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I just hoped that fate was on our side because one mistake and all hope would be lost, the wolves would truly have fallen.
ChapterSeventeen
Callum
Wake up. Get screamed at by guards to get against the wall. Receive a tray of stale food. Stay in the cell all day long with no breaks. Rinse and repeat.
This was my fifth meal and we only got fed once a day, so I’d been here five days. I was sick with worry for my pack but even more sick at the sounds of screams and torment that echoed in these halls. The gods had given me a chance to do something here and I wasn’t going to waste it. Yet I’d been given no opportunities to leave this godforsaken cell. Patience wasn’t my strongest asset.
“They must have a round of new guards,” Holt noted as he stared out the tiny sliver in the door that showed the hall beyond. Someone had finally flipped on the hallway light giving us just enough to make out our surroundings. It was almost better without the light. The walls were once white painted cement but now it was mottled with gray and green and a waterfall of rust clung in the corner. The floor was coated in dust, so I thought it was dirt floors until the door opened once and pushed the dirt out of the way. My heart broke for the poor prisoners who had spent years stuck in this life. I knew I wouldn’t last more than a week or two. And they had yet to pull me out and throw me in with someone to bond.
“Someone’s coming,” Holt hissed as he ran toward me. My instincts were to put the smaller man behind me but I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. The first time I tried that, he shoved me aside with a feral growl. Every man for himself here, I guess. A concept I would have to learn to adapt if I wanted to survive. But when I had my pack behind me again, I would end every one of these deplorable guards.
The door swung open hard enough it sent a cascade of crumbling paint and concrete down to the floor to join its brethren. Two guards stood there in an alpha-like pose, chests puffed out and eyes narrowed.
“You’re up, witch boy,” one of them called out. Holt gave me a terrified look before he pushed off of the wall. Even though he was following their orders the other guard latched roughly onto his arm and practically lifted him with one of his massive hands. The wolf was huge… unnaturally so.
“Hey, he was being compliant!” I protested. The first guard chuckled and simply closed the door behind them to keep me in.
“Don’t worry, pretty boy, you’re next,” he called out with a show of his middle finger.
By the time movement could be heard outside of the cell again, I’d worn a path in the floor. It was the only semi-clean spot in the room. The door was unlocked, yanked open, and Holt ruthlessly thrown inside. He could barely stand and I caught him before he hit the floor, anger boiling in my veins.
“What the fuck did you do to him?” I screamed. They didn’t bother to respond and I was too focused on getting him closer to the light to inspect him.
“I’m okay,” he forced out before clutching his torso like they’d broken ribs. His face was swollen and already purple with bruising.
“Don’t lie to me, Holt,” I said gently. “Tell me what they did to you?”
“Another failed pairing,” he sighed. “We never claimed that fated bonds were common, but they keep trying anyway.”
“To pair you with the male guards? I don’t see them allowing women to run a damn thing,” I asked. He chuckled before his breath caught and he curled in on himself. Something about this small witch made me want to protect him at all costs and seeing him like this had me ready to fight, alone or not.
“They try men and women,” he said. His voice was strained and the fact he was letting me keep his head from the dirty floor was telling of how much pain he was in. “I guess they figured whatever works. The women are other witches who have bonded already. I guess they figure if they bond them to more than just them, then that’s more magic at their disposal.”
“Then how would you and the witch not revolt?” I countered. There had to be something holding them in place.
“The witches are kept on cursed chains. They need the bond, not their power building along with their anger.” He laughed bitterly. “I guess they don’t count me as important enough.”
“Rookie mistake. I’m going to get us out of here,” I promised. He looked like he wanted to argue but gave up with a groan of pain.
“I can’t wait. Fuck this place.”
His eyes started to roll back and I tapped his cheek. The amount of bruising on his face had me refusing to let him simply fall asleep.
“Not yet, Holt. Fight it,” I urged. He glared up at me and I couldn’t help but laugh at his fire. It was the same kind of spark I admired in Vanya. I studied him as I talked mindlessly, keeping his focus on me. His black hair was long and fanned out around him. Midnight blue eyes stared up at me with annoyance since I was keeping him awake. He looked at me like that often but I didn’t mind. Dark lashes fanned around his eyes almost making his glare imperceptible. He was slender and even his face held an angular sharpness to it. In another life, I might have flirted with him, but in this life, I had Vanya and my pack, and he wanted nothing to do with relationships after being forced relentlessly to try and bond with these monsters. Yet I couldn’t deny there was something about this witch that was quickly getting under my skin.
“They’ll come for you next. I heard them talking,” he rasped out. His words were starting to slur at this point, exhaustion taking hold. “They say you’re strong and want to bond you with the Grave Witch.”
“The dark witch working with the alpha?” I asked, but it was useless, he was snoring softly now. If he was human, I’d fight harder to keep him awake but even as we talked his bruising went down so I let the man rest. Instead my mind wandered to the witch they wanted to pair with me. I’d assumed once I heard about the bondings that she was already paired to the alpha, the duo that started this all.
Hours passed but no one bothered to come for me. I took that as a good sign and kept an eye on Holt while I could. But even as I stared down and watched this man breathe, I couldn’t shake the fear that clung to my chest. Not knowing the fate of my pack was awful, but the fact I was helplessly stuck in this hole was even worse. I knew all the things I should do but I wasn’t reckless enough to charge in with claws out. No, the name of the game was observe and plan, then strike when the moment was right.
* * *
Leven
Vanya staredout the window with a pinched expression on her face. She was so fucking strong and even though I was proud of her for attempting this crazy plan, I was terrified. I wouldn’t be there to protect her. If there wasn’t an entire town relying on me to keep them safe, I’d be right there with her. But Callum needed me to be here and we all knew it.
