My head dulled, and my tongue got heavy.

“What do you think the Alpha needs such a mad girl for?” I heard another ask as my consciousness ebbed away.

“She’s going to fight for us in the oncoming war.”