Nineteen

LOVETH'S POV 

"You...what?...How?...Why?" The questions stuck in my throat, twisted and tangled, refusing to form.

He yanked me up by my arms, snapping metal cuffs around my wrists. His grip was unyielding, dragging me forward, every step scraping my feet against the rough floor. My heart hammered. I don't really know what Kyle was doing here. And it's not as if I had any business with him. I have only seen him along with some inspectors whenever they pay a visit to the palace. So what was he doing to me?.

Through the murky shadows, the only thing I could make out were rows of silver bars. 

"Where are you taking me?" I screamed, my voice cracking as tears traced down my cheeks. But he ignored me, his face a mask of indifference as he led me up a rickety staircase. 

He pushed open a narrow hatch above us, revealing an opulent house bathed in light, its grandeur stark against the darkness we'd come from.

Without hesitation, he dragged me up another flight of stairs and shoved open a door. Inside, the room fell silent as we entered. | stumbled forward, collapsing onto my hands and knees. 

I could feel the weight of countless stares, cold and assessing. Fear clenched my stomach, but I kept my gaze lowered, refusing to look up.

"Look at me." A voice, commanding and edged with authority, cut through the silence.

The force behind the words nearly compelled me to obey, but I resisted, squeezing my eyes shut. I was terrified of what I might see. This was all wrong. This couldn't be real. Kyle wasn't... he couldn't be-

"I said, look at me. Now!" His voice was a snap, cold as steel, and my head lifted instinctively, my eyes meeting his.

His gaze burned into mine, intense and unforgiving. He was devastatingly handsome, his dark eyes like shadows, his hair a cascade of night that fell past his shoulders. His lips were full, almnost alluring, but his expression held nothing but contempt.

"Who...who are you people, and why am I here?" I managed, my voice a whisper.

A low growl sounded behind me, and I spun around. In the dim light, I saw it-a massive wolf, jaws parted, saliva glistening on razor-sharp teeth. My stomach lurched. The beast's fangs could rip through me in seconds.

I tried to back away, but a hard boot pressed into my spine, forcing me flat. The wolf prowled closer, its growl rumbling through the floor beneath me. I was certain this was the end, waiting for its teeth to sink into my flesh.But then.. nothing. 

Slowly, I opened my eyes. The wolf was convulsing, shuddering as though fighting itself. And then, before my very eyes, It morphed-its body twisted and reshaped, fur retracting, bones cracking, until it stood as a man. A huge, towering man, naked and glaring, with muscles rippling under his skin.

No. I blinked, disbelieving. This was a nightmare. Wolves existed, but werewolves... Lycans... none of that was real. They had to be playing tricks on my mind, drugging me, something.

"One wrong move, and he'll tear you to pieces" the dark-haired man warned, his voice dangerously close to my ear. 

I didn't dare look at him, afraid of provoking the wolf-man in front of me.

"But I haven't done anything wrong. Please, just let me go," I choked out, my voice laced with desperation.

"Let you go?" he scoffed, stepping closer. 

"After everything you've done? The pain you've caused me? And you want me to let you go?"

"But, I haven't done anything!" I shot back, voice quivering, barely daring to glance at the monstrous figure. 

"I don't even know who you are!"

"Don't lie to me!" His words lashed at me, and I shrank back, trembling.

"hing" I pleaded,

"I swear..l know nothing"I pleaded, voice cracking.

"Where is your accomplice?" he demanded.

"Accomplice? I don't understand. Who-"

His eyes hardened. 

"The more you lie, the more l want to tear your heart out of your chest. Where's the rest of her body?"

"Body?" I echoed, horrified.

"My sister's body." His voice was barely human. 

"You murdered her, and then you had the nerve to send me a piece of her body."

My breath caught. 

"I don't know what you're talking about" I managed, but I could see he didn't believe me. There was no reasoning with him; he was beyond rationality, burning with a rage that bordered on madness.

He let out a snarl. 

"Should I beat it out of you?" he growled, stepping soclose I could feel the heat radiating off him.

"Just talk already" another man snapped from the shadows, his voice dripping with impatience.

I fell silent, knowing nothing I said would make a difference. He'd already decided I was guilty, and in his anger, nothing would sway him.

"Then we'll do this the hard way." 

His hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of my hair. I cried out as he pulled me roughly, dragging me through the doorway. 

I barely managed to stumble along as he yanked me forward, my forehead grazing the walls as he dragged me down flight after flight of stairs. 

I could feel blood trickling down my temple, but he didn't stop until he reached a dark room, thrusting me inside and locking the door.

I screamed, pounding against the door until my voice broke and my fists ached, my energy slowly dwindling until I slumped to the floor, sobbing. 

Would anyone even know I was gone? Did Mom or Tyra realize what had happened? I should have left a note-something to hint at where l'd gone. Now, I could only hope someone would find me.

Suddenly, a blinding light cut through the darkness. Footsteps echoed from somewhere behind me, slow and heavy. 

I squinted as a figure loomed into view-a massive man with a dark scowl, his face scarred, a whip coiled in his hand.

My heart raced at the mere sight of this. Am I about to get whipped?. 

I was still focused on the figure in front of me, when out of the blue, chains rattled nearby, and a second man emerged from the shadows, his face as cold as the others.

The door creaked open, flooding the room with more light, and I could see the man who'd dragged me here standing at the entrance, his gaze impassive, almost bored. 

"Things are about to get really terrible for you, pretty face" he said, his voice dripping with malice.

My heart hammered in my chest as I pressed myself against the wall, dread settling over me like a shroud. In the darkness, surrounded by monsters, I was truly alone.