Chapter 2

The world swam in and out of focus as Xavier dragged me down a winding stone staircase. My body felt like it had been torn apart and hastily reassembled, every movement sending fresh waves of agony through my limbs. The dual marks on my neck throbbed with each heartbeat, a constant reminder of the impossible bond that had shattered my life.

"Move faster," Xavier snarled, his fingers digging into my arm hard enough to leave bruises. "I haven't got all night to deal with you."

I stumbled, my legs barely supporting me. "Where... where are you taking me?"

His eyes—so dark they seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it—flicked toward me with cold contempt. "To where you belong."

The air grew colder as we descended deeper into the earth. The scent of damp stone and something metallic filled my nostrils. When we reached the bottom, Xavier shoved me forward into a dimly lit chamber carved from solid rock.

"Welcome to your new home," he said, his voice echoing against the walls.

I took in the space with growing horror. Silver-lined cells stretched along both walls, the metal gleaming with an unnatural light that made my skin crawl. Xavier pushed me toward one of them, unlocking the door with a key that hung from his belt.

"No," I whispered, pressing myself against the wall. "Please, no."

"With the dual mark, you're a liability to both packs," Xavier said, grabbing my shoulders. "A mistake of the Moon Goddess herself."

He threw me into the cell with such force that I crashed against the far wall. Pain exploded through me as my skin made contact with the silver bars. I screamed, scrambling away from the metal that burned my flesh like acid.

"Silver doesn't agree with you," Xavier observed coldly. "Good."

He grabbed my wrists, snapping heavy chains around them. The metal seared into my skin instantly, and I could smell my own flesh burning.

"You'll stay here until I decide what to do with you," he said, stepping back to survey his work. "A mistake needs to be contained."

"Xavier," I pleaded, tears streaming down my face. "I never asked for this. I didn't choose either of you."

His expression didn't change. "Choices aren't given to the likes of you."

With that, he turned and left, taking the torch with him. Darkness swallowed the cell, broken only by the eerie silver glow of the bars.

The cold seeped into my bones as hours passed. I huddled in the corner farthest from the silver, trying to find any position that didn't send fresh waves of pain through me.

When light finally returned to the chamber, it wasn't dawn—just Xavier, holding another torch and looking even more imposing than before.

"Time for your first lesson," he said, his mouth twisting into something that wasn't quite a smile.

He unlocked my cell but left the chains on my wrists. I stumbled after him, afraid of what awaited but desperate to escape the silver prison.

Xavier led me to a larger chamber with a raised platform at one end. He forced me to my knees at the edge of it, then turned to greet three she-wolves who entered from a side door.

They were beautiful—all of them with sleek fur and perfect features. They approached Xavier with practiced grace, their eyes sliding over me with curiosity and disdain.

"Watch carefully," Xavier commanded, his fingers closing around one she-wolf's waist.

I tried to close my eyes, but Xavier's command held me immobile. "Look at them," he ordered. "Look at what a real mate should be."

He pulled the first she-wolf against him, his mouth claiming hers in a passionate kiss that made my stomach turn. His hands roamed over her body with practiced familiarity, squeezing and caressing as she moaned against his mouth.

"See how she responds to me?" Xavier asked, his eyes locked with mine even as he kissed the she-wolf. "This is what a true bond looks like."

He moved to the second she-wolf, then the third, repeating the display with each one. Their bodies pressed against his, their hands exploring him as he did them.

"Look closely, you worthless whore," he sneered, his fingers tangled in the third she-wolf's hair. "This is what a real mate looks like. Not some freak with dual marks who doesn't even know which pack she belongs to."

I couldn't look away. Couldn't close my ears to their passionate sounds. Couldn't stop the tears that streamed down my face as Xavier's lesson burned itself into my memory.

Night fell again, and with it came a new horror.

I was drifting in and out of consciousness when I heard it—the scrape of claws against stone, the whisper of movement that didn't belong to Xavier or his guards.

My eyes flew open just in time to see a shadow detach itself from the darkness. The scent of sandalwood and burning embers filled the cell.

"Hello, little mate," Damien's voice purred in the darkness. "Miss me?"

Before I could scream, he was on me, his hand covering my mouth as he snapped my chains with inhuman strength.

"Quiet now," he whispered against my ear. "Unless you want to alert Xavier that I'm here."

I bit down hard on his palm. He didn't even flinch.

"Feisty," he observed, lifting me into his arms as if I weighed nothing. "I like that."

He carried me through the darkness, moving with supernatural grace through passages I hadn't known existed. I fought against him with what little strength I had left, but it was like struggling against stone.

"Save your energy," Damien advised as we emerged into the night air. "You'll need it."

I soon discovered why.

The Blood Moon Pack's dungeons made Xavier's seem almost hospitable. Damien carried me to a room dominated by a silver cage barely large enough for me to curl up in.

"Home sweet home," he said, dropping me unceremoniously inside.

The silver burned worse than before, my skin blistering wherever it touched the bars.

"You have a choice to make," Damien said, crouching to look me in the eyes. "Choose wisely between us, and things might get easier for you."

Before I could respond, he was gone, leaving me alone with my pain and the impossible choice.

The next morning—if it was morning—Damien returned. This time, he brought an audience.

"Kneel," he commanded, using his Alpha voice to force my compliance.

My body obeyed even as my mind screamed in protest. I knelt before him, my head bowed.

"Now look up," he ordered.

I raised my eyes to see a parade of she-wolves entering the room. Each one was more beautiful than the last, their bodies perfect specimens of werewolf grace.

"Tell me," Damien said conversationally, running his hand down the nearest she-wolf's arm, "do you think she's prettier than you?"

I said nothing, but he didn't seem to expect an answer.

"This one," he said, pulling the she-wolf against him, "has the most delicious little mouth. Do you know what I do with it?"

His voice dropped to a whisper, but in the silent room, every word was crystal clear as he described in graphic detail exactly what he did with the she-wolf—and all the others.

Tears streamed down my face as I was forced to listen. The she-wolves giggled and preened under his attention, clearly enjoying the display.

"Maybe someday," Damien said, his eyes meeting mine over the she-wolf's shoulder, "you'll learn to please me half as well as they do."

I closed my eyes, but the tears kept coming. And somewhere deep inside, something hardened—a seed of hatred taking root where innocence had once lived.