CHAPTER 2: THE DEPTHS OF HELL

Serena lay on the ground, cold, exhausted and stained all over with blood as she allowed the cry of her baby to soothe the growing ache in her chest.

She turned to him, a smile finally gracing her face as she reached for his hand.

“He's beautiful Zora,” she mumbled, stroking his cheeks softly.

Her eyes rolled back in their sockets as her joints vibrated. Her torn opening was beginning to tingle, sending warning signs through her.

“Ashton…where are you? Our baby is here! Hurry,” she mumbled as her vision gradually faded to black.

The door to the cell was suddenly thrown open, the panicked feeling returning to Serenas as she assumed it was the guard who hit her.

The person stepped in calmly, his gleaming back shoes the first thing Serena's eye caught as she looked up.

It was Ashton, Serena's alpha and husband.

He was well dressed in a three-piece suit, his face looking nothing like someone who just discovered his wife and newborn in a prison cell. He appeared relaxed and composed.

“Ashton,” Serena mumbled, her eyes wide with relief as she moved to rest against the wall.

He ignored her, shooting a cold look at the wailing child and making no move to hold him like Serena thought he would

Her eyebrows scrunched and the uneasiness returned to her. Something was off.

Just as she was about to ask, Ashton threw a document down next to her.

“Sign it,” he ordered, tapping his feet impatiently on the solid ground.

“What am I signing Ashton? You aren't even bothered that your wife and baby were found in a prison? What's going on?

I won't sign anything until I get to the bottom of this,” she hissed, staring down at the man who looked more of a stranger than her husband.

“So stubborn!” Ashton rolled his eyes and scoffed, turning his face towards the entrance.

A figure appeared in the doorway and the soft clicks of high heels were heard walking into the cell.

“Hold on,” Ashton remarked softly, taking off his trench coat and spreading it on the blood-soiled floor as the stranger walked in.

Serena watched the antics, tongue-tied and weak to make any sound as the lady's face came into view.

“Anya?” She gasped as she stared at her sister.

Anya was her adopted sister, they had grown together, both raised by Serena's mom, Linda.

Anya kissed Ashton on the lips, and they shared an intimate gaze. “It's alright Ash, I already got her mother to sign this. The whole deal is in that bitch’s name anyway. Serena, being her child and accomplice, whether she signs or not doesn't matter.” Anya smiled.

The situation hit Serena like a lightning bolt. Her husband and sister were having an affair, and now they were trying to frame her! Her sister had already gotten their mother’s signature…what had she signed? And what’s happened to her mother now?

“Mom…” Serena yelled, attempting to stand but crashed as her insides throbbed painfully.

Anya watched Serena, covered in blood and writhing in pain, the look of pain and confusion on her face filling her with delight.

“You don't have to shout, sister. No one is coming to save you,” Anya smirked.

At the same time, a guard appeared in the doorway, in his hand was a long silver whip which she grabbed from him and immediately lashed at Serena.

“Argh,” Serena's scream echoed painfully through the prison, the skin around her chest and arms split and bleeding.

“Ohh this is fun!” Anya squealed, clapping her hand manically as she handed the whip to Ashton and picked up the still-wailing baby.

“Let go of my child!” Serena wailed, her voice cracked and her face slick with tears.

“This is the least of your worries sister. Aren't you curious about the document? Well, I'll tell you what they are,” Anya smirked, rocking the baby in her arms.

She began. “ You see, our family has a little business with the Ashton family, and it's doing really well. But there's a tiny problem: we don't have enough guarantors, so the business will be on a small scale.

I suggested using Luna Linda's name to do these things, after all, she is old Gamma's daughter and if things get exposed, she'll take the blame for the embezzlement.

Isn't that an awesome idea!”

Serena stared at the devil in the form of her adopted sister in shock, her breath caught in her throat.

Ashton walked over, dropping a kiss on Anya's cheek.

“You're a genius babe. You should be my Luna not this naive bitch who's always getting in my way,”

Serena whimpered, her tears pouring silently down her face as she recalled how she gave everything to help Ashton grow his pack, working hard to fulfil his very wish only to get this in return.

“How could you Ashton? I gave you everything—”

“Shut up you bitch!” Ashton hissed, hitting her legs hard and breaking it in the process.

Anya laughed maniacally at Serena's pain, handing the child to Ashton and collecting the whip back from him.

“Do you know how I got Luna Linda to sign the confession? I told her you committed a crime.

Stupid woman, she believed that. She wanted to save her baby desperately.

Such a fool!

Oh and guess what? I'm your half-blood sister, not some adopted stray father claimed I was!”

Serena lay motionless on the ground, too spent to even react to this new information.

Of course, her father would be in on it also.

He never treated her mother and she well so why won't he lie about that also?

“You won't get away with this Anya! Someone will find out, uncle Leon will find out,” Serena mumbled, her eyes swollen shut.

“Ohh the gamma. Looks like stupidity runs in your family.

I called him over, telling him that you requested to see him and you were in trouble and he came running.

Look,” Anya spat, pulling out her phone and playing a video on it.

Through her blurry sight, Serena could make out the image of a man strung to a pole with wires stuck into him.

“He's fried now. Sorry sister but no one is coming to save you,” Anya laughed, lashing the whip at Serena again.

Serena remained still on the ground, her body bruised and broken.

She was beginning to feel numb, a certain coldness spread from her chest to her fingertips making her tremble.

Anya picked up an iron lodged in a box of coals, it's tip red and steaming and branded it on Serena’s back.

Not a squeak left Serena's lips at the act, the only consciousness left in her was her eyesight which remained glued on her child in Ashton's arms.

“Help me! Help my baby,” She mumbled, tears blurring her sight.

Her pleas went unanswered, the silence echoing in her head, filled with the jarring laughter from Anya.

“Oh my dear sister,” Anya's voice turned sharp and menacing.

“ If you're faking it and trying to hold back your cries, this won't be fun. Alright let's try this!”.

Serena's eyes flew open as Anya dangled her baby about to throw him to the ground

She squeezed every last big of strength from her battered body and barely managed to shift herself underneath him as Anya let go.

The fall happened quickly but to Serena, it felt like an eternity; long enough to see the mockery, the twisted smile on Anya's face and the coldness and indifference in Ashton's

Her baby landed in her arms, but his cry was eerily silent, his lips pressed together.

He was dead, had quietly slipped away from this filthy and twisted world before Anya could throw him.

Serena stared blankly at him, her world completely shattered. Her throat made no sound and her eyes had gone dry.

Zora howled in agony inside her as her vision turned red and the world seemed to tumble.

She became one with Zora, a mournful howl escaping from her lips as she lunged at Anya and tore her in pieces, her silver fur bathed in blood.

Ashton stood rooted to a spot, his face gripped by fear as Serena smashed his face into the wall.

Moments later, a massive wolf stood among the shattered pieces, her body wet with blood.

She tilted her head towards the distant moon and let out one last sorrowful howl, shaking the foundations of the prison before she collapsed and went still.