h4Chapter 55: Chapter 55/h4

    The heavy iron door groaned shut behind me, its echo chasing me up the narrow stone stairwell like a warning bell. I pressed my back to the damp wall for a second, chest heaving, heart thrashing inside my ribs as if it wanted to w its way out. My hands were still shaking from the weight of what I had just promised.

    I’ll get you out. I swear I’ll get you out.

    The girl’s voice lingered in my ears, soft and raw, broken by fear and exhaustion. She had clutched my wrist with her bloody fingers, eyes wide like a trapped bird, and I had seen my own reflection in her terror. That was what had made me say it. The words had tumbled out of me before I could stop them, reckless and dangerous. But now the weight of them sat heavy on my shoulders.

    Because if the Psycho Alpha ever found out... I swallowed hard, pushing myself away from the wall. I could almost feel his hands around my throat already, squeezing, crushing, the way he loved to do when he thought I was being disobedient. He didn’t need a reason to hurt me, but this? This would give him more than enough. My feet carried me up the stairs faster, almost tripping over the uneven stones. The torchlight flickered, shadows bending and stretching across the walls like grasping fingers. My whole body shivered, not from the chill, but from the knowledge of what I was stepping into. I had made a vow. And in this cursed house, vows could get you killed. When I reached the top, I paused again, listening. The corridor stretched silent and empty, lined with heavy wooden doors that led to ces I had been forbidden to enter. My stomach clenched. He could be anywhere. He moved like a predator soundless, sudden, always appearing when I least wanted him to. I peeked around the corner before stepping into the main hall. Moonlight filtered through the tall windows, painting the floor in silver stripes. The house was unnervingly quiet. For a moment, I allowed myself to breathe. But I didn’t trust silence. Silence was when he hunted. I hurried to the kitchen, knowing the servants would be gone by now. He didn’t like them lingering, not when I was in the house. He wanted me alone, always under his eye, always within reach. The kitchen smelled faintly of bread and herbs, the warmth of the hearth long gone. I slipped inside and closed the door behind me. My fingers dug into the wooden table as I leaned against it, forcing myself to think. How am I supposed to do this?

    The girl was locked in the dungeon, chained and bleeding, guarded by walls of stone and the cruelest Alpha I had ever known. Sneaking her out would be like stealing fire from the gods it was possible, maybe, but at the cost of being burned alive.

    My throat tightened. The image of the girl’s face swollen, bruised, desperate rose in my mind. I had seen myself in her. I couldn’t turn away. I couldn’t abandon her.

    "Food," I whispered. That was the first step. Tonight, I had promised her more food. Something warm, something to remind her that she was human, not just a prisoner waiting to be broken. I moved quickly, searching the cupboards. Bread, dried meat, a few apples. It wasn’t much, but it would do. I wrapped them in cloth, tucking the bundle beneath my cloak. But food wasn’t the only thing she needed. She needed freedom. And freedom meant keys. My breath hitched. The Alpha kept the dungeon keys on him most of the time. I had seen them hanging from his belt, clinking faintly when he walked. Sometimes he tossed them carelessly onto his desk in his study, but even that was a risk. If I was caught near his desk, he would know. He always knew. I chewed my lip until I tasted blood. I had to find another way. Maybe I didn’t need the keys. Maybe I could find something else a tool, a file, anything to weaken the chains. The cksmith’s workshop was on the far edge of the grounds. I could sneak there when he wasn’t watching, steal something small enough to hide. My pulse raced faster just thinking about it. I was already walking on a thin line. Every move I made was dangerous. But this... this was suicide. Still, when I closed my eyes, I saw the girl. And I knew: I would rather risk my life than leave her to rot down there. The evening stretched on, heavy with dread. I stayed in my room for most of it, pretending to read a book by the window, though the words blurred and twisted before my eyes. My ears stayed sharp, tuned to every sound the creak of the stairs, the m of a door, the echo of boots against the floor.

    He hadn’te to me yet. That was both a relief and a curse. Because when he didn’te, it meant he was plotting. Watching. Waiting for the perfect moment to catch me off guard. By the time the sky had deepened to indigo, I couldn’t sit still anymore. I slipped out of my room, bundle of food hidden under my cloak. The hallways were darker now, the torches burned low. Shadows curled across the walls like smoke.

    I moved as silently as I could, every step measured, every breath shallow. My ears strained for his voice, for the cruel chuckle he loved to let out when he caught me sneaking. But the halls stayed silent. I descended the stairwell, back into the bowels of the house. The dungeon air wrapped around me like a shroud, damp and heavy.

    The girl lifted her head when I slipped inside. Her eyes widened at the sight of me, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of hope there.

    "You came back," she whispered.

    I crouched beside her,ying the bundle in herp. "I told you I would."

    Her hands trembled as she unwrapped the cloth, tears filling her eyes as she saw the food. She bit into the bread hungrily, as if it were the first meal she had ever tasted.

    Watching her eat, I felt a pang in my chest. I remembered my own hunger, the days he had starved me just to watch me crawl for scraps. I remembered the way food had tasted like salvation.

    I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "I don’t have much time. But I’m working on a n. I’ll get you out. You have to trust me."

    Her lip trembled. "He’ll kill you if he finds out."

    "I know." My voice was steady, though my hands shook. "But I can’t leave you here. Not like this."

    The girl’s eyes filled with tears. "Why? Why would you risk yourself for me?"

    Because just like her I was trapped here too. In the werewolf world. But I couldn’t say that aloud. So instead, I squeezed her hand and whispered, "Because no one deserves this."

    We sat in silence for a moment, the only sounds her soft chewing and the faint drip of water from the ceiling.

    But then I heard a noise and bootsteps, it was Slow. Heavy. Coming down the stairwell. My blood turned to ice.

    I shot to my feet, panic wing at my chest. No, no, no, not now The girl’s eyes went wide, her face draining of color. She tried to hide the bread under her torn nket, but crumbs scattered across the floor. I grabbed her wrist. "Stay quiet," I hissed, my heart hammering.

    The footsteps grew louder.

    I looked around wildly, searching for an escape. The dungeon door was the only way out, and whoever wasing was already almost here.I was trapped. The iron door groaned, swinging open. And the shadow of the Alpha filled the doorway.

    The iron door mmed open with a force that rattled the chains on the walls.

    He filled the doorway like a nightmare given flesh broad shoulders, cold eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. My blood froze.

    The girl whimpered beside me, crumbs still on her lips. She tried to shrink back, but the chains held her tight.

    "Well, well," his voice was silk wrapped in razors. "What do we have here?"

    I stumbled back, pressing myself against the wall. "I—I was just—"

    "Just what?" His eyes narrowed, sharp as des. "Feeding my prisoner? Whispering little promises you can’t keep?"

    The girl shook her head desperately. "She only-she was only-oh God

    "Silence!" His roar echoed, making the stones tremble. He crossed the room in three strides, his presence sucking all the air away. He grabbed the girl’s chin, forcing her to look at him.

    "You thought you could plot behind my back? That she could save you?"

    Her tears spilled over. "Please!!

    The Alpha’s smile was slow, twisted. "No one saves traitors.

    Before I could move, before I could even breathe, he lifted his boot and mmed it down on her leg. The crack was sickening. The girl’s scream ripped through the dungeon, high and raw. My stomach lurched, bile rising in my throat.

    "Stop!" I cried, rushing forward without thinking. "Please, stop!"

    He whirled on me, his hand shooting out like a viper. His fingers wrapped around my throat, squeezing until ck spots danced in my vision.

    "You dare tell me what to do?" His voice was a low growl, his grip crushing. "Do you forget who owns your breath?"

    Tears burned my eyes. My nails wed at his wrist, but he only tightened his hold, enjoying my struggle.

    Then he let me go suddenly, and I fell to my knees, gasping for air.

    The girl’s sobs filled the silence, raw and broken.

    He turned back to her, crouching low, his voice almost tender. "Don’t worry, little bird. You won’t be flying anywhere."

    And with a swift, merciless motion, he grabbed her other leg and twisted.

    The sound bones snapping like dry branches was worse than the scream that followed. She copsed against her chains, body trembling violently, her cries echoing through the dungeon like a dying animal.

    I pressed my hands to my ears, shaking my head, tears streaming down my face. "Please... please, no more..."

    He rose to his full height, towering over both of us, eyes cold as the moon. He looked down at me with a cruel smirk.

    "Let this be your lesson, Ellie," he said, voice dripping with venom. "When you make promises I don’t allow, this is what happens."

    He stepped back, satisfied with the ruin he had left behind, while the girly sobbing, her legs twisted and broken.

    And I-I could do nothing but watch.

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