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“Why? What’s the point?” I slump into the bars as if my strings were cut.
All my energy and fight are gone.
“I fought so hard, I tried so fucking hard, and for what? Everyone is dead.” I meet Lucien’s glassy eyes next to Vale. “Everyone is gone, and I’m all alone.”
“You’re not alone,” he vows, searching my gaze. “We are right here. We are with you.”
I snort, holding myself tighter as if that will prevent me from breaking.
Jang is gone.
Nothing else matters.
For the second time in my life, I have lost my family, my reason for living. When there is so much death and pain, then what is the point of going on?
I don’t know how long I stare into space, replaying the last minutes before I was knocked out over and over again. I try to figure out a way I could have stopped it, could have saved him.
All it does it make me angry and so fucking sad, I want to drown in a river of my tears and never come up. I debate turning my nails into claws and ripping out my heart so I can be with them.
I’m so tired of fighting when it gets me nowhere.
Three sets of eyes won’t let me though. They hold me prisoner more than any cage, keeping me alive and forcing my next breath, even when I don’t want it.
“Quinn.” Jai has tried to talk to me a few times, but I can’t seem to care. I don’t have the energy to respond. He sighs. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get out of here and?—”
There’s a groan, the sound of a huge door opening. They all snap to attention, while I lazily lift my head, and then there are loud footsteps.
“Hunters,” Jai hisses, sniffing the air.
“Pretend to sleep,” Vale commands, hissing at me. “They want you to be awake, so sleep for now, please, Quinn.”
I roll my eyes to his, my expression feeling heavy and wrong. “Quinn, please,” Lucien begs. “They’ll kill you if you aren’t. Just close your eyes, beautiful. Just close your eyes and imagine you are somewhere good, where nothing hurts.”
His words pierce the haze around me, making me whimper before I squeeze my eyes shut, turning my head away to hide my horrible acting skills. I tricked them when I was in their cage, so I was good at it then, but I don’t feel so good anymore.
I feel like my every movement is wrong, and I can’t seem to control it.
“Good girl,” Vale praises. “No matter what, keep your eyes closed.”
There are more footsteps then some strange dragging noises, but I keep my eyes locked shut, trying to calm my breathing to fool the hunters.
“Vale,” a male voice calls.
“Commander,” he retorts. “What’s with the cages?”
“We keep them for feral animals like you,” the commander replies. “Or traitors. So you are with the wolves now? I’ve got to say, your daddy would be disappointed. I knew something was wrong, but I had no idea it was this.”
“What you are doing is wrong. Not every monster is evil. These were innocent people,” Vale argues, which shocks me to my core.
“They are all beasts!” the commander roars, panting heavily. “Just monsters, and we hunt monsters. You took an oath, and you broke that. You warned them and because of you, we lost many of our ranks—friends of yours, people who fought at your side.”
Vale is quiet for a moment. “I regret that.” There is pain in his tone. “But I couldn’t stand by and let you hurt innocent people.”
“You never cared if they were innocent or not before,” the commander snaps. “I suppose a little beast pussy got you all twisted up.” I feel his eyes on me and want to snarl, but I bite it back. “I can see the appeal, but you’re weak, Vale. You always were. Your daddy knew it, and so do I. Now, all of our kind does. Don’t worry, though, you won’t be leaving here alive. Any of you.”
“Then why wait? Why not kill us now?” Lucien growls.
“Where would be the fun in that?” the commander replies. “Because of you, many are dead, and people are out for blood.They want their pound of flesh and they will get it, and the she-wolf? Well, she was just in the wrong place at the right time. We managed to snag her, and it will tide us over for now.”
