CHAPTER8
1050 Words
The rough push made me fall to my knees, the cold, hard floor scratching my skin. My wrists hurt where the ropes had cut into them, and the air smelled wet and cold.
The weak light from the torch danced on the walls, making shapes that looked exactly like ghosts turning around me.
My head felt dizzy as I tried to figure out what had happened, and what brought me to this forsaken place.
How did I end up here? Why did I allow anger to take the better part of me? Just hours ago, Caden had chased Ronan and his men away. I thought it was over. I thought we were safe.
But I was wrong.
After the fight, and the unsettled argument with Caden, I walked away a little from him. I wasn’t trying to run away or leave him behind, I just needed some space to clear my head and time to think. That was when I heard the sound of a branch breaking, like a dry piece of wood splitting. My heart raced, and my skin felt cold with fear.
I turned, but it was too late.
Ronan’s men had come back again. They must have returned after running away, using confusion to sneak in quietly and hide in a place.
One of them grabbed me tightly from behind, and covered my mouth immediately, making it difficult for me to scream. I kicked, fought and struggled with them, but there were too many of them. They tied my hands, covered my mouth and dragged me away.
And now I am here, cold, angry, and blaming myself for getting caught by those wicked roughs.
“You think you’re some kind of special person, don’t you?”
The voice brought me out of my thoughts. Ronan stepped into the light, his face showing a cruel smile. His dark eyes glinted as he knelt in front of me, tilting his head like I was some kind of strange animal he wanted to study.
“The unclaimed mate,” he said mockingly. “Always hiding, always running. You’ve made quite a name for yourself, Serenity.” The forsaken healer..he laughed sarcastically.
“I glared at him, refusing to say a word. My silence only made his grin grow wider.
“You don’t even know the whole truth, do you?” he sneered. “You think this is just about your little powers—your healing gift and quiet life in the woods? No, Serenity, you’re part of something much bigger than that.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked him, trying to keep my voice calm and not tear up. “What do you want from me?”
Ronan chuckled, his laugh was cold and dangerous. “Want? Oh, Serenity, this is not about what I want. It’s about what you’ve done already.”
His words made me shiver that I almost urinated inside, and it sent chills down my spine. What had I done? I searched in his face for answers, but his smirk told me nothing. Before I could ask further, one of his men whispered something in his ear. He nodded and stood to leave.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said over his shoulder. “Enjoy the quiet time while it lasts.”
The big door shut hard behind him, leaving me alone in the dark. My heart beat fast as I leaned against the wall, trying to stay calm.
What did Ronan mean, what I’d already done? I thought back to Oracle’s warning—the strange words that had stayed with me for so long.
She had spoken about my destiny, my bond, and the balance I was supposed to protect. I had always brushed it off as nothing meaningful. But now… now it felt like there was more to it, much more than I can't place.
Voices outside the cell made me freeze. I pressed myself against the wall and listened.
“She doesn’t even know about the curse,” someone said, their voice low but tense.
“The kingdom’s ruin started the day she turned away from her destiny,” another voice replied.
I held my breath. Turned away from my destiny? What did they mean?
“The mate bond was meant to bring balance,” the first voice continued. “But instead, it brought confusion. You can’t just ignore something like that. It always catches up to you.”
Their words hit me like a blow. The mate bond. The whispers. The pitying looks I used to get from people who knew and loved me genuinely all came back. I had spent years avoiding it, convincing and telling myself it didn’t matter, that I could live my own life.
But what if I was wrong about it? What if refusing my bond caused something terrible?
The door gently opened again, and Ronan stepped inside, his smirk sharper than ever.
“Figured something out, haven’t you?” he said, leaning against the wall. “I can see it on your face.”
“You’re lying,” I said, though my voice shook a little.
“Am I?” he asked, his grin widening. “Do you think you can escape fate? That you can break something as ancient as the mate bond without paying the price? Oh, Serenity, you have no idea what you’ve done.”
“What are you talking about?” I yelled, my voice rising. “What price? What have I done?”
He knelt in front of me again, his dark eyes looking into mine. “You’ll soon find out,” he said softly, his voice dripping with anger. “But first, we’re going to break that stubborn little heart of yours.”
I clenched my teeth together, refusing to let him see the fear growing inside me.
The guards returned and pulled me up to my feet. My legs felt weak and shaky, but they forced me to walk.
“Where are you taking me to ?” I shouted, struggling to get myself free from their grip.
Ronan’s laughter followed me as they dragged me down the dark hallway.
“You’re going to face the consequences of your choices, Serenity. Every curse comes with a price, and yours is long overdue.”
- Writer
