Chapter 41: The Walls Close In Anna POV

"We must leave this place." Before I could stop myself, the words poured out of me in a shaking, angry voice. I was pacing wildly, the thump of my boots on the stone floor accentuated by the cramped space of the cage. 

"You need to relax, Anna." Despite being cool and calculated, Lucas's speech irritated my already strained nerves.

Breathing in quick gasps, I spun around to face him. "Slow down? We're bound to a dungeon, Lucas! The Beta is aware of who I am, and he will soon convince the Alpha to either execute me or give me to Oliver. What precisely am I supposed to do to relax?"

Lucas's countenance was unreadable as he leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest. "Panicking won't make a difference."

"No, but doing nothing will," I yelled. I started pacing again, my thoughts going over every situation and every possible way out. Each one seemed increasingly impossible.

"You're not thinking clearly," he said with a strong yet sympathetic tone. "Instead of desperate action, we need a plan."

"You have a plan?" I stopped and gave him a fierce look as my annoyance boiled up. "Because it appears to me that you're more than happy to just sit here and wait for the Beta to return and finish us off."

With a groan, Lucas got up from the bench and walked over to me. "I understand. You're afraid. So am I. However, we must not allow fear to rule us."

I started to argue, but my words became stuck in my throat. I was afraid, and he was right. Even scared. The air inside the cell grew heavier by the second, and the walls seemed to be closing in. I had trouble breathing and my chest tightened.

"Hey," Lucas responded in a quiet voice that broke through the panic. "Look at me."

I made myself look him in the eye, my eyes meeting his. There was a steadiness, a quiet strength that didn't seem appropriate for the situations we were in. It was equally reassuring and frustrating.

"Breathe," he urged in a soft yet strong voice. "In through your nose, out through your lips. Just breathe."

I paused, my gut telling me to keep going, to keep fighting. But I stopped at something in his voice. The tightness in my chest eased a little as I took another ragged breath.

"Good," he answered with a nod. "Let's think about this now. The Beta is playing a game. He wants to shake you and make you slip up. Don't give him that pleasure."

My head was still rushing, but it was a little clearer now. I swallowed hard. "What if he already knows everything? What if he's just waiting to tell Oliver until the right moment?"

"Then we make sure he doesn't get that moment," Lucas answered firmly. "We stick to the story. I'm your brother, and you're Lia. The Beta just has suspicions, not proof. He has nothing as long as we don't give him anything solid."

Even though I wanted to believe him, my doubts remained. "What about Oliver? Lucas, don't think he's stupid. Eventually, he will see through the lie."

A flash of something unreadable passed across Lucas's face as his jaw tensed. "Then we'll deal with that when it happens. One step at a time, Anna."

"Lia," I quickly corrected, the name feeling both familiar and strange at the same time. "It's Lia now."

The sides of his lips twitched into a slight smile. "All right, Lia."

The tension between us subsided briefly as the situation's burden somewhat lessened. However, it was short-lived. A new surge of fear washed over me when I heard footsteps in the distance echoing through the dungeon.

"He's coming back," I mumbled, my heart thumping in my chest.

Lucas stood in front of me, protecting me from the jail door, and his body tensed as his face hardened. "Stay behind me," he directed, his voice hard and low.

The footsteps got closer and louder until someone stepped out of the darkness. It wasn't the Beta, though. It was one of the guards, a big man with a frown etched on his face.

"You," he said, pointing to Lucas. "Come with me."

Lucas stayed motionless, his posture rigid. "Why?"

The guard smirked. "The Alpha wants a word. Move now, or I'll make you."

Lucas looked back at me, his eyes meeting mine. I briefly caught a glimpse of pause and uncertainty there. However, it vanished as swiftly as it had arrived.

"I'll be back," he said, his voice serious but gentle. "Stay strong, Lia."

He moved forward, shoulders straight, and followed the guard out of the cell before I could reply. The door slammed behind them, leaving me alone in the oppressive quiet.

I fell onto the bench, my thoughts running. What did the Alpha want with Lucas? Was this part of the Beta's plan, or was there something else? The lack of information was more frustrating than any danger, and the uncertainty was excruciating.

Time passed, every second seeming to drag into forever. The dungeon's distant echoes only served to amplify the quiet, each one a harsh reminder of my solitude. I tried to focus and create a plan, but my mind kept returning to Lucas. Was he alright? Was he safe?

The sound of coming footsteps startled me from my reverie. My heart leaped, hope flickering for a moment before being doused when the Beta appeared with his smirk firmly in place.

"Miss me?" he drawled, his voice brimming with scorn.

I stared at him without answering, my jaw clenched.

He laughed and moved closer to the bars. "Oh, don't be like that. I thought we were getting along so well."

"What do you want?" I asked in a calm, emotionless voice, despite my stomach churning with worry.

"Just checking in," he said lightly. "Wanted to see how our little liar is holding up."

"I'm not a liar," I shot back, my voice more bitter than I meant.

His grin widened. "Of course not," he answered. "The trouble with lies, though, is that they tend to unravel. And when yours does, I'll be there to watch it all come crashing down."

I forced myself to stay composed, even as my hands clenched at my sides. "You're wasting your time. He won't believe you."

"Oh, he will," Dax responded, his eyes gleaming with malicious purpose. "It's only a matter of time."

With that, he turned and left me alone again. His words weighed on me like a physical burden, and the quiet was deafening. I sat on the bench, my heart pounding and my mind running.

Then I heard it—a barely noticeable sound coming from the darkness beyond the cell. A movement, a word. Someone was there. Watching. Waiting.