Chapter 24
Abigail's POV
The meeting with Nicholas left me unexpectedly pleased. On the way back to pack territory, I spent the entire journey guessing what he might ask of me in the future to repay this favor—but no matter how much I speculated, I couldn't come up with a sufficiently reasonable answer.
Still, compared to that, these guesses seemed less important—I would soon have the Silver Frost Grass. With it, I'd finally have a chance to awaken my wolf. Compared to that, everything else could be set aside for now.
Autumn walked silently at my side, her hand never leaving the knife sheath at her waist. Ever since we left the old mill, she'd been tense, her gaze constantly sweeping back and forth through the surrounding trees. I didn't blame her. The deeper we went into Crimson Fang's core territory, the more exposed we became to all kinds of lurking dangers.
"Miss," she said quietly as we approached the main gate, "should I go find Orchid first? See if anything happened while we were gone?"
"Not yet." I shook my head. "She should be waiting for me in my room."
Autumn acknowledged and continued following behind me as we headed toward my quarters.
The corridor was unexpectedly quiet. Afternoon sunlight slanted through the narrow windows, painting the stone walls and tapestries in interwoven patches of amber and shadow. Halfway there, an inexplicable discomfort suddenly welled up inside me.
I unconsciously quickened my pace, my heart beginning to race. Autumn also sensed something was wrong and silently matched my accelerated steps.
When I reached the door, I noticed it was only slightly ajar, the latch not fully fastened. That in itself was wrong. I pushed the door open. The room was strangely cold, the fire in the hearth long since burned down to a pile of ash.
No sign of Orchid.
The air seemed to grow particularly heavy in that instant. I stood there for a breath, my chest tightening, then turned to look at Autumn.
"She's not here." I lowered my voice. "Something's wrong."
Autumn's brow furrowed as well, her gaze quickly scanning the room before returning to me.
"Miss, should I go ask around?"
"Find her." My words came out cold. "Find out exactly where she went."
"Yes." Autumn immediately turned and left, her quick steps disappearing at the end of the corridor.
I stood in the center of the room, my fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of my cloak, nothing but the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears. Time passed bit by bit, and with each moment, the unease in my heart grew heavier.
I don't know how long passed before hurried footsteps sounded from the far end of the corridor. Autumn came running back, her face already pale.
"Miss..." She stopped at the doorway, her voice tight. "I found out. Someone said Orchid was taken to the dungeons early this morning."
My blood instantly turned cold.
"The dungeons?" My throat went dry in an instant.
"Yes, Miss." She swallowed with difficulty. "It was Luna's order."
The dungeons. Mother had Orchid thrown into the dungeons. Just like what I'd experienced in my past life—except this time, it was happening much earlier than it "should have."
I didn't waste even a second, whirling around and heading out, almost running toward the lower levels of the pack grounds, my heels striking the stone floor in rapid, clear echoes.
Autumn immediately followed, catching up to my side in a few steps.
"Miss, I—"
"Come on." I cut her off, but didn't slow my pace at all.
The dungeon entrance was in the most remote corner of the Alpha's residence. Behind a concealed door lay a narrow descending staircase. Going down, the musty smell of damp stone walls and the scent of old blood hit me in waves.
Two guards stood at the bottom of the stairs. As we approached, they instinctively straightened.
"I'm here to see Orchid," I said.
The taller guard shook his head slightly. "No one may enter the dungeons without Luna's permission."
"I don't need her permission." I took a step forward. "That's my attendant."
"Orders are orders, Miss," he repeated.
I moved another half-step closer. "Move aside."
His jaw unconsciously tightened, but he still didn't budge. Behind him, the other guard shifted his weight, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
"I said, move aside."
"Miss, please—"
"Get out of my way!"
Before he could retreat, I slammed my shoulder into his chest. The force was enough to make him stagger aside, hitting the wall hard.
Autumn immediately followed, her hand already on her knife hilt. The guards cursed, one of them starting after us, but I'd already stepped into the corridor deep within the dungeons, my eyes gradually adjusting to the dim yellow light cast by torches on the walls.
The dungeons were as cold and grim as I remembered. Narrow cells lined up one after another, their iron bars covered in rust and stained with unidentifiable filth. The air was thick with dampness, decay, and despair. I left the guards' angry shouts behind me, focusing all my attention on searching each cell.
I found her in the third cell on the left.
Orchid was curled up on the damp stone floor, her clothes soaked through with blood, her hair stuck to the side of her face, its original color unrecognizable. Even through the iron bars, I could see the extremely shallow rise and fall of her chest—she was alive, but in a condition so terrible it was suffocating.
Rage exploded in my mind, so intense it nearly whitened my vision.
"Orchid!"
At the sound of my voice, her eyelashes trembled lightly as she struggled to open her eyes. Her gaze was unfocused at first, clearly worn to the limit by pain and torture, until she recognized me and her eyes slowly focused.
I grabbed the cold iron bars and shook them hard, the rusted metal screeching sharply.
"Open this door. Now."
One of the guards finally caught up, panting, his face flushed red. "Miss, you can't—"
"She's bleeding." I whipped my head toward him. "What did you do to her?"
"She wouldn't confess." The guard's tone was sickeningly cold. "The evidence is clear. She stole from Luna. If she won't admit it, she must face the consequences."
"Consequences?" I raised my voice, almost demanding. "You call torture 'consequences'?"
"Miss, please calm—"
"Open this door."
"I can't do that without Luna's orders."
I was about to continue my angry rebuke when I suddenly heard light, steady footsteps behind me.
That rhythm—I knew it all too well.
I turned around.
Evelyn stood there.
She walked slowly closer, her face wearing that perpetually gentle smile. Behind her, two more guards followed. She stopped a few steps away from me, tilting her head slightly, her lips curved in a faint smile.
"My, my," she said softly. "What a commotion."
"Let Orchid out," I said, my voice trembling slightly from suppressed fury. "Now."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, dear." Her tone was gentle. "Orchid has committed a crime. She stole from me. You should understand I can't turn a blind eye to such behavior."
"What crime?" I enunciated clearly. "What did she steal?"
Evelyn's smile deepened, and she gestured for a guard to step forward.
The guard presented a small wooden tray holding several pieces of silver jewelry and a small leather pouch.
"These were found in Orchid's quarters," Mother said. "And someone saw her take them from my room."
"That's a lie." I didn't hesitate to contradict her.
"Is it?" She raised an eyebrow slightly. "The witness is quite reliable. And these..." She glanced at the tray. "They speak for themselves, don't you think?"
I stared at those items for a few seconds, my mind racing. The frame-up was so crude it was almost insulting—obvious, clumsy, yet precisely enough to pose a fatal threat to a lowly servant.
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered was that Orchid was lying in a cell covered in blood, while the woman standing outside the cell was still putting on this calm, self-righteous act.
"Let her out," I said again.
"Unless she confesses," Evelyn's response remained gentle. "Otherwise, no."
"Perhaps in a few more hours she'll be willing to tell the truth. Guards, continue the interrogation."
A guard responded and moved forward, preparing to go around me to open the cell door.
I blocked his path almost instinctively.
"Touch her again and I'll make you pay."
The guard hesitated and stopped, his eyes darting quickly to Evelyn, clearly unsure whose orders to follow.
Evelyn sighed lightly, as if I were being unreasonable.
"Abigail, dear, you're making a very simple matter very complicated." Her tone was helpless. "Orchid is a thief. She must bear the consequences. Even you should be able to see that clearly."
"All I see is you framing an innocent person."
"Framing?" Her voice turned cold. "How dare you use that word to accuse me? I have evidence. I have a witness. What do you have? Your stubborn delusion?"
"I have the truth."
"Truth?" She laughed. "The truth is that your little attendant is a criminal, and you're too foolish to see it. But don't worry, dear. Once she's willing to confess, I'll make her punishment as... swift as possible."
She turned to the guards, her tone becoming cold again. "Take her back inside. Continue the interrogation."
"No." I stepped forward, standing unyieldingly in front of the cell door. "I won't let you do this."
Evelyn's expression finally darkened, her eyes narrowing slightly. A brief silence stretched between us. She stared directly at me, and I didn't flinch.
After a moment, her lips curved into a smile again, sharp as a blade.
"Very well," she said slowly. "Are you certain you want to defy me over a mere servant, Abigail?"