Two Mates, One Heart

"The Final Humiliation... A Shattered Path to Freedom" part 1

Three days passed like an eternity. Every moment, Gloria felt her body wasting away inside, her spirit wilting in bitter silence. Her dry lips barely moved, and her whole body screamed for a drop of water... a single bite... or even a touch of mercy.

Then, in the dead of night, the small cell door creaked open softly.

“Gloria?” came a familiar, warm whisper filled with pain. It was Ellen.

Gloria lifted her head with difficulty, as if her eyes could not believe what they saw. “Ellen...?”

The girl pulled from her cloak a small piece of bread and a bottle of water. “Shh, don’t speak… the guards might hear. I came because I can’t bear to see you like this anymore.”

Gloria’s tears flowed as she took the bread, chewing slowly as if tasting life again. The water was like magic flowing through her dry veins, igniting a lost hope.

Ellen whispered fearfully, “I swear I’ll do something... I’ll find a way to get you out of here, or at least expose Helen’s lies.”

Gloria smiled through the pain. She couldn’t speak, but her eyes said it all: “Thank you... for still believing in me.”

Ellen’s presence was the first light to seep into the darkness of hell.

In the cold cell, where darkness mingled with the silence of pain, Gloria sat alone, her hands bound by cold chains that bit into her skin as if echoing the ache in her heart. Every beat of her body marched to the rhythm of bitter injustice—Arnold’s injustice—the man who was once her refuge and safety, now turning into a merciless executioner, believing Helen’s lie that crushed her innocence.

Four whole days had passed, each moment a harsh reminder of what she had lost: the moment Helen fell down the stairs, and the screams that pierced the walls of this prison. On this day, Arnold entered the cell. His face was as hard as stone, his eyes shining with anger, but behind that fury was a fiercer internal battle— a struggle with his wolf.

Arnold’s wolf was angry not only at him but also at Gloria. Wolves instinctively protect their young, their offspring at all costs. The wolf’s rage choked Arnold’s chest, driving him to be harsher, more severe. Yet he tried to control the beast inside him, the primal voice screaming in his head to hunt Gloria down and avenge his offspring.

He stood before her, his voice calm but icy cold: “Why did you do this? How dare you hurt my mate and my child?"

Gloria tried to plead her innocence, to explain that everything that happened was a mistake, but his eyes did not waver; he did not believe her. Slowly, he tightened the chains on her hands until her arms stretched in burning pain. Then, without warning, he struck her a sharp slap that made stars dance before her eyes.

The screams of pain mixed with the silence of betrayal, and that moment was an internal battle between Arnold and his wolf. Arnold’s wolf wanted to unleash savagery, to make her pay the price, but his mind—the human who once loved her—restrained the beast at the back of his head.

In a stern voice hiding deep pain, he said, “You will ask Helen for forgiveness… only then will I consider the possibility of releasing you.”

He saw in her eyes a mixture of sorrow and despair, but he was not ready to grant her a chance at innocence yet. Gloria, despite all that had befallen her, did not surrender. She stood there, broken, weighed down by her pain, but never losing hope. In her heart, a small spark of strength blazed—a desire to survive, to fight until her last breath, to prove her innocence no matter how long the night.

That encounter was more than just a confrontation; it was a clash between love and disappointment, between man and beast, and between justice and injustice. And amid this struggle, Gloria waited, wished, and dreamed of a new dawn rising from the darkness of the prison.

After a week of enduring the harsh conditions of her imprisonment, Gloria's strength waned. Her eyes became sunken, and her body weakened. Ellen, the only one who showed her kindness, would secretly bring her a small bottle of water and a tiny meat sandwich hidden under her clothes. These meager offerings were the only sustenance keeping Gloria alive.

During those bleak days, Gloria's thoughts were consumed with plans of escape, yearning to break free from the torment she endured. Suddenly, the cell door creaked open, revealing Arnold and Helen.

Arnold's expression was stern as he addressed her, "Listen, Gloria. Helen is here. Apologize to her, and I might consider reducing your sentence."

Gloria looked between Arnold and Helen, her eyes dry from the tears she no longer wished to shed for the man before her. The days had hardened her, making her as resilient as iron forged in fire. Her emotions had turned cold.

A faint smile played on Helen's lips, clearly pleased with Gloria's broken state. Gloria's mind focused solely on leaving the prison and the group behind. She was willing to do anything to escape this wretched place.

"I'm sorry, Helen. I didn't mean to push you. Please forgive me," Gloria said.

Helen stepped forward, "Gloria, you know I have a forgiving heart, but I have conditions. First, you must kiss my feet. Second, Arnold will expel you from the group, which is my desire. Isn't that right, Arnold?"

Arnold sighed in agreement. He would expel her from the group without any assistance. As was known, anyone expelled either became prey or was killed by the predators, especially since Gloria had no means to defend herself.

This moment marked a turning point for Gloria, as she faced humiliation and the threat of death, yet her spirit remained unbroken, fueled by a burning desire for freedom and justice.