The Only Human

CHAPTER TWO: IMPRISONED

“Please let me go. This can’t be happening… Please!!” I begin to plead.

The darkness is suffocating, pressing down on me from all sides as the wolves drag me deeper into the unknown. Their stares throw hateful dagger at me as I beg for them to spare me.

“You have no idea what will befall you soon,” one of the wolves retorted, grinning from ear to ear. I know him. He once escorted Lucas during one of his visits to my world. Now he’s different.

Everything is f*****g different.

He drags me up with annoyance, and kicks my butt with no remorse. A soul-wrenching laughter escapes their mouths as they mistreat me.

Lucas has gone farther than us and he didn’t even care to see if I’m hurt.

My heart pounds in my chest, a wild, desperate sound that matches the chaos in my mind.

Lucas’s cold gaze at the spot where they took me haunts me, his betrayal slicing through my soul like a blade.

How did it come to this? How?

The wolves’ snarls echo around me, their hot breath fanning against my skin as they tighten their grip.

I struggle, my mind screaming for escape, but their hold is unyielding. Panic claws at my throat, threatening to consume me, but I force it down. I can’t afford to lose control now.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the wolves stop. I’m tossed to the ground, the impact jolting through my bones.

My hands scrape against the rough stone, blood oozing from the cuts, but I barely feel it. My gaze darts around, trying to make sense of my surroundings.

Everywhere looks strange, and it made what I'm feeling worse.

But I sense we’re in some sort of underground chamber, the walls carved from stone, lit by the flickering glow of torches.

The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and something else. Something metallic and sharp. My stomach churns as I realize what it is.

Blood!

Before I can react, I’m yanked to my feet, a powerful hand gripping my arm. I twist around, expecting to see one of the wolves, but instead, I’m met with a pair of piercing green eyes.

Lucas. Yes… it is him.

He’s close, too close. His presence overwhelms me, the intensity of his gaze making it hard for me to breathe.

My heart stutters, confusion and anger warring within me, and getting me close to an outburst.

I should hate him. I should want to tear him apart for what he’s done, but all I can think about is how much I want to reach out to touch him, to feel the warmth of his skin against mine.

“Why?” The word slips out before I can stop it, my voice trembling. “Why are you doing this?”

For a moment, Lucas’s expression softens, a flicker of the man I once loved shining through. But it’s gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a cold, unyielding countenance.

“It’s necessary, Oma. For the pack. For the future.” he says.

“The future?” I laugh, a bitter, broken sound that echoes in the chamber. “You think this is our future? You’re insane! You are really insane!”

Lucas’s grip tightens, his fingers digging into my arm with bruising force.

“You don’t understand,” he hisses, his voice low and dangerous. “This is the only way. You have to trust me. Or you'll keep living in your old memories”

“Trust you?” I snap, jerking my arm free. “You betrayed me, Lucas. You betrayed everything we had.”

His eyes darken, a storm brewing in their depths. “ What we had or shared doesn’t matter anymore. This is bigger than you and me, Oma. It always has been, and nothing can change it.”

I shake my head, my heart breaking all over again.

“You’re wrong. This isn’t bigger than us. It’s all we had, and you threw it away just like that.”

Silence stretches between us, heavy and suffocating. Then, without another word, Lucas turns away, his posture rigid.

“Take her to the holding cell, and make sure she doesn’t leave,” he orders the wolves, his voice devoid of emotion.

Before I can protest, the wolves seize me again, dragging me away from Lucas, from the man who once held my heart.

As I’m hauled down a narrow corridor, the walls closing in around me, I hear his voice one last time, barely more than a whisper.

“You should be grateful that I didn’t kill you. Don't make me regret that”

The words echo in my mind, a cruel mockery of the love we once shared.

And as the cell door slams shut behind me, sealing me in darkness, I can’t help but wonder if this is truly the end for me.

Or if there’s still a chance for redemption.