4. Tortures and plans

Waking up once again, I can’t even remember how many times I have blacked out in the last days. To be honest, I don’t even know how many days have passed since I’ve been down here.

Every single bone in my body aches, every muscle, my entire skin. My lips are cracked and swollen from the blows I’ve taken and the lack of water. The healer would try and give me little sips in between when no one was watching and would at least try and treat some of the worst wounds whenever possible without drawing attention to his treatment.

By the distraught look on his face, I feel like he’s not very happy with the things happening here either. But it’s not in his power to do anything against it.

My entire body is covered in bruises, cuts, and fresh and dried blood. Not that I could take a decent look, as I’m still chained down. James makes sure the restraints constantly get freshly drained with wet clothes filled with wolfsbane. Even if my healing abilities were those of a normal werewolf, there’s no chance to fight this.

Even licking my dry split lips doesn’t help me anymore. There’s no saliva left to dampen them. The iron taste of the blood fills my mouth instead, as the lips crack open again at the attempt of opening them. At least it dampens my mouth a little.

My mind drifts off to the only thing keeping me sane at the moment, Adrian. My heart feels heavy, and if I had any tears left to shed, I know they’d be filling my eyes right now. I haven’t seen or heard from him ever since Alana walked out of the door with him.

Despite all the torture and betrayal, the worst feeling is not being able to be with my baby. Not knowing how he’s doing. My heart feels so empty and broken without him. Even after giving birth to him, I wasn’t prepared to let him out of my arms for a short moment. For months, I carried him inside of me, and I wasn’t prepared to not feel him directly with me.

But this…. This is the worst torture at all. They can break my bones one by one, cut my skin, beat me to pulp as much as they want, as long as I know he’s safe and he’ll be with me again.

I’ll literally do anything to have him back. To hold him, kiss him, smell his skin, hold his tiny fingers, and look at his beautiful face. Yes, he’s a newborn and a little squishy, but beautiful none the less. My heart has never been filled with more love.

Holding on to this love has been keeping me strong and sane.

My thoughts get interrupted by voices outside of the door right next to me. Even if they’re whispered, the echoing due to this place lets me hear everything.

“She should be dead by now. You need to do something about it," Alana says angrily.

“I know. It seems like we underestimated her strength to take all of this. I know James hasn’t been going easy on her, just as I told him. And with the massive blood loss after the birth, I never thought she’d make it another day, let alone five. I didn’t even let the healer give her the blood transfusion after the birth," he sounds frustrated.

“Do you think her powers are awakening?” Alana questions, clearly concerned.

“Have you seen the state she’s in? Seriously, unlike what we expected, I doubt she has any at all. She is nothing more than a broken piece coming from the gutters," he laughs with despise lacing his tone.

“We can’t risk it. You know exactly that we can’t. If she even starts….” She gets interrupted by other people coming closer. I can’t make out who they are as there aren’t any voices, only several footsteps. Whoever they are, she clearly doesn’t want them to catch on to this conversation.

“End it! Today!” She demands with lowered voice as soon as the footsteps can’t be heard anymore.

“I will, I promise.” His voice comes out determined and ice cold, giving me chills.

Silence fills the air after those words, and only moments later, I hear them leave.

I thought I wasn’t able to feel any more broken than I already was. I was wrong. Hearing the two people I trusted most in my life, talking like this shreds my heart to bits. Deep inside, I was still hoping James was on this alone. That he lied to me and Drake was out there searching for me desperately together with my best friend. That they never looked here, as they never suspected their own people but our enemies instead.

Every little piece of hope just got shredded. No one out there is looking for me. No one out there is coming for my rescue. I’m just as alone, as in the days when I was trying to survive alone as a rogue.

The door creeks open, and while I’m preparing for the worst, I relax a little seeing the healer walk in. A moment of fear does strike me, realizing they could have sent him to simply put me down, too. Even more so as I see the horror written all over his face.

His hands shake as he speaks up. “I thought we had more time. I thought they’d eventually think they’ve had their fun and would simply keep you down here. I thought I had time to give you a chance to heal once things have settled a little," tears fill his eyes as he pulls out a needle and some kind of infusion bottle.

This is it, I guess. At least it’s better than James torturing me to death. That's what I really expected.

“Luna,” he whispers, and I look up, surprised by him still calling me that. “I can’t get you as fit as you need to be. And your healing abilities…” he trails off, and I nod, knowing he means the lack of it. “We have about three hours to prepare you. There’s a ceremony on for Adrian. They will be distracted during that time. I will do what I can to get you as fit as possible and out of here. But there’s only so much I can do.” His eyes lower to the ground, his eyes filling with more tears as he whispers, “You need to be strong. You need to fight. It’s going to be hell, but you need to do it. We need you.”

At this point I’m not sure if this is some kind of sadistic trap. Give me hope, play with me like a cat does with a mouse, before I get fully taken down. But at the moment, I have no other choice than to hold on to this single little possibility.

After checking the halls and cells, he comes back to me. “It seems like everyone is getting ready for the festives. No one is inside here anymore, besides of us. The only ones left are the guards at the entrance. They won’t have any interest in coming down to this place.” His hand gestures around the room.

As mighty as this place is built, a massive dungeon with heavy but beautiful pale yellow bricked stones, huge rooms, and strong wooden doors. It doesn’t change the fact that the place is covered in dirt, rests of bones from long deceased people who were imprisoned here. The strong smell of urine and shit in every corner, or the rotting food rests. Dampness adds up to the rotting smell.

My nose crunches up in disgust, thinking about it again. I have tried to blend it out as well as possible the last days. Many times, I thanked the moon goddess for the one good thing about my missing abilities in the last few days. My ability to smell decently. It might still be above the one of humans, but far from what it should be as a werewolf.

My thoughts get interrupted again as I hear the healer speak up. “This is going to hurt, but it’s the first step.” Seconds later, I feel a strong burning as the wolfsbane covered cuffs literally get pealed off my open and inflamed flesh.

I feel like screaming, but my throat is so dry. It only comes out as a hoarse muffled sound.

“I’m sorry, Luna," there it is again. “As soon as I have gotten rid of this and make sure to get you hydrated I’m going to help you with this," and he points at my bare flesh.

Time seems to fly as he takes care of me as well as possible. He put soothing pastes onto my wounds, got me hydrated as well as possible, and even tried to feed me, which only ended up coming all out again.

“I wish I could do more. But it’s time," he says as he helps me get up and to the door.

“How do I get out? And how do I get Adrian?” I ask, worried. It’s a question he’s been dodging ever since he started this.

“There’s the ceremony on right now. This is our only window before they come for you. I’m sorry, my Luna, but Adrian is way out of our reach right now. We will make a plan to get him later.” His eyes drop to the floor again, unable to look at me with these words.

“I’m not leaving without him," I protest.

“Then that’s your death, and there will be nothing you can do to protect him from what’s coming.”

Fear strikes me. “What’s coming?” I whisper startled.

“We have no time for explanations. You need to leave. Now! My wife is waiting at the entrance, our time is closing.”

“Why are you helping me? They will kill you if they find out it was you.” I voice out the question which has been lingering on my mind ever since this started. Still insecure whether to trust him and wondering if it’s a trap.

“Because you are my Luna. This goes way above me or any of us. And if rescuing you will cost my life, it will be worth it. You have friends out there, more than you know. Many of us who will need you.” His voice is so full of sincerity, while he looks me deep in the eyes, that every doubt is washed away.

Before I’m able to ask any more questions, he pushes me out of the door. “Run, Luna. Run as fast as you can," are his last words.

I don’t even get to thank him as hands pull me out of the last part of the dungeon and into the opening close to the woods and out into a cold, heavy storm. A tiny woman probably not even five feet drags me further out. I’ve never seen her face, but this must be the healers wife.

Behind me, I see the guards standing there frozen into position.

“I’ve been weakened a lot. I can’t keep them there for long," her sweet and just as tiny voice warns me. “You need to run. Now! Find the Blood-moon pack, find Jax. He's waiting for you. Remember that we all need you.”

She gives me a strong push, damn strong for such a tiny and petite woman, to underline her words. Not giving me any chance to get any answers to the questions. Why should I find Jax? How can he be waiting for me? He surely wants to see me dead too. And why do they say they need me?

I throw one look back, direction the main house in the far. “Adrian, I will come and get you," I whisper with tears running down my cheeks.

Then I start running into the dark woods.