Chapter Three

Chapter Three: A Prison of My Own

Elara's POV

The door shut behind me with a click, and for a moment, the quiet in the room was so profound that one could hardly breathe. My chest heaved as I stood right in the middle of the room staring at the cold stone around me. I was trapped.

Lucian's estate was as bleak and forbidding as I'd imagined. From the heavy wooden doors down to the towering ceilings, everything seemed designed for the express purpose of making me feel small and insignificant. And I did. But I wouldn't let it crush me. Not yet.

My legs shook as I forward toward the bed, plopped down onto the edge. The mattress was soft, but it did little for my well-being. My mind whirled with ways of escape. I had to get out of here. There must be a way, some chance to make a run before tomorrow's wedding.

Tomorrow. It rang within my head like a death sentence.

I cast about frantically, finding anything to help me. The window was small, barely big enough for me to squeeze through. Beyond the window the thick forest that surrounded the estate stretched away into darkness. If I could make it past the guards, past Lucian, I might have a shot.

I paced across the length of the room, wringing my hands together. With every step I took, it seemed to be counted down, reminding me that the time was running out.

Tomorrow I would be married to a monster.

It was a thought that twisted my stomach and filled my throat with bile. Stopping, I gripped the back of a chair, steadying myself. I couldn't do this. I couldn't marry him. Darius had no right to sell me off like this. He thought he'd broken me, but he was wrong. I had more fight left in me than he realized.

There was a sudden rap at the door, sending a start. I whirled, my heart leaping into my throat.

"Dinner," a low voice growled from the other side.

I hesitated a second. I didn't want to face Lucian again. Not after what had happened earlier. But if I stayed in here, it would raise suspicion. I couldn't afford that. I needed to keep him unaware until I figured out how to get out of here.

I crossed the room, opened the door slowly. A tall guard with broad shoulders was standing there. Cold, unreadable eyes.

"Alpha Lucian is expecting your presence," he said sharply.

My belly wrung at the thought of having to confront the Alpha again, but I nodded and swallowed my fear down. I was going to have to do it sooner or later, and if I showed I was easy now, perhaps he would let his guard down. Maybe I could find an opportunity.

The guard ushered me down a long hallway; the sconces on either side of him flickering to life with his movement. Deep shadows from the stone walls conspired in making me feel I walked deeper into a tomb. We neared the dining hall, and the heavy oak door flung open; I stepped inside, making myself keep my head high.

He was already seated at the head of an obscenely long, intimidating table when I entered the room, his dark eyes narrowed on me. While I drew closer, not a word escaped lips tightly pursed, but staring continued in cold, unreadable silence. I could feel the heaviness of his stare, yet wasn't about to let him see just how much it unnerved me.

"You're late," he finally said after I reached him, in that low tone that sounded dangerous.

"I didn't know I was on the schedule," I said quietly. My voice wasn't high or low, just flat.

Lucian's lips arced into a slow, mirthless smile. "You're always on my schedule, Elara. Best you learn that now."

I bit the inside of my cheek hard to force myself not to lose composure. Arguing with him wouldn't do me any good. Not tonight. I needed to bide my time, wait for the right moment in order to make my move.

I didn't say another word but took the seat opposite him, my hands falling into my lap. The table between us felt like a battlefield, thick with things left unsaid. A servant appeared, placing a plate of food in front of me, but I had no appetite. I was too aware of the door, of escape.

Lucian watched me a moment before speaking. "Eat."

"I don't have an appetite," I said, my eyes remaining on the plate.

"You'll be needing your strength come tomorrow." His voice was light; however, the menace lacing that tone wasn't hard to catch.

I did feel the trail of cold down my spine, but I faced him. "Why are you doing this? You don't even know me."

Lucian sat back in his chair, his dark eyes never leaving mine. "I don't need to know you. You're a means to an end. Nothing more."

My breath caught in my throat at the starkness of his words, but I refused to look away. "An end to what?

For an instant, his face rippled, something dark and bitter flashing in his eyes before it disappeared behind the mask of indifference. "That's none of your concern."

Under the table, I fisted my hands, digging my nails deep into my palms. It was a feeling I despised-the way he spoke to me, like an object, some tool of his twisted plans. Yet I couldn't show my aversion, that with each uttered word, he managed to cut into me a little.

Instead, I looked down at the plate, forcing myself to take a small, meager bite of the food. The taste in my mouth was like ash, and I swallowed it down, keeping my face blank.

"Good girl," Lucian murmured, his voice thick with condescension.

Anger flared high within me, but I buried it, keeping my face serene. This wasn't the time, and I had to wait. I needed to be clever.

The rest of dinner was conducted in strained silence, until finally Lucian rose from his seat, scraping the chair backward with a loud screech that echoed through the hall.

Tomorrow," he said low, his eyes locking with mine. "We will be married. I suggest you come to terms with that."

And with that, he turned and strode from the room, leaving me sitting in solitary silence at the table.

I hurled myself onto my bed, shaking in fear and anger. Tomorrow, tomorrow I was all his, stuck in this living hell of a life. But I wasn't going down without a fight.

I threw off the covers and went over to the small window. The night air was dark, filled with clouds across the face of the moon. Flickering lights came from the torches near the big entrance of the estate; there were guards on patrol, but then again, I had expected as much.

I traced my fingers along the outline of the window, searching for weaknesses. It was too narrow to fit through, and even if somehow I could squeeze out, I wouldn't get very far. Lucian would hunt me down long before I reached even the edge of the forest.

But there had to be a way. I could never let them hold me here. I'd been through worse than this, Darius taught me how to hurt, how to bend but never break.

I would survive this too.

Not as his obedient wife. I would never do that. I'd find a way to run. To screw it all, what Lucian and Darius had planned for me.

I'd find a way to make them pay.