Annie's POV:
Silence.
Then, muffled by the wood but still audible, I heard footsteps. Moving away. Getting fainter and fainter until they disappeared entirely.
I was alone.
"Petra!" I pounded my fist against the door, the sound hollow and useless. "Open the door! Please. I can't breathe in here—"
Nothing.
I hit the door again, harder this time, the impact sending a jolt of pain through my already bruised cheek. The wood didn't budge. It was solid oak, old but sturdy, designed to keep things in or out. I was wolfless. I had no strength to force it, no claws to pry at the lock.
"Let me out!" My voice rose, panic creeping in around the edges. "Somebody. Anybody—"
A sound from the other side. Not footsteps. Not a voice.
Laughter.
Faint, cruel, unmistakable.
And then a voice. Petra's
