Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Five

I open my eyes but immediately regret it. A dull ache spreads over my body and rings inside my head. Damn. I’ve been beaten up badly. Simply keeping my eyes open is painful, and cold. Dampness clings to my skin–I’m drenched in my own sweat. That’s disgusting.

Still, despite the pain, I try to figure out where I am. This seems to be a dungeon.

My eyes dart around until I’m hit with a pounding inside my head, a relentless drum that won’t fucking stop. I’m in desperate need of an Ibuprofen.

Groaning, I try to sit up, but a wave of nausea rolls over me, and I collapse back onto the hard ground.

“I’m so proud of you, Ada,” I hear a male voice say, the same one from…yesterday?

The words echo in my mind, disjointed fragments of a memory that refuses to fully surface. I left the hotel, and then I was attacked and…wait. Ada?

Confusion knots in my stomach. Ada is one of us, part of the Wintercrest pack. Or so I thought. Why can’t I remember? I’ve must been hit pretty hard.

Though, never mind that. I need to leave this freaking place before my captors return!

I attempt to summon the comforting chill of my ice magic, to weave the frost into a soothing balm for my pain, or

at least use it to escape, but there’s nothing.

“What the…?”

I try to summon my magic again, but it’s as if my powers have been siphoned away, leaving behind an empty void where once there was strength. Panic flutters in my chest. Did they do something to me? They must have. Sure, my magic was out of control before I left the twins, but I could still use it! Now it’s entirely gone–my kidnappers must have drugged me to suppress my magic.

Footsteps, barely audible, approach through the darkness. My heart hammers against my ribs, each beat louder than the last. I squint into the black, trying to make out the figure drawing closer. There’s the distinct musk of werewolf, familiar yet foreign, mingling with the dank air of the dungeon.

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“Ah, the weak little Luna from the Wintercrest pack.”

The voice is gravelly, tinged with mockery. An old man emerges from the shadows, his eyes glinting with malice. He stalks towards me, and I glare up at him, refusing to cower despite my vulnerable position on the cold floor. His hand shoots out, fingers wrapping around my chin with a bruising grip, forcing my head up to meet his gaze.

“My name is Johan Lietail,” he says, a self–satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

My breath catches in my throat. Johan Lietail. The name ring… my ears, dredging up images of Ada, her sneers and taunts still fresh in my mind despite the weeks that have passed since I mated with the twins. Ada Lietail, who bullied and belittled me, is now back in my life in the form of her freaking father. He shares the same kind of smirk and stands before me, his presence exuding authority and menace.

“I’ve been a double agent for quite some time,” Johan admits, his grip on my chin unyielding. “I’ve been pretending to be a member of the Wintercrest pack when, in reality, I’m the Alpha of the Swani pack. Ada is the future Alpha of the pack and that’s why she was so adamant about marrying the twins which you stole from her.”

That’s why she wanted the twins? And wait, double agents? Betrayal slices through me sharper than any blade. How did we not see it? How could he and Ada have deceived us all this time? My mind races, trying to piece together the fragmented memories, the subtle clues we must have missed.

“And our goal today,” Johan continues, the words dripping with venom, “is to steal your ice magic – it would make me so powerful!”

Power. The word hangs in the air between us, a dark promise. I understand then, with chilling clarity, the gravity of my situation. They don’t just want to hold me captive; they want to strip me of the very essence of my being. My ice magic isn’t just a part of me; it’s a birthright, a gift from the Moon Goddess herself. And this man, this usurper, seeks to tear it from me.

“Never,” I spit out, defiance sparking within me despite the fear. I might not be able to control my magic, but I’m still not giving it up to this man. “You’ll never have my magic.”

Johan’s laugh is cold, devoid of humor. “We’ll see about that, little Luna. We’ll see. I have ways of stripping it from you by force.”

He releases my chin, and I slump down, my head spinning from the encounter. The darkness envelops me once more as his footsteps retreat, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the creeping dread that coils in my belly. I have to find a way out. I have to warn my pack. But first, I need to survive long enough to reclaim my stolen magic and confront the traitor within our midst.

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Chapter 42

The hours stretch on, each tick of the clock echoing through the dank space, amplifying the dread that suffuses me. But instead of succumbing to despair, I channel it into something more productive. I start recalling every piece of training that I had received from the twins, every nugget of wisdom they had imparted. The first rule: never let your captor see your fear.

Once my mind is set on escape, a plan starts to form. My magic might be suppressed, but that doesn’t mean I’m helpless. A Luna is a leader; she’s resourceful, strong and adaptable. I can’t let this defeat me. With newfound resolve, I begin to examine my prison cell, searching for any potential vulnerabilities.

In the darkness, my eyes land on a big lid that must lead into the sewers. It would be disgusting to escape through muddy poop water, but what other choice is there? The sewers are my only escape, though I need to break free first.

Suddenly, I hear the door opening, and I stop breathing when Ada’s smirk fills

my

view.

“Well, well, well, how the tables have turned,” she says. “Didn’t I want you that you wouldn’t get away with taking the twins away from me, Omega?”

I glare at her. “I’m no longer an Omega.”

“You’re still weak,” she growls. “Therefore, I’m still going to call you and Omega. And once your magic powers and wolf is completely gone, you will be even weaker than the most fragile member of your pack. Isn’t that humiliating?”

“Is it?” I retort, raising an eyebrow at her. There’s a power in words, and I hold onto mine like an anchor. “You’re the one who has to resort to betrayal and force to try and take what you want. That sounds weak to me.”

Ada’s eyes flare in anger, but I don’t let it faze me. I’ve been through worse; her words will not break me.

“You know nothing!” she spits, slamming her hands onto the bars of my cell.

Her temper gives me an idea, a desperate spark of hope. She wants to see me break? Well then, I will give her at performance.

“You’re weaker than me!” I taunt.

“What?!” She glares at me before fishing into her pockets for the key to my cell. “I will show you weak…”

When the door opens, I shriek in faked fear and let my head hang low, my shoulders slumping. “No, don’t hurt

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Chapter 42

me!” I raise my white flag, “You win! Just please don’t hurt me!”

A victorious smirk tugs at her lips as she gazes down at me. Her guard is dropping, her ego swelling with the perceived triumph. But little does she know that it’s all part of my plan.

I lower my voice, as if in defeat, and say, “But before you take my magic… could I have a drink of water?”

Suspicion flickers briefly in her eyes but then recedes when she sees the apparent brokenness in mine.

“Sure,” Ada says with a malicious grin. “That’s the least I can do for a former Luna about to lose everything.”

As she turns her back on me to fetch the water from a table in the corner of the room, I silently thank the Moon Goddess for this opportunity and brace myself for what comes next. While Ada is distracted, I move for the open door…

But Ada is quicker.

She spins around, water bottle in hand, her eyes wild with suspicion. “What do you think you’re doing?” she growls, her grip on the bottle tightening–the water inside sloshes around violently.

“Just… stretching my legs,” I reply lamely, forcing myself to shrug nonchalantly even as my heart pounds against my ribcage.

Ada narrows her eyes at me but doesn’t say anything. She strides back to the cell, shoving the water bottle into my hands roughly. I nearly drop it out of surprise, but manage to hold on tight.

“Drink,” Ada orders, crossing her arms over her chest and watching me like a hawk as she relocks the cell door. “And don’t try any funny business.”

I nod obediently and bring the bottle to my lips, taking small sips of the cool liquid. It soothes my parched throat and renews some of my energy. As I drink, I study Ada from the corner of my eye.

She’s cocky and sure of herself. Overconfident. She thinks she’s won already, thinks she has me right where she wants m

But trust me, I will find a way to escape.