Chapter 8

     I wait to see if the Alpha will be coming to speak with me today. After two hours have passed, I pull out my phone. My captors, for whatever reason, never took my purse from me. I check the cell reception. Zero bars. That’s not good. I can’t call Claire and let her know the situation. Hopefully, Jane remembers my instructions. When I first hired her, I told her that if I missed two days of work without letting her know, to contact Claire. I am left with no choice but to trust that she remembers.

     Time ticks by slowly, I am able to do some work on my phone but don’t want to deplete the battery too fast. When I’m not on my phone, I watch the seconds pass on my watch. At seven in the evening, a guard walks down the hallway and stops outside of my cell.

     “Here’s your food, Rogue,” he snarls, setting a plate on the ground. He kicks the plate through the bars and places a cup in the spot that the plate had vacated. “Enjoy your dinner.” He turns and walks away in the same direction he had come from. I stand up and walk over to the plate. There is a chunk of bread the size of my fist sitting on it. The bread is slightly green. I pick it up and find that it is also as hard as a rock. There is no way I am going to eat stale, moldy bread. I set the chunk back on the plate and carry the plate back to the bars. The metal of the plate clanks as I set it down. I pick up the cup and inspect the contents. 

     The cup appears to be filled with water. However, the liquid is brown and murky. I wrinkle my nose in disgust. This is absolutely awful. Not only am I locked in a cell, they won’t even give me proper food and water. I sigh as I set the cup down next to the plate. Looks like I will be hungry and thirsty for the rest of my stay. I have snacks in my purse, but I don’t know how long I will be here so I should save them.

     I feel the coolness of the stone seep through the thin cloth of my shirt as I lean my back against the wall opposite the bars. I close my eyes and let darkness consume me. I awake shortly to find the guard in front of the cell staring at the “meal”. 

     “Not going to eat anything? I gave you food befitting your station, so you should be fine eating it,” he mocked. I rolled my eyes at him. 

     “How about you take your snarky attitude to your Alpha and tell him that Arielle Lozerno wants to speak with him,” I tell him. He frowns at me, but walks away without another word. I close my eyes and embrace the comforting darkness once more. I jolt awake to the sound of banging metal. 

     “Meal’s here,” the guard calls before walking away. The food sitting on the plate looks the same as yesterday. The water isn’t any better. I leave the dishes where they are and return to my previous position. I spent the majority of the next couple days sleeping. I eat a little of my snacks each day, in order not to starve. Unfortunately for me, werewolves have a much higher metabolism than humans and need two to three times the average daily calories of a human. I am no exception.

     I only drink what water I must to stay alive. Today is day six of being stuck in this cell. Staring at the moldy bread, I am contemplating taking a bite when I hear voices at the end of the hall. One sounds familiar.

    “You kept her here?!” a feminine voice exclaims. “You had better hope nothing happened to her.” I recognize that voice. I glance up in time to see Claire stop dead in her tracks before my cell. “Oh, Arielle. Let her out this instant!” she demands. One of the wolves accompanying her unlocks the cell and swings the door open.

     I slowly rise to my feet, swaying as a wave of dizziness obstructs my view. I am suddenly hit with a wonderful, woodsy smell as a hand grasps my elbow sending tiny shocks up my arm. I freeze and look at the man before me. His blue eyes catch mine and we stare at each other. 

     “Alpha,” one of the men outside the cell calls. Oh, great. This is the guy who was supposed to come down and speak to me five days ago. I pull my arm from his grip and step out of the cell, going to stand next to Claire. She pulls me closer to her and takes my face in her hands. 

     “Are you alright? You're so skinny. What have they been feeding you?” she asks. 

     “Not much. Moldy, stale bread and dirty water,” I inform her. “I didn’t eat much of it.” 

     She nods her head. “Good. Now, let’s get you home and fed.” She grasps my arm, allowing me to lean on her, and begins to lead me to the exit.

     “Wait!” my mate calls. “She can’t leave.”

     “You have no say in what she can and can’t do. You are the ones who didn’t give her proper food,” Claire berates him. “You’re lucky she didn’t starve to death while you sat around in your office ignoring her.”

     My mate sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I know, but she’s my mate. You can’t take her. She needs to stay here with me.”

     “Actually, I don’t,” I tell him. “And frankly, I don’t want to stay with you. So far, all I know about you is that your treatment of supposed rogues is terrible.” I turn my back on him and give a tug on Claire’s arm. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

     “One moment, dear,” she responds, digging through her purse. She lets go of my arm when she pulls out a notepad and pen. I try to focus as she scribbles something on a piece of paper. My eyesight blurs once again as my brain fogs with dizziness. I feel my body sway and belatedly realize that I am going to fall. 

     I brace myself, prepared to hit the hard ground, but instead hit something soft and warm. Arms wrap around me and I soon feel myself being lifted into the air. “I’ve got you,” my mate whispers to me. I blink slowly to clear my vision and see Claire staring at me in concern.

     She looks up at my mate and asks, “Would it be possible for us to rest here for a little while? I think Arielle needs to eat a large meal and take a nap before we leave.” My mate nods quickly.

     “That is perfectly fine.” His eyes glaze over as he mindlinks someone, probably a chef. “Let’s go,” he says and carries me with him out of the dungeon.