CHAPTER.9
1319 Words
The loud banging of the cell door slamming shut rang through my ears, making my heartbeat jump fast. My fingers held the cold iron bars tightly, my knuckles turning white as fear overshadowed me. Ronan’s cruel words kept repeating in my head. “Your suffering has only just begun, little healer.” His mocking laughter had sent chills down my spine.
Now, there was only silence. The stone walls felt like they were closing in on me. My thoughts, however, wouldn’t settle. The curse. My supposed role in it. It all felt like a heavy weight dragging me down. How could rejecting a mate, a bond I never even understood or knew, lead to an entire kingdom’s downfall?
I heard slow and steady footsteps. My heart pounded harder as I went into the corner of the cell.
“Serenity.” a voice called.
That voice is low, rough, but familiar. My breath hitched as Caden stepped into view, his figure half-hidden in the dim torchlight. Blood was smeared across his jaw, his tunic torn, but his sharp gaze never wavered.
“Caden?” My voice trembled with both relief and confusion. Hey Caden “What are you doing in this place?”
What brought you here?
“I'm here to free you from this place,” he said, with a strong and determined voice. He was already working on the lock.
“How?” I whispered, my hands shaking.
He didn’t answer me immediately, but he was busy trying to unlock the door. When the lock clicked, that was enough answers for me. The door swung open, and he stepped inside. I melted when he reached for my arm, but his touch was surprisingly gentle.
“You shouldn’t be here, it is very risky,” I said, pulling away. “If Ronan finds you—--”
“Ronan is busy,” he cut in. “But we don’t have much time. Let’s go.”
He turned to leave, expecting me to follow, but I didn’t move.
“Wait,” I said sharply.
Caden stopped, his shoulders stiffening, but he didn’t turn.
“I need answers,” I demanded, my voice stronger now. “No more dodging my questions. Why does Ronan care so much about me? What does this curse mean? And what aren’t you telling me?”
Caden exhaled slowly, his head lowering slightly. When he finally turned to look at me, his face was filled with emotions, guilt, frustration, regrets and something else I couldn’t fathom or name.
“You shouldn't be doing this now,” we have to get out of here first before anything else, He said quietly, but there was weight behind his words.
“Now is the only time I have,” I shot back.
His jaw tightened. For what seemed like decades, I thought he wouldn’t speak nor say anything about it. But then he did, his voice was damn rough like he was dragging the words out.
“Years ago, before I left my pack… I found my mate.”
My heart stills. My mind screamed at me to stop him. But I couldn’t.
“You,” he continued, his eyes locked on mine. “You were my mate.”
The ground I stood on felt unsteady. I grabbed the iron bars to keep myself from collapsing or slumping. “What?” I shouted .
“I rejected you,” he admitted, his voice now hard like he was forcing himself to relive the past. “I had to. Ronan had already started his plans, going after everyone close to me. If he found out about you…”
“You rejected me?” My voice was hardly heard, the weight of his words was pressing hard on my chest. “And you didn’t think to tell me?” I asked.
“I did it to protect you,” he said, his voice rising slightly. “I thought if I stayed away, you’d be safe.”
“Safe?” I let out a bitter laugh. “Do you think I’ve been safe all these years? I’ve been chased, rejected, threatened, abused, dragged into a fight I never asked for! And you think rejecting me kept me safe?”
His face was full of regret and remorse, but I didn’t let him speak.
“Do you have any idea what your decision caused me and the damage you did to me?” I continued, my anger shaking my voice. “You left me as your mate, confused, without answers! And now you expect me to just accept this?”
“I don’t expect you to accept it easily or with a good heart,” he said, his voice softer now. “I don’t deserve anything from you after all I did. But we don’t have time for this right now. Ronan is still out there, and if we don’t stop him…….”
“Don’t make this look like it is all about Ronan,” I snapped. "This is about you. About “us”. You made a choice that ruined my life, a choice that put me in the place I'm now! A choice that made my pack mock me and called me all sorts of names and here you’re acting like it doesn’t matter?”
“It does matter, Serenity,” he said fiercely, stepping closer. “More than you know. But if we don’t get out of here now, you won’t live long enough to hear the rest.”
Distant voices cut through the tension. Caden raised his head toward the corridor, his body going rigid, which indicated danger ahead.
“They’re coming here already,” he muttered softly.
I hesitated. I wanted answers. I wanted to shout and cry to my satisfaction and make him feel every ounce of pain I had suffered because of him. But right now, staying alive had to come first.
“Fine,” I said coldly. “But this conversation isn’t over.”
He gave a sharp nod. “Stay close.”
We moved fast and quietly through the dark halls, the voices growing fainter as we turned corners. My anger burned inside me, but I pushed it down. This wasn’t the time.
At the exit, Caden stopped suddenly, raising a hand to signal me to wait. I peeked around him and saw two guards standing in our way.
“Stay here,” he whispered.
Before I could argue, he disappeared into the shadows. My heart pounded as I watched him take them down quickly, every move swift and precise. It was both terrifying and impressive.
When the path was clear, he came for me. We dashed outside into the cool night air. The forest stretched ahead, dark and endless.
But our relief didn’t last.
As we ran, a low growl rumbled from the darkness. I stopped short, my breath catching.
“Caden…” I whispered.
He turned, his body tensing as the growling got louder. Red eyes glowed in the shadows. Then another pair. And another.
“Wolves,” he muttered.
“Not just any wolves,” I said, recognizing the symbol on their collars. “Ronan’s.”
Caden moved in front of me, his body shielding mine. “Stay behind me.”
The wolves circled us in such a way that it would be very hard for us to escape. My whole body froze in fear as their deep growls filled the air, which made me die a million times. My heart pounded as I searched for a way out, but we were trapped.
“Serenity,” Caden said quietly, his voice steady. “No matter what happens or what you see now, don’t ever stop running. Do you understand?”
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak anything.
Before I could take in another breath, the biggest wolf sprang toward Caden, and everything turned into a fight for survival.
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