CHAPTER 32: SAVE YOURSELF

Eleanor’s POV

They were in another part of the lavish hotel suite, just out of my line of sight. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drum against the silence. I strained against the ropes, my efforts feeble and useless.

Then they stepped into view. Three of them. The one who’d led me here, his mask still firmly in place, and two others. One was a mountain of a man with a neck thicker than my thigh, and the other was leaner, with a nervous, twitchy energy.

The first man’s eyes crinkled above his mask. I could feel his disgusting smile even though I couldn’t see it. "Glad you’re finally awake," he said, his voice a mockery of warmth. "Don’t bother screaming. These walls are paid for their silence. And don’t bother hoping for help. No one is coming for you."

He gestured with the small perfume bottle he still held. "This stuff was a fortune, I’ll tell you that. Knocks you out cold with one whiff. But your money will make up for it." He chuckled, a dry, ugly sound. "Well, some of it. It won’t be enough."

The large man grunted. "Her body will compensate for the rest. Once she’s sold."

The twitchy one looked me over, his head cocked. "How’d you even lure this one in, Leo? She doesn’t look like the usual type."

The masked man laughed. "You won’t believe it. She was on the forum, asking where to find werewolves. Said she needed silver chains for her ’werewolf friend’."

The other two men burst into loud, cruel laughter that echoed in the opulent room. The sound made me shrink into the mattress.

"It’s true!" Leo insisted, enjoying their reaction. "Said she knew one! Can you believe the luck?"

The twitchy man’s laughter died down. He stepped closer to the bed, leaning over me. He inhaled deeply, his nose almost touching my neck. I recoiled as far as the ropes would allow.

"Huh," he muttered, straightening up. "She might not be lying. I can smell it on her. Faint, but it’s there. Wolf. She’s been around one."

Leo’s eyes widened with avarice. "Seriously?"

The twitchy man grabbed my face, his fingers digging into my cheeks painfully, forcing me to look at him. "Well, well. Be a good girl and tell us, huh? Who are your furry friends? A lone wolf? A whole pack?" His eyes gleamed. "Those ones... they cost millions on the right market. You could be worth more as a lead than as a pretty face."

Before I could even process the new, terrifying layer of this nightmare, the large man stepped forward. He pulled my phone from his pocket. He grabbed my bound hand, roughly forcing my index finger onto the fingerprint sensor. The screen unlocked.

My mind raced, even as fear threatened to short-circuit every thought.

He can smell wolf on me? It had to be my scent.

But the way they talked... they didn’t think I was the werewolf. They thought I was associated with one.

A small, pathetic wave of relief washed over me. At least I hadn’t been stupid enough to reveal that particular truth.

The twitchy man sighed in frustration, scrolling through my phone. "Nothing. Not even a secret group chats. She barely talks to anyone. Just some boring work stuff with a few people."

Leo snatched the phone from him, his eyes scanning the screen with contempt. "Pathetic. She doesn’t even have a social life. Just her co-workers." He paused, and a new, different kind of interest flickered in his eyes. "But her brains might be good for something."

The large man grunted. "What?"

"She works for Vexxon," Leo said, a slow grin spreading beneath his mask. "The tech giant. That’s got to add to her value. Corporate intel, maybe. Or just bragging rights for some rich freak."

The large man nodded, a cruel approximation of a smile on his face. "Nice."

Leo tossed my phone onto a nearby chair like a piece of trash. "Just stay put, sweetheart. Your buyer is already on his way." The three of them moved away, their voices dropping as they discussed the logistics of my sale, but they didn’t leave the room. I was trapped here with them.

I couldn’t accept this. This couldn’t be how it ended. Sold. Erased. The gag made it hard to breathe, each panicked gasp a struggle.

Tears of pure terror welled in my eyes. No one would notice I was gone. Not really. Dickson would be angry he’d lost his pawn. My family would probably be relieved.

Only Mira would truly care, and by the time she realized something was wrong, I’d be long gone, vanished into a nightmare market.

Eleanor, your heart is going to explode, Beatrice’s voice cut through the panic, sharper and more urgent than I’d ever heard it. You need to calm down. Now.

How? I screamed back at her in my mind. How can I calm down? I’m going to be sold!

When you are in a dangerous situation, the first thing you must learn is to control your fear, she said, her tone brooking no argument. No one is coming to save you. You must save yourself. And if you don’t get a grip on your panic, you will not like what I will have to do to take over.

The threat was clear and terrifying in its own right. I didn’t want to black out and wake up to a bloodbath. Taking a shuddering, ragged breath through my nose, I forced myself to focus. I imagined the air filling my lungs, slow and steady. I let it out, even slower.

Good, Beatrice murmured, her voice becoming a low, steadying hum in my head. That’s it. Now, hum.

Hum?

One of many songs you like. it helps clear your mind.

How do you know about that?

I thought, even as I tentatively began to recall the melody of a quiet, soothing piano piece.

I live in here, she said, a hint of her old sarcasm returning, but softer. Just because I was suppressed doesn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention.

So I hummed. Silently, in the prison of my own mind, I played the familiar tune. The frantic hammering of my heart began to slow. The edges of my panic receded, not gone, but managed. ing.

Hum?

One of many songs you like. it helps clear your mind.

How do you know about that? I thought, even as I tentatively began to recall the melody of a quiet, soothing piano piece.

I live in here, she said, a hint of her old sarcasm returning, but softer. Just because I was suppressed doesn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention.

So I hummed. Silently, in the prison of my own mind, I played the familiar tune. The frantic hammering of my heart began to slow. The edges of my panic receded, not gone, but managed.

The buyer is coming soon, Beatrice’s voice was a razor-sharp whisper in my mind, all traces of calm gone. You need to get out of these ropes now. Materialize your claws.

My what? I thought, bewildered. I don’t know how to do that!

Focus! she snapped. Remember the anger. Remember the feel of Priscilla’s throat under your hands. That power is in you. Call it to your fingertips. Imagine your nails elongating, sharpening into points. Do it!

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the men’s voices. I focused on the rage. I felt a strange, pulling sensation in my fingers, a warmth followed by a sharp, prickling pain. I opened my eyes.

Protruding from my fingertips were sharp, black claws. They looked alien and terrifying, yet somehow... right. I was too stunned to even be horrified.

Good. Now, cut the rope. Slowly. Don’t make a sound.

In my spread-eagled state, it was awkward. I twisted my wrist, angling the claws against the coarse rope binding my right hand. I began to saw, the fibers slowly giving way with a faint zzzip sound. Each tiny noise sounded like a gunshot in the silent room. My eyes were fixed on the doorway, praying the men wouldn’t reappear.

My hope shattered with a sharp knock on the suite’s main door.

The three men immediately stopped talking and walked back into my view. Leo went to the door, opening it with a obsequious bow. "Sir! Welcome. We have her ready for your inspection."

A new man stepped inside. He didn’t bother with a mask. He was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his demeanor cold and authoritative. The way the other three men shrunk in his presence screamed of his high status.

His eyes, cold and assessing, scanned the room before landing on me. A slow, approving smile touched his lips. "Perfect. She’ll do. Prepare her for transport."

At his command, the large man and the twitchy one approached the bed. I struggled, a muffled scream trapped behind the gag. The large man pinned my shoulders down while the twitchy one roughly ripped the tape from my mouth. Before I could even draw a breath to scream, he forced my jaw open.

"Hold her still," the well-dressed man said calmly.

Leo produced a small vial of clear liquid. He poured it into my mouth. It was tasteless, but it had a thick, syrupy consistency. I choked, trying to spit it out, but the twitchy man clamped my mouth and nose shut, forcing me to swallow. A strange, heavy lethargy immediately began to seep into my limbs, muting my panic, dulling my senses. I could hear Leo simpering. "Thank you for the reward, sir. We will, of course, work harder to find more valuables."

The ropes were cut from my ankles and wrists. I was hauled to my feet, my legs wobbling uncontrollably. The well-dressed man stepped close, grabbing my chin. He leaned in and inhaled deeply near my neck.

"She knows some wolves," he mused. "Find them."

"We will, sir," Leo promised.

The man then took my arm, his grip like iron. "Walk properly if you still wish to leave this hotel with any dignity," he whispered, his voice devoid of warmth. The drug was doing its work; my screams were locked inside a leaden body.

I stumbled alongside him as he led me out of the room and into the hallway. The world was blurry at the edges

Eleanor, attack him now! Beatrice’s voice was a desperate roar in my head.

But I was too scared, too drugged. I could see the elevator at the end of the hall. It felt a million miles away.

ELEANOR, NOW! Beatrice screamed.

Something in me snapped. As we turned to another corner, I summoned every last drop of will. My claws, which had retracted, shot out again with a sharp shing. I twisted in his grip and slashed wildly at his face and arm.

"FUCK!" he roared, recoiling in shock and pain, clutching at the gouges on his cheek.

I didn’t wait. I lunged for the elevator, slamming my hand against the button. The doors slid open. I threw myself inside and frantically pressed a random floor. As the doors began to close, I saw the man stumbling toward me, his face a mask of blood and fury, his curses echoing in the hall.

The doors closed. I slumped against the wall, the adrenaline fading, the drug pulling me back under. I was dizzy, disoriented. I wouldn’t make it far.

The elevator dinged open on another floor. I staggered out into another plush hallway. And then I smelled it again. That sweet, alluring, addictive scent from before.

This time, it was overwhelming, a siren’s call pulling me forward. My legs moved on their own, following the scent.

It grew thicker and i stumbles, my knees giving way, and crashed into the chest of a man that i crashed into.

A strange, immediate sense of safety washed over me,. My vision was too blurry to make out his features, but he felt familiar. His scent was everywhere, wrapping around me like a shield.

"Help..." I mouthed, the word a silent breath before the darkness rushed up to claim me again. N