CHAPTER 6: TRAPPED

HAILEY

The damp, stale air of the dungeon clung to my skin like a second layer, heavy and suffocating. The cold stone walls of my cell pressed in on me, their silence only broken by the occasional drip of water somewhere in the dark. I pulled my knees to my chest, shivering, trying to keep myself together.

I hadn’t eaten since they’d thrown me down here. Not that the scraps they offered could be called food. My throat was parched and my stomach hollow, but those were the least of my worries. The guards made sure of that.

“You think you’re too good for the pack, huh?” one sneered, his voice rough and filled with cruelty.

I didn’t answer. Experience had taught me that silence was safer.

“Don’t ignore me!” His boot slammed against the bars, making them shake.

I flinched but kept my mouth shut, staring at the damp floor beneath me.

“Look at her,” another guard laughed. “She’s too scared to talk. The big, brave little wolfless orphan sneaking off to work with humans being reminded —she’s nothing.”

Their laughter echoed in the narrow space, scraping against my nerves. I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood. Amenia growled low in my mind, but I held her back.

“They’re not worth it,” I told her silently.

“They deserve worse,” she spat back, her anger burning through me.

The guards didn’t stop there. They threw insults like stones, each one hitting harder than the last. When words didn’t satisfy them, they hurled water from a filthy bucket, soaking my clothes and sending icy chills through my body.

“Enjoying your stay, Hailey?” one taunted, smirking as he leaned against the bars.

I didn’t respond, keeping my gaze fixed downward.

Days—or maybe just hours; it was hard to tell—passed in the same torturous rhythm until heavy footsteps echoed down the stone corridor. The guards immediately stiffened, straightening as the scent of power filled the air.

Thomas.

He stepped into view, his tall frame and commanding presence making the small dungeon seem even tinier. His dark eyes pinned me where I sat, his lips curling into a smirk.

“Leave us,” he ordered.

The guards didn’t hesitate, scurrying off like mice before a cat.

Thomas unlocked the cell door and stepped inside, his presence suffocating. He crouched in front of me, lifting my chin with two fingers.

“You’ve caused quite the mess, Hailey,” he said, his voice smooth but laced with menace.

I didn’t reply, glaring at him with what little defiance I had left.

“Do you understand your place now?” he asked, tilting his head.

When I didn’t answer, his grip on my chin tightened, pain flaring where his fingers dug into my skin.

“Yes,” I whispered finally, my voice barely audible.

“Good.” He let go and straightened. “Get up.”

I struggled to my feet, my body aching from hours of sitting on the cold, hard floor. Thomas watched me closely, his gaze lingering in a way that made my skin crawl.

“You’re free to go,” he said, stepping aside. “But don’t think for a second that your punishment is over. You’ll return to your chores and prove your loyalty to this pack.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

As I passed him, his hand brushed my arm, lingering for just a moment too long. The touch sent a shiver down my spine, but I kept walking, desperate to put as much distance as possible between us.

The Next Day

By morning, I was back in the kitchen, scrubbing pots until my hands were raw. The omegas avoided me, their glances filled with a mixture of pity and scorn. I didn’t care. I was alive, and that was all that mattered.

Amenia, however, was restless.

“I don’t trust him,” she growled.

“Neither do I,” I admitted, my hands tightening around the sponge.

But no amount of scrubbing could wash away the uneasy feeling that clung to me. It wasn’t long before my fears were realized.

Thomas found me in the pantry, his towering frame blocking the entrance as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Hailey,” he said smoothly, his eyes dark and hungry.

I froze, my pulse racing.

“I’ve been thinking,” he continued, stepping closer. “You owe me for my mercy. Don’t you agree?”

I backed away instinctively, my heart pounding. “I... I’m just trying to do my chores.”

He smirked, closing the distance between us. “Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.”

I pressed myself against the shelves, panic rising in my chest. Amenia snarled in my mind, her fury burning hotter with each second.

“Let me take over!” Amenia demanded. “I’ll rip his throat out.”

“No,” I hissed back, forcing her down. “We can’t win this fight.”

But before Thomas could lay a hand on me, a soft voice broke the tension.

“Thomas?”

We both turned to see her—Marissa, his chosen mate, standing in the doorway. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled, her eyes wide with confusion as she looked between us.

“What’s going on?” she asked, frowning.

Thomas stepped back quickly, his expression shifting into one of annoyance. “Nothing,” he said, brushing past her. “Get back to work, Hailey.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I slipped past Marissa, my cheeks burning with shame and anger.

Scrubbing It Away

I hurried to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me and locking it. My breaths came in short gasps, my hands shaking as I turned on the shower.

The water was scalding as it hit my skin, but I didn’t care. I scrubbed furiously, trying to erase every trace of his touch, every reminder of his leering gaze. My tears mixed with the water, hot and endless.

Amenia’s voice was soft now; it was almost over. Hails hang on. A new beginning will come to us, and we will be sheltered, loved and cared for; we'd be so powerful. Greater things are coming; it's almost time, and I can feel it.