Chapter 5

Athena

I opened my eyes as soon as the man who carried me on his shoulder stopped moving. Squinting to adjust to the bright light in the hall, I realized we must have arrived at our destination.

The man who held me on his back carefully placed me on the floor. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I sat upright, taking in the beauty of the magnificent hall we had just entered.

Then, I felt his ocean blue eyes on me—the man who had saved me. Meeting his gaze, there was something about him, something I couldn't quite place my hand on. He was shrouded in mystery, very unreadable. His stare carved a hot path down the front of my chest. I shouldn't be feeling this way; I knew I shouldn't.

"Get a hold of yourself, Athena," I muttered inwardly. Despite his resemblance to a Greek god, there was no telling if he was any different from the beast of my recent past in the form of Sebastian. The mere thought of him and the way he forcefully violated my body every night for his pleasure made me shudder in fright.

My breasts still bore his bite marks from the previous night, and I could feel pain between my legs from his rough encounters. I was nothing but a helpless girl whom he had his way with whenever he desired.

Now, I was free from his hold. I glanced up at the mysterious man in front of me, unable to suppress the questions swirling in my mind. Where was this place? Why had he brought me here? What was he going to do with me?

Just then, the man who had been carrying me cleared his throat, drawing the mysterious man's attention to him.

"What do I do with her, your Majesty?" he asked respectfully.

At his words, my eyes widened in shock. Your Majesty? Did he just address the mysterious man as Your Majesty? A cold chill ran down my spine as I lifted my shocked face to the man. Suddenly, realizing he was someone of such great rank, I immediately lowered my head in fear.

The next thing I heard was his alluring yet authoritative voice ringing out, his next words taking me by surprise, "Take her to the dungeon," he commanded.

My eyes widened in shock as I felt my blood run cold.

The man nodded, and I saw him approach me, fear gripping me in that instant. This was really happening; I was reliving my nightmares all over again. Dungeon? I had been there a few times after I disobeyed Sebastian.

It wasn't an experience I would love to have again. I had been through too much already, and the thought of having to go through more was unbearable. The man picked me up from the ground, about to lift me.

I panicked!

I needed to do anything at all to save myself from that impending ugly fate.

I rushed towards the mysterious man, covering the distance between us. But before I could reach him, the other man grabbed me from my waist, his strong hands flinging me onto his shoulder in one move.

I looked up at the only man in whose hands my fate resided and pleaded with all my might, "Please, Your Majesty! Please do not send me to the dungeon. Kindly reconsider. There are many things I can do – I can cook, I can clean. Please, make me a maid instead. Please..." I cried, my voice quavering as I was led out of his sight and into a hallway.

I didn't stop kicking and screaming. I could hear my voice echo. Was there no one in this big house? Was there no one who could come to my aid? I wondered in fright.

Everyone was probably asleep already; this should be the early hours of the morning. Even if they were awake, what good would it be? He was the majesty, the greatest man here, which meant no one could save me from him.

I eventually gave up the struggle and screaming. It was utterly useless, My back was drenched in cold sweat.

When we approached a dimly lit staircase, at the end of which was the dungeon, I could hear the clanking of keys as someone opened the iron door.

Next thing I knew, I was about to be carried inside. Just by the door, as the man bent over to avoid his head making contact with the wall, being a bit too tall for the lowered entrance, I felt something rip my hand, causing me to scream in pain.

As soon as the man dropped me to the floor, I grabbed my hand where I felt pain. It was a minor cut, and the man noticed it as well. Although the cut looked minor on the outside, the pain was excruciating, but that was nothing compared to the pain I felt on the inside.

The man grabbed my hand as if he cared, took a look at the cut, and left my hand, letting it fall to my side. I immediately wrapped my arms around my body, trying to ward off the cold threatening to devour me through my torn, tattered clothes.

He turned around and was about to leave when I asked, my voice breaking, "Is he going to kill me?"

I felt his gaze on me and lifted my eyes to meet them. His eyes were big and dark, and I could swear I saw a shocked expression on his chiseled face – one that disappeared in a split second, replaced with an icy cold stare, causing me to lower my head in fright. He turned around and left without uttering a word.

I drew my legs together and hugged them tightly as I sobbed inwardly, reflecting on the day's events. Gia didn't deserve to die! She didn't deserve to be so brutally murdered by those men. I could still hear her piercing wolf cry in my ears.

Tears cascaded down my eyes. I shut them, trying to block out everything. I couldn't hold on anymore.

Suddenly, a deep sense of emptiness overwhelmed me. I didn't feel like living anymore. Perhaps there was no hope for me, maybe I truly deserved death.

A soft glow from the window above me slightly illuminated the dark dungeon, and just then, my eyes caught the sight of broken glass at the far end of the dungeon.

A thought suddenly came to mind. Maybe it was better if I departed from this world, perhaps I was better off in the underworld with Gia, my best friend. All I needed was to slit my wrist, and everything would end. I would finally be at peace.