Chapter 188

Citlali's POV

The wolf hunters dragged my limp body through the darkness, my consciousness flickering in and out like a dying candle.

I felt the rough stone of the sewer tunnels give way to something else—smoother, warmer.

Air that didn't reek of waste and rot.

Through my blurred vision, I caught glimpses of the world above ground.

Night had fully fallen, the sky above a deep velvet black punctuated by distant stars.

The building they brought me to was nothing like what I'd expected.

No dark dungeon. No torture chamber with stone walls and rusted chains.

Instead, I saw walls painted in soft pastels—pale pink and shimmering gold that caught the moonlight and lamplight.

Silk curtains hung in the windows, their fabric so fine it seemed to float on the night breeze.

The doorway was adorned with intricate carvings, flowers and vines intertwining in patterns that spoke of wealth and luxury.

It looked like a palace. Or a brothel.

My mind struggled to make sense of it through the haze of pain and exhaustion.

Why would they bring me here? This couldn't be a prison.

The wolf hunters handed me over to two guards stationed at the entrance, and I felt the weight of the silver chains still locked around my wrists and ankles.

The metal burned with every small movement, a constant reminder of my helplessness.

The guards took hold of me, their hands rough as they pulled me upright.

I swayed on my feet, barely able to stand.

One of them looked me over with an appraising eye, the kind of look that made my skin crawl.

"This one looks much better," he said, his voice carrying a note of approval.

The other guard nodded, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Yes. If she's going to bear children for the Prince, this is more appropriate."

The words hit me like a physical blow, cutting through the fog in my mind with brutal clarity.

My eyes snapped open wide, my body going rigid with shock and fury.

"What?!" I gasped, my voice hoarse but filled with venom.

"I'm not bearing children for anyone!"

I thrashed against their grip, ignoring the way the silver chains cut deeper into my wrists, ignoring the weakness that made my limbs feel like water.

The guards only laughed, their amusement cold and cruel.

"You don't have a choice, little wolf pup," one of them said, his tone matter-of-fact.

"None of you do."

The wolf hunter leader stepped forward, his scarred face impassive as he collected a heavy pouch of coins from one of the guards.

He counted them quickly, efficiently, then turned and walked away without a backward glance.

As if I were nothing more than livestock sold at market.

I screamed after him, cursing him in every language I knew, but he didn't even pause.

The guards dragged me inside, my feet barely touching the ground.

The interior of the building was even more disturbing than the exterior.

A long corridor stretched before us, lined on both sides with... cells. But not like any prison cells I'd ever imagined.

Each one had three solid walls, but the front was open—barred with vertical silver rods that gleamed in the lamplight.

Like a cage. Like a display case.

Curtains hung from the bars, but they only reached halfway down, covering the lower portion of each cell while leaving the upper half completely exposed.

Anyone walking by could see the occupants from the waist up.

Inside each cell, I could see the basic furnishings—a bed, a small table, a chair.

Everything was clean. Neat. Almost comfortable.

But the silver bars made it clear what this place really was.

A prison dressed up as something else.

As we passed the occupied cells, I caught glimpses of the women inside.

Even with my abilities weakened by the silver, my wolf senses could detect what they were.

Wolf women. All of them.

Some were young, barely older than me. Others looked to be in their twenties.

And some—my stomach turned—were visibly pregnant, their bellies swollen with life.

Their faces were what haunted me most.

Empty eyes that stared at nothing. Expressions devoid of hope or fight.

They didn't even look up as we passed, as if they'd learned that nothing mattered anymore.

One woman sat on her bed, her hand resting on her pregnant belly, her face completely blank.

Another lay curled on her side, staring at the wall.

A third was younger, maybe sixteen, and when our eyes met for a brief moment, I saw something flicker there—recognition, perhaps, or warning.

Then she looked away, as if even that small connection was too much to bear.

My mind raced, pieces of a horrible puzzle clicking into place.

These women... they'd been captured. Brought here.

And those pregnant ones...

No. It couldn't be.

But the evidence was right in front of me, undeniable and horrifying.

The guards stopped at an empty cell and shoved me inside.

I stumbled, catching myself on the bed frame to keep from falling.

One of them crouched down and unlocked the chains around my ankles, but left my wrists bound.

The relief was minimal—I could barely feel my feet through the burning pain.

"Stay put and behave," the guard said, standing.

"Someone will come tonight to teach you the rules."

His smile was cruel, promising pain.

He locked the silver-barred door with a heavy click, and both guards walked away, their footsteps echoing down the corridor.

I was alone.

I sank onto the bed, my legs finally giving out.

The cell was small but not cramped—perhaps ten feet by ten feet.

Besides the bed, there was a small wooden table, a chair, and a cabinet against one wall.

In the corner, partially hidden by a curtain, I could see a crude toilet.

No windows. No escape routes.

Just the silver bars at the front, their presence a constant drain on my strength.

I tried to reach out through mindlink, desperate to contact Aldric, Dorian, anyone who might still be searching for me.

But there was nothing. Just empty silence where the connection should have been.

The silver was too strong, too pervasive.

It cut me off completely from my pack, from my abilities, from everything that made me more than human.

I tried to enhance my hearing, to listen for sounds from the other cells, to gather information.

But my wolf senses were barely functioning, suppressed to almost nothing by the silver surrounding me.

I was as helpless as a human. Maybe more so, because humans at least weren't being slowly poisoned by their prison.

The despair threatened to overwhelm me, but I forced it down.

I had to stay alert. Had to find a way out.

For myself. For Layla. For Rowan, if he was still alive.

The thought of Rowan made my chest tighten painfully.

I didn't know if he was dead or alive, captured or escaped.

The mindlink was completely severed, leaving me in agonizing uncertainty.

Please be alive, I thought desperately. Please.