DARIUS POV As Darius wore the robe over his head, he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by what was to come. He was preparing for the journey to Draken Havix's castle, as he had been invited, and Rocky and several of his guards would accompany him. Darius saw a lie when he saw one, despite telling himself that he was doing it out of sympathy and because he couldn't stomach the thought of Brielle going through any more torment. He couldn't dispute the truth. He still loved her. And that was the primary reason he was doing this. Brielle was still wholly connected to him, and he would save the lady he cared about and treasured above all else in the world. More so, following the letter yesterday, he decided to look into Brielle's background, and what he learned was shocking and too unbelievable to be real, but it was. Earlier, he’d thought Brielle was a pampered child who didn't want to leave her father for him, but what he discovered yesterday was the complete opposite. H
BRIELLE'S POV "Ahhhhh…" Brielle's screams rang through the cell as she felt the whip on her back. It was a new morning, and just like every other day, she’d woken up to another round of torture. Tears streamed from her eyes, and she could no longer hold back her wails and cries of pain."No more. No more... please… I will do anything you ask of me. Please stop it!" She begged the guards, who appeared to enjoy her agonizing cry."Please, please…" She said it again, hoping they would have mercy on her, but as usual, her pleas fell on deaf ears. They merely laughed at her and escalated the intensity of the torment, whipping her back like an animal, bathing her flesh with ice-cold water, and repeating the process.Brielle gave up begging. She knew she would never win against the guards. They were harsh and ruthless, just like their master.She remained still, allowing herself to feel the anguish until it subsided. And it did come to a stop. She soon collapsed on the floor in a heap a
DARIUS’S POV "Don't come up. I want to be alone," Darius spoke to Rocky, who responded with a nod and moved away. They had just returned to the mansion, and all Darius wanted to do was drown himself in several bottles of wine - the very ones he had sworn off. Throughout the ride home, his thoughts had been preoccupied with everything he’d heard back at Draken's estate. Brielle's screams lingered in his head, and he couldn't stop thinking about them as he climbed up the stairs and walked straight to his room. He'd wanted to see her, even if briefly, and assure her that he'd return to save her, but Draken had denied him the chance. He had until tomorrow to accomplish anything, though. But he was already dreading the day even before it arrived. Earlier, Darius had told Rocky about the conversation with his uncle, and the burly guard chastised him for taking things too personally. He had been so angry and irrational and erupted when he should have remained calm. He could have been
THE NEXT DAY DARIUS POV Darius sat across the chair, peering carefully at Draken Havix, who had an unsettling grin. He had returned as instructed, and he was fully prepared to face the motherfucker today. He was not leaving these premises without Brielle, and he’d made that clear as soon as he entered the room. But what did Draken do? The older man had given him a scathing look but said nothing. The action had infuriated Darius to no end, yet he remained calm, at least for now. He couldn't mess this up. He cracked his knuckles and leaned forward, breaking the silence that seemed to stretch between them. "You mentioned you had a story to tell me today. We should begin with that." He said, "I want to remind you again that I'm not leaving this place without Brielle. So consider that when you lay out whatever you want from me." Again, the older man said nothing. He merely kept smirking evilly, which made Darius's neck twitch. He wanted to knock the smile from the old ogre's face.
BRIELLE'S POV "Please…" Brielle begged and screamed at the top of her lungs, but the guards did not stop. The more she pleaded, the more the torture increased, and they continued to whip her body with their batons.But she understood why this was happening. Darius was here again. He'd arrived yesterday, and while she hadn't seen him, the rate at which her torture had risen was clear evidence of this. Her agonizing yells were intended to convey a message to Darius. Draken was using it as a tactic to demonstrate that he still had the upper hand and leverage. Brielle's heart wrenched painfully as she thought of the wicked older man who held her captive. A shiver ran down Brielle's spine as she remembered their talk from last night.He'd informed her that Darius still loved her, and despite her misery, she couldn't deny that his words had given her hope. Even when he made insulting jokes about her and Darius's deaths, a small part of her brain ignored the unpleasant words and focused
BRIELLE'S POV"What is happening?" Brielle overheard the question, as many guards entered the cell with troubled expressions."There is a very big problem." One of them spoke, and despite her weakness, Brielle managed to stretch her ears enough to hear what they were saying. "Which is? Can someone fucking talk to me?" Another guard inquired, and the whip in his hand tumbled to the floor. It fell with a resounding thud, and the sound echoed off the cell walls.The air seemed to cool even more. The room was silent for a long time until one of the guards spoke up again. "Master Draken and Lord Darius are…"Brielle's heart sank when she heard Darius's name."Goodness gracious please, let nothing happen to him…" The words came out of her mouth unexpectedly, almost in prayer, and a stray tear streamed down her left cheek. The guards resumed discussing, but this time in quiet tones, as if frightened Brielle would hear them. It irritated her, and she wanted to yell. She wanted to question t
DARIUS POVDarius fought with all of his strength. He hit and punched, channeling his inner strength until Draken was a bloody mess.Earlier, when Draken had transformed into a wolf and leaped at him, Darius had been prepared for it. His fangs and claws had sharpened, and he’d transformed into his lycanthrope wolf form. He rarely shifted, but when he did, he wasted no time. As a Lycan, he would always be faster than his opponent and better equipped to catch his prey. So when the man attacked, Darius didn't even think about what he could do. His beast form had switched to autopilot, and its instincts took over. He'd scarcely noticed anything when he attacked. He only felt the pain of the punches and strikes, which weren't too severe because he wasn't on the receiving end of them. Draken, on the other hand, was severely beaten. His hairy face was matted with blood, and there were several large gashes all over his body. At this point, he wasn't even fighting back, just squirming and
BRIELLE'S POVBrielle's eyes opened and shut as she slipped into and out of consciousness.Her entire body hurt; her head ached, and her chest was on fire. Her eyes were open, but she couldn't see anything, and her eyesight was fuzzy.She could only hear noises, low whispering voices that appeared to come from all directions simultaneously. She could also feel soft wisps of cool breeze on her skin, confirming that she was outside.She wasn't in that terrible cell anymore, being tortured by those evil men.But if she wasn't present, where was she? She remembered sprinting through the palace hallways, looking for a way out, but then...She slowly began to recollect what happened after that. Her memories were returning slowly. Brielle had planned to flee once the guards left, with the cell door open and the key having fallen out of their pocket by accident. She remembered scanning left and right to ensure she didn't knock into anyone. It seemed strange how empty the hallways were.She