The Beast In Exile
1571 Words
Chapter 06
KIERAN’S POV – IRONFENG DUNGEON
The dungeon was silent except for the slow drip of water from the ceiling and the ragged sound of my own breathing.
The curse pulsed beneath my skin, a living thing slowly feasting on my bone marrow from the inside. Every heartbeat sent a fresh wave of agony and excruciating pain through me, but I refused to scream. I wouldn’t give my father the satisfaction.
Then, there was the sound of a boot scraping against a stone.
I lifted my head, muscles tense. If it was one of Cyrus’s warriors coming to finish me off, I’d take them down with me, even in chains.
But the figure that emerged from the shadows wasn’t a guard.
It was a girl. Small looking but well-dressed with dark hair and wary eyes that twinkled in the lantern. She carried a bowl of water and a cloth, moving silently like a ghost.
I bared my teeth confidently “Come to gawk at the cursed heir?”
She didn’t flinch. “No,” she said softly. “I came to clean your wounds.”
I scoffed. “Why?”
Her fingers hesitated over the bowl. “Because no one else will.”
I studied her—her scent was faint like she’d masked it. Not a warrior. Not a servant. Who was she? I can't remember if I had seen around the pack.
Before I could demand answers, she knelt beside me and pressed the damp cloth to the gashes on my chest. The touch was gentle, almost hesitant, but the cool water soothed the burning pain.
I was tense. “You’re wasting your time.”
She didn’t stop. “Maybe.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “But I don’t think you deserve to rot down here.”
“You don’t know what I’ve done,” I muttered with a chuckle
She met my eyes. “I don't know but I know what your father is.”
I became silent, and my gaze fixed on her motionless for minutes; the only sound was the rustle of cloth against my skin as she worked. Then, her fingers brushed against the manacles around my wrists.
“These are spelled,” she murmured. “Silver and wolfsbane.”
I already knew that. The poison seeped into my blood, weakening me further.
But then she did something unexpected.
She reached into the folds of her cloak and pulled out a small, rusted key.
My pulse spiked. “Where did you get that?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Stole it.”
I stared at her. This stranger—this nobody—was risking her life for me.
“Why?” I demanded.
She hesitated, then said, “Because if you die, Cyrus and Garrick wins. And the pack deserves better.”
Before I could respond, she slid the key into the lock.
*Click.*
The manacle fell open.
A rush of energy flooded my veins as the wolfsbane’s grip loosened. I flexed my wrists, the raw skin already healing.
She moved to the other manacle. “You have to go. Now. Before the guards change shifts.”
The second lock gave way.
I stood, my body protesting after days in chains. The curse snarled inside me, but for the first time in weeks, I felt in control.
I looked down at her. “What’s your name and who sent you?”
This was the only time in years I felt like someone really cared about me aside from Selene; of course,, she has always loved and cared for me.
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
"Then, you have to figure it out yourself" she muttered as if teasing me. It seems as though she doesn't know what I'm capable of doing. If it's when I still have my strength, a look at her would pull her to her knees, and she would answer my questions irresistibly.
Then, the distant echo of boots on stone across the archway.
Her eyes widened. “They’re coming,” she said terrified.
The terror in her eyes made my heart flicker. I knew what would become of her if I should leave her behind.
I quickly grabbed her wrist. “Come with me,” I said but she gently pulled away.
“No. I will slow you down,” she responded with a smile.
“I won’t leave you here to die here,” I said and smirked softly.
"No one is going to die here. I will meet you at the other side of the wall" she said and shoved me toward the dungeon’s hidden passage—one only the Alpha’s bloodline knew. “Go!”
I wondered how she knew the nooks and crannies of this entire place. She looks creepy and sneaky with her small body stature.
The door burst open before I could leap away because my legs got stiff because of how I sat in a spot for a long time.
Torchlight flooded the cell, revealing Cyrus’s elite warriors. Their swords were drawn, their eyes glowing with the thrill of the hunt. And at their head—my father.
His gaze locked onto me, then flicked the girl. His smile was venomous.
“Ah. The traitor and the cursed prince.” He stepped forward. “How poetic.”
Sgev backed away, but the warriors already had a blade to her throat.
Rage ignited in my chest. My urge to kill was twice as before.
I roared and lunged but a spear slammed into my side.
Pain exploded. I crashed to my knees, blood pouring from the wound.
Alpha Cyrus loomed over me. “Pathetic.” He grabbed my hair, forcing me to look at her “Did you really think you could escape?”
She was trembling, but her chin lifted. Defiant to the end.
Alpha Cyrus smirked. “Kill her.”
“NO!”
The curse inside me erupted.
Dark power surged through my veins. The dungeon walls shook. The warriors stumbled back as shadows coiled around me like living things.
But it wasn’t enough.
A blade flashed and I saw her body hit the floor.
Something in me shattered. She can't die, not like this. I boiled in pain.
Alpha Cyrus leaned down, his breath hot against my ear.
“You see, boy? This is what happens when you defy me.”
Alpha Cyrus’s boot slammed into my ribs. "Pathetic. Letting the enemy walk into our territory."
I coughed blood, the chains biting into my wrists. The dungeon stank of rotting flesh—my flesh.
I didn't know she was an enemy and someone trying to save me was no enemy of mine.
"You sent Garrick to kill Selene," I snarled. "You made me reject her. This whole thing is YOUR fault but you seem to blame me. Why father? What did I ever do to you?"
Alpha Cyrus backhanded me. "I made you strong. And how did you repay me? Letting that weakling Delta twist your heart in the name of mate and some s**t fate?"
He leaned in, his breath reeking of stale meat. "The witch, the powerful ShadowOne, has promised me immortality, boy. But first, she needs your pain. So scream all you want no one’s coming for you." He chuckled and signaled the warriors to tie me up.
They dragged me into the meeting hall, my chains clanking. The pack elders flinched at my cursed form, half-wolf, half-monster.
"See what weakness brings?" Cyrus spat. "My heir, reduced to a rotting mutt."
He grabbed one of the two Shadowfang scouts who had come to our territory by the scruff, holding a knife to his throat and the Shadowfeng whimpered.
"You are supposed to be at the borderline protecting our territory and our family, but instead, you let them sneak behind our defense." He muttered before cutting off his throat.
I watched as his body trembled on the ground. I felt disgusted and angry and I wish I could end it all by killing him. How was I the one who let them into the territory while I was locked and chained? His hatred for me has gone beyond mere one.
Black veins erupted across my chest as I lunged but I collapsed, howling.
Cyrus laughed. "The witch’s magic binds you. You’ll never defy me again."
"Take him to the forbidden cave; from today henceforth, he is no longer an heir to this throne, and he's no more a member of our pack." His final words came like thunder and everyone in the pack chored in agreement.
That was the worst humiliation of my life. I got betrayed by my own father. Someone I trust the most!
The thought made me cry bitterly, but I couldn't continue crying. At least, now that I'm out of chains, I need to help myself.
Time is closing down on me.
Four warriors, with Garrick behind, took me, the girl, half dead, and the dead body of the Shadowfang scout to the cave at the edge of the territory. They tossed me to the ground like a piece of s**t.
"Die alone, poor boy," Garrick said scornfully before walking away. I lay there weakened and tired, and my whole body was aching. I can't remember the last time I ate or had a proper hunt. Indeed, I was dying.
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- Writer
