Bella’s POV
The scent of blood clung to the air, thick and suffocating, as she smashed the bottle she was holding.
Nara lay curled on the floor, her body trembling as she whimpered, the deep red liquid staining the hem of her dress. The room fell into silence, broken only by the sharp, quick gasps she forced through her lips.
“Hunter, please, help me!”
Then the door slammed open.
Hunter stormed inside, his eyes blazing with fury as his gaze snapped between the two of us. I barely had time to react before he was in front of me, his fingers digging into my arms as he shook me once, hard.
“What did you do?!” His voice was a low, guttural growl.
“I didn’t touch her,” I spat, my voice hoarse. “She did this to herself!”
A bitter laugh slipped past Nara’s lips. Her eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, met mine, full of silent victory. And I knew.
She had played me. Again.
Hunter didn’t hesitate. He turned to the pack warriors standing at the entrance and barked, “Take her to the dungeons!”
Panic flared in my chest. I had no strength, no power to fight against the guards who grabbed me.
“Hunter, you know me,” I pleaded, trying to keep my voice steady. “You know I wouldn’t—”
“Enough.” His voice was cold, final. “You’ve done enough!”
The words struck deeper than they should have. Because for a moment—a foolish, fleeting moment—I had thought he would hesitate. That he would at least doubt the sister who had stolen everything from me. But no. He had already chosen his side long before this night.
Nara let out a weak sob. “Please,” she whispered, reaching toward him. “Don’t hurt her. She’s still my sister!”
And that was the final nail in my coffin.
Hunter’s grip tightened. His anger was like a living thing, crackling in the air around him, but Nara’s plea softened him. His expression darkened, but his words were no longer cruel, only exhausted.
“Take her away.”
The guards didn’t wait for me to resist. They dragged me through the halls, my feet barely catching up with their brutal pace.
The dungeon was cold, damp, the scent of mildew and old blood lingering in the air. The iron bars were laced with silver, ensuring that even if my wolf had been strong enough, I wouldn’t be able to shift.
I had no idea how long I sat there, my arms wrapped around myself as I tried to stop my body from trembling. Whether from the cold or the exhaustion, I didn’t know. But I couldn’t let myself fall into despair.
Not yet.
Footsteps echoed down the hall, and I looked up just as the heavy cell door creaked open. A familiar scent drifted toward me—cinnamon and pine. A scent I hadn’t expected.
“Liam?” My voice was raw, barely a whisper.
Liam, the Beta, stepped inside, his sharp eyes scanning the cell before settling on me. His jaw clenched, his expression unreadable.
“You need to leave,” he said lowly.
I tensed. “What?”
He stepped closer, his movements quick and efficient as he pulled a small vial from his pocket. The moment he uncorked it, a strange, metallic scent filled the air. I barely had time to react before he pressed the vial to my lips, forcing the liquid down my throat.
Pain flared instantly.
I gasped, my body convulsing as fire ignited beneath my skin. My vision blurred, my breath coming in ragged bursts as something deep within me stirred. The suppression rune on my arm burned, cracking, peeling—until suddenly, it shattered.
My wolf’s voice surged through my mind in a furious, vengeful howl.
Liam watched, his expression still unreadable, but I swore I saw a flicker of something—satisfaction, maybe even hope.
“I don’t have time to explain,” he muttered. “But you need to run.”
A thousand questions swirled in my mind, but I pushed them aside. Later. I would demand answers later. But for now—I needed to move.
He pulled a cloak from his bag, shoving it toward me. “Hunter will be busy with Nara for a while,” he said. “This is your only chance.”
I took the cloak, my fingers clenching around the fabric. “Why are you helping me?”
His jaw tightened. “Because I know what they did to you,” he said. “And I refuse to be part of it anymore.”
Something in his voice—something pained and bitter—made me believe him.
A surge of determination coursed through me. I clenched my fists, inhaling deeply as my wolf rumbled.
It's back… my wolf has finally returned to me.
I had been cast aside, betrayed, and left for dead once before.
I wouldn’t let it happen again.
Without another word, I slipped past him, moving swiftly through the dark corridors of the dungeon. My heart pounded as I reached the exit, slipping through the hidden tunnels beneath the packhouse.
As I emerged into the forest, the crisp night air filled my lungs, washing away the suffocating stench of captivity. But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Not until I was far away from this place. From them.
From him.
I ran. Faster than I ever had before.
And for the first time in years, I felt free.
And I would do anything to make them pay—him and my sister—for what they had done to me.
