CHAPTER 29: EIRA’S SCREAM

Lucian’s POV

We arrived at the underground punishment zone at the far corner of the estate. Inside, the place was lit with numerous lights. It had all kinds of different painful punishments meant for werewolves. Every inch of it screamed pain.

Unfortunately, we were the ones who designed this place.

And even more unfortunate—we were also its most frequent guests.

Jason and I made our way toward the chamber designated for our punishment. Rafe walked ahead, and as he opened the door, he glanced back with a wicked grin stretched across his face. The bastard looked far too eager.

The chamber was vast, painted in dark tones that swallowed light. Only a few dim fixtures hung along the walls, casting a dull glow that barely illuminated the space. One side of the room was lined with silver chains, each ending in large, heavy cuffs designed to hold even the strongest wolves.

Jason and I silently removed our clothes and shoes, preparing to shift.

Rafe ran his fingers along the chains like he was touching something precious, "Ready?"

Without answering, both of us shifted.

My wolf was huge, masculine, with a thick coat of molten bronze fur that looked like liquid metal poured from a divine forge. His tail was thick and heavy, his posture commanding, and his emotionless eyes gleamed with unshakable focus. There was no elegance in his form—only raw, grounded masculinity. The kind of wolf others didn’t dare challenge.

He didn’t shine to be admired. He shined to warn.

Jason’s wolf was midnight blue—a pale, glacial blue threaded with shades of silver and icy indigo, like the midnight sky without stars. The rare kind, and almost unreal. Just like mine, he was masculine and strong—at the same time, silent, cold, and lethal.

He wasn’t the kind of wolf you fought to win. He was the kind you fought because you were too stupid to run.

Rafe turned to us. "Get here already. I don’t have an entire day to wait."

Our wolves growled at him but did as he said. The asshole, with so much delight, started to put those big, heavy silver cuffs on our huge paws, one by one.

Simply touching the silver wouldn’t cause any harm, but these cuffs were magical—crafted to give pain. The moment they wrapped around securely and touched our fur coated skin, hell burned inside our bodies.

"You two seem to be enjoying it," the bastard commented once he secured our paws, then headed to get the ones to fix around our necks.

Damn. That part was the worst.

The moment the enchanted metal locked around our throats, it felt like we were being choked by flames. It didn’t kill, but it made you wish it would.

After securing the final pieces, he stepped back with a look of smug satisfaction. "Beautiful. Let me get a picture. A precious memory for us."

He pulled out his cellphone and casually snapped a photo of us in our shackled wolf forms.

We growled, low and vicious, but the next surge of pain from the chains silenced us. If we weren’t bound, we would’ve torn him apart, limb by limb.

He chuckled, slipping the phone back into his pocket. "See you when it’s time to set you free. Though I can’t promise I’ll show up on time."

In that moment, my mind flooded with every curse I could summon.

’One day, I would fuck the shit out of this smug asshole. I’d make sure of it.’

Before leaving, he turned back one last time, amusement still dancing in his eyes.

"When I return, let me know which pain is more brutal—the one you gave that bitch last night, or the one these chains are going to give you."

Fuck off.

Both of us growled in unison within our minds, glaring at his retreating back as the door slammed shut behind him.

-----

Kael’s POV

Liam left, informing me that the bitch wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon and that he would return by then to check on her again.

I had no other choice but to stay home instead of going to the company. Roman wasn’t home—no idea where he had been wandering or what kind of work he said he had to attend to.

Lucian and Jason were sent to get their punishment, and I couldn’t leave her to Rafe. He was the kind who would enjoy watching her die instead of doing anything to save her. His sick mind was not trustable at all.

Rafe returned after making sure the other two were locked in the punishment chamber. He settled lazily on the sofa as he commented, "That was fun, watching those two bastards in pain again."

I didn’t comment. It wasn’t anything new for me to punish any of the four, and among them, Lucian and Jason were the most frequent recipients.

Rafe was next. But punishing him was always handled by Lucian—who was equally crazy and sick like him.

Roman was the only sensible one who didn’t give me a headache.

"Lucian’s not here, so take care of his work. We can’t slack with the security matters," I ordered Rafe.Though Rafe had no regular tasks, he was skilled in spying and assisted Lucian and Jason with security operations.

"Better than having to deal with the shitty scent," he said as he stood up to leave, stretching his arms lazily. "That reminded me, is the bitch dead yet, or do I have to tolerate it for long?"

"Unfortunately not," I told him, keeping my gaze on the screen of the laptop in front of me.

"Tsk! If she had died, I would’ve enjoyed punishing those two for a long time. Such a disappointment that bitch is," he said and left.

Was he disappointed for not getting a chance to relish Lucian and Jason’s pain for long—or because that bitch wasn’t dead?

"Find out where Roman has gone," I gave him another order.

"He seems to be visiting a place you might not like to know," I heard Rafe say.

I looked at him. "Where?"

"Ask him yourself once he returns," the bastard said smugly and left.

’What the hell is Roman up to?’

At noon, I went to her room to check on her. She was still unconscious, utterly weak. She was in a bad state, but somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to pity her.

If not for her, my parents—the most precious people in my life—would still be alive. If not for her, Sophia and I would have our pup, and we would be a happy family of five.

At the thought of the pup, I couldn’t help but imagine.

If we hadn’t lost it back then, my child would be five years old now, running around everywhere, full of life and mischief. I wouldn’t have cared if it was a daughter or a son. I would’ve loved them just the same. Trained them for the future. Given them a life of joy and pride. My parents would have been so happy holding their grandchild in their arms.

But... it was all gone because of this one bitch.

I walked close to the bed and looked at her face, which was no longer the same one from the past. Out of mere formality, I leaned down to check if she was still breathing—because I couldn’t afford her death at the moment.

Her breathing was so shallow that it didn’t feel like anything along my fingers, as if she wasn’t breathing at all. A little worried, I moved my fingers to the side of her neck to check her pulse, but...

She opened her eyes.

Hollow. No trace of recognition in them. It was like she was looking at me, but not really seeing me.

Then her expression shifted—panicked, utterly scared. The next second, a loud, piercing scream tore through the room, as if she had just seen the deadliest monster alive.

It stunned me. Left me momentarily frozen.

I moved fast, clamping my hand over her mouth to silence her.

But she panicked even more. Her eyes welled with tears, full of terror. She began to push and claw at my hand, her nails scratching helplessly. Her legs hurled wildly in the air to throw kicks at me—but they were so weak that not a single muscle of mine felt it, wherever those kicks landed.

’What the hell is wrong with her?’