Twenty Five.

Bella

I gasp for breath as I sit up. My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. Faint sobs echoed around me.

I was in some sort of cage. A dungeon maybe.

Groaning, I push myself to my feet. My entire body ached. The last thing I remember is the clawed hand around my throat. Squeezing until I couldn’t breathe.

“Bella.” My name is whispered in the darkness.

Turning to my left, I see Aiden’s mother, Lilah, staring back at me. Her hands gripped around the bars that separated our cages.

Even in the darkness, I could see how tired and ill she looked.

As I turn my head, I see that it isn’t just us. There are dozens of women, some are barely women at all. Just children, who cowered away.

“How long?” I mutter, rubbing the side of my head

“They dumped you in there a couple of hours ago.”

“Hours?” I was surprised it had taken me so long to wake up. But that wasn’t the main thing puzzling me. There were no scents down here.

“They inject everyone.” Lilah whispers as my eyes scan the darkness.

“Wit