Chapter 286: Chapter 286

Chapter 286 I Need To See Him

Lila’s POV

Enzo quickly sat up in bed and looked at me with narrowed eyes. I sat up as well, trying to maintain a

strong composure, but I always felt so weak when he looked at me like that. I felt my face reddening

from the intensity of his stare.

“I’m not taking you to see that monster,” he said through his teeth, and I knew from his tone that there

wasn’t going to be a discussion about it.

“I need to see him,” I said firmly, folding my arms across my chest. “I have to ask him questions of my

own.”

“Tell me the questions and I’ll ask him,” Enzo said, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

I shook my head, frowning at him.

“This is something I need to do,” I told him. “Can’t you trust me?”

“Of course, I trust you, Lila,” he said in return. “It’s him I don’t trust.”

“It’s not like I’ll be alone, Cole. I’ll have you with me and some of the ga mmas that are keeping guard

of him. I’ll be safe.”

“Having you anywhere near him isn’t safe,” Enzo said, pressing his lips firmly together. “I don’t

understand. why you want to see him suddenly. What answers could he possibly give you? Do you

even think he’d tell you anything? He’s been through the wringer, and he hasn’t a word to any of us

other than his usual

nonsense.”

“That’s what I mean though. What if what he’s saying isn’t nonsense?” I asked, furrowing my brows.

together. “What if he is trying to tell us something?”

“Lila, he’s not trying to tell us anything. That’s the issue,” he said, shaking his head at me. “Why are

you pressed about this?”

“Because I had a dream about him,” I admitted, looking down at my hands and tugging at my fingers

nervously.

“A dream?” Enzo asked; I could feel his eyes still on my face. “What kind of dream?”

“I don’t even know if it was a dream,” I said, looking back up at him. “It felt so real….”

“What happened in this dream?”

He sounded suspicious, but curious at the same time. He wasn’t angry, but he also wasn’t pleased if

that makes sense.

“I think I was some kind of ghost or spirit,” I explained; trying to recall every moment of the dream.

“You were dead?”.

“Not dead, no. But nobody could see me,” I explained. “I was in the dungeon watching my father

beating

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Chapter 286 I Need To See Him

Xander and asking questions.”

Enzo’s body froze as he continued to stare at me; I could tell he was struggling with his thoughts.

“You watched that happen?” He sounded strained.

I nodded and met his eyes.

“Yes, and Xander kept saying that I was in danger. My father thought he was threatening me, but

maybe he wasn’t. Maybe he was warning me.”

Enzo raised his brows at my statement and then after a moment, he shook his head.

“He kidnapped you, Lila. Who knows what he’d do if we didn’t find you,” Enzo said in return.

“But he kidnapped me and dumped me somewhere. Before I passed out, I remember him saying

something about me escaping the inescapable. It was like some kind of test or something,” I said,

recalling my last real moments with Xander when he was my professor.

He was tough on me and slowly poisoning me each day. He made me fight without my wolf and

strengthen my human. He kept telling me that if I didn’t learn this stuff, I would find myself in a situation

where it was life or death. He told me I needed to be prepared for all sorts of situations. Even then, it

felt like he was preparing me for something.

But he was such an as shole that I saw past it. My main concern was finally beating him at his own

game and winning a battle against him.

I didn’t actually stop to process his words; not until now at least.

I wasn’t sure how to explain any of that to Enzo though. He was set in his ways, and I knew he wasn’t

going to let me see him that easily.

“He’s dangerous, Lila,” Enzo said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger as if

he was getting a headache from this conversation. “I don’t know how else to say that.”

“You don’t have to say it any other way,” I breathed, gazing downward. “I know he’s dangerous. But

Enzo, I know what I’m capable of. I know I can handle myself in front of him. But I also won’t be alone.”

I inched closer to him, placing my hands on his chest as I peered up at him.

“My big strong Alpha will be with me,” I added, dropping my voice so it came out flirtatious.

A smile twitched at the corner of his lips, and he bent down so he could kiss me. I leaned into his kiss,

loving how he tasted.

“5 minutes,” he whispered against my lips. “You get 5 minutes with him and you aren’t going into his

cell.”

“Thank you,” I said, throwing my arms around him to hug him.

Enzo called for a couple of extra ga mma warriors to stand guard while we went to the dungeon to

speak with Xander. I had to admit, I was way more nervous than I thought I was going to be.

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Chapter 286 I Need To See Him

With each step we made down the stairs, my heart was pounding in my chest.

I hadn’t seen Xander since he kidnapped me, besides my dream, of course. I wondered if he looked as

bad- as he did in my dream, or if that was my mind making up scenarios. I also wondered if that dream

was sent to me by a bigger force, or if Xander was calling out to me.

These were some of the questions I needed to ask him, but as we got closer to the dungeon door, the

questions were quickly escaping my mind.

Enzo kept his hand entwined with mine and I stayed close to his side.

My father stood outside the dungeon doors and his arms were folded across his chest as he stared at

me. I couldn’t read his expression and then he sighed and dropped his arms to his side.

“You are just like your mother,” he murmured. “She would be doing the same thing.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him.

“That’s the best compliment you could ever give me,” I said in return; it was an honor to be compared

to my mother.

Maybe that meant I would be a good Luna someday.

My father let out a small and low laugh as he rubbed his fingers through his blonde hair.

“Neither Enzo nor I am leaving your side, Lila Bean,” my father said firmly. “You only get 5 minutes with

him and then we are dragging you out of there. Any signs of danger and we will drag you out of there

as well. Understood?”

“Yes,” I said with a nod. “I understand, father.”

He nodded in return and then looked at Enzo.

“If he even looks at her funny-” My father began to say but Enzo stopped him with his own words.

“I’ll kill him myself.”

My father and Enzo gave one another knowing looks before nodding at one another.

Before my father opened the door that separated us from the dungeon cells, he glared down at me.

“Just know, it’s not going to be a pretty sight. He’s been beaten pretty badly and with the cuffs that we

put on him, he wasn’t able to heal properly.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump that formed in my throat.

“I know,” I said in return, trying not to sound as nervous as I felt.

After another moment, my father turned and unlatched the door, pushing it open.

Instantly I smelled the metallic scent of blood and rust. I nearly froze before entering the room because

the scent was so forceful, I had to cover my nose with my hand. I had never been in this dungeon

before, but I didn’t like how gross it smelled.

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Chapter 286 1 Need To See Him

I noticed mold growing in the corners of the concrete walls and mildew forming on the concrete

grounds. It was grey and gloomy with very little light. Only a small window on the top of the dungeon

wall provided a little bit of natural light. But for the most part, the entire dungeon was lit by only a couple

of lights that- were hung on the walls.

“It looks so depressing in here,” I said, looking around.

“It’s a dungeon, Lila. It’s not supposed to be pretty,” Enzo told me.

I didn’t have any argument for that, but I wished it didn’t look so grim and lifeless. We followed my

father past the empty cells. I was glad that Enzo didn’t keep many prisoners here; I was told that these

were only considered holding cells until they could figure out what to do with them. Most of the time

they get transported to prison to serve their lifelong sentence.

I shuddered at the thought of what kind of monsters and criminals Enzo and his pack had imprisoned in

here.

My father finally stopped walking and he glared into a dark cell.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my rapid heartbeat as I went to stand beside my father. Enzo

grabbed onto my hand to stop me, and I looked up at him with a curious frown.

“I’m serious…. 5 minutes,” he said in a low tone for only my ears.

I nodded and gave him a grateful smile, but I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. I was too nervous, and

Enzo knew this.

He released my hand, and I went to stand next to my father, peering into the dark cell as well. For a

normal wolf, it would have been difficult to see into the cell, but for a Volana, it was easy. It was as if we

were in broad daylight.

Just like in my dream, Xander lay in a pile of his blood and filth. His face was badly beaten, and it didn’t

even look like he was breathing. He must have just been beaten recently.

I knew they beat him until he almost died, and then they loosen his cuffs to allow him to heal.

My father stepped toward the cell and unlocked the door, stepping inside.

He went to Xander to loosen his cuffs and I watched with fascination as Xander groaned miserably and

turned over onto his side. He coughed up a big mound of blood, making me wince. I tried not to react

much, but it couldn’t have been helped.

It was disgusting.

“You have someone who needs to speak to you,” My father said in a tone that I barely recognized.

Xander lifted his head and stared at me through his bruised and swollen eyes. I saw a glimmer of

recognition in his eyes and then a hint of a smile on his cut lips.

When he spoke, his voice came out rough and gravely; he spoke between breaths of air,

“About…. time…. you showed… up.”