Aurora’s POV

    That realization hit me hard. The blood drained from my face as the implications settled in. I couldn’t escape. I couldn’t fight back. At first I had thought it was just a symbol, nothing significant. But now, I know it for what it really was–a prison. A magical restraint to keep me from using my magic to escape this hell.

    “You’re telling me you’re all bound to him?” I demanded, my voice rising despite myself. “You can’t even break free of his grip?” I shook my head in disgust. “You’re…we’re all weak…we’re nothing more than pawns in his twisted game.i” /i

    “No, we’re not weak,” Maggie shook her head, her blue eyes sparking with anger. “We’re not proud of this either. But if we could do something, we would. We don’t have the power to stop him–Aurora and neither do we know how. We’re all teenagers! How can anyone expect us to fight this man who has us all prisoners for his sick game?”

    My heart felt like it was about to explode, but I didn’t let my emotions take control. I clenched my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms. “I don’t care,” I snapped, my voice cold and cutting. “He’s disgusting. And we’re done being weak. We need to fight back, we’re more in number. There has to be some kind of way to get out of here! We need to leave this cursed house!”

    The silence that followed was thick, suffocating. I could feel their eyes on me, a mix of pity and regret in their gazes. But none of that mattered now. I had to find a way to break free. The mark behind my ear was the key, and I wasn’t going to let it control me anymore.

    I stared at Ashton, my heart hammering. “Have any of you ever tried to escape?” The question felt stupid as soon as I asked it, but I needed to know. My mind was racing, desperate for any shred of hope, any sign that there was a way out.

    Ashton’s eyes hardened, his face darkening. He didn’t say anything for a long time, and I could feel the weight of his silence pressing down on me. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and rough, like he was dragging the words out from some dark ce deep inside. “One boy tried. Thought he could make it, you know?” He paused, looking down. He didn’te back. Alive, anyway.”

    I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the knot that tightened in my stomach. The way he said it, like it was just another fact, like the life of that boy didn’t matter anymore, made it feel real. Too real.

    “But that was years ago,‘ he added, lifting his gaze to meet mine. “For thest five years, we’ve been stuck here. No hope, no way out. Just trying to survive day by day. His words were sharp, as though he was trying to cut something out of me, something that still clung to the edges of my mind.

    I clenched my fists, ignoring the ache in my chest. ‘I don’t care about your hopelessness, I said, my voice trembling, but strong. I’m mated to a wolf. He’s the future Alpha of a pack. He’ll find me. I know it. He won’t stop until he does. He can’t.”

    Ashton shook his head, a bitterugh escaping his lips. Hope is our worst enemy here,” he said, his eyes

    filled with something that looked like pain, but colder. “You hold onto it, and it’ll tear you apart. It’ll make you weaker. If you want to stay alive, you need to let it go. Leave it behind. Because no one’sing for us,

    Not anymore.”

    I shook my head. I couldn’t listen to him. I wouldn’t. “I’m not giving up on him. I’ll never stop believing.” My heart was pounding, every beat a reminder that I wasn’t alone. ‘I don’t care if it takes years. He’ll

    Ashton stared at me for a moment, and I could see the conflict in his eyes, like he wanted to say something else but couldn’t. Then he sighed, stepping back, almost like he was distancing himself from me. “Then you’ll be disappointed,” he said softly, as if it was the kindest thing he could say to me. “But if it’s the only thing that keeps you going… hold on to it. I guess.”

    I didn’t want to hear it, but I also couldn’t ignore the weight of his words. Even as I clung to the hope of my mate, the doubt started to creep in. Was he right? Would I be waiting for nothing?

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