His Queen

Captured

562

500+60+2

Five hundred and sixty-two

That is how many days since they captured me.

I never made it to the border. I had become too exhausted from overexertion and pass out. When I had finally woken up I was here. Here, being the holding cells that I recognise as my packs. Everywhere there were little clues that I have studied much too closely. A claw mark from a Rogue we had captured a few years back, the stray pine needles that had snuck their way into the cellar, and a rusted key, with my packs symbol of a paw print on it that lay discarded on the stone floor outside of my cell. Reminders of the helpless children, and dedicated warriors, hopeful teenagers and weak elders that gave up their life.

For the first couple of weeks, I was here they came down and fed me table scraps while I had been claimed to the cold stone wall. Silver chains cut sores into my wrists and made it painful to even move my arms. My body had slowly gained back some it’s strength and I was left to wonder why I was still alive. No Rogue talked to me. I just sat there in silence and was forced relive that night over and over. It was of a movie was playing in my head. The colours and sounds were just as real as they had been. I replayed Mikies death over and over again. I wondered what could I have done differently. I cursed myself for my mistakes. I cried silent tears as I blamed myself for her death. I started to blame myself for everything and no one could stop me. For that first couple of weeks, I fell so deep into to a pool of self-hatred that I almost drowned.

I wanted to die. I wanted to join Mikie and mom and dad. I had nothing left to live for. My wolf had shut me out. My pack was dead. I was weak from not eating even the scales they had brought me. I refused to live. So when the Alpha of the Rogues finally found time to pay my despicable self a visit I was ready to welcome death with open arms. I had no fight left.

Alpha Jaden, as he called himself, was a stout man with dark brown hair that was buzzed close to his scalp. A permanent frown etched onto his hard face. His eyes were pits of never-ending darkness. His entire appearance made what he had done very believable. I marked his face in my mind. I told myself to pay attention. I was looking at a mass murderer. I was looking at my enemy.

I remember clearly the moment he first spoke to me as I sat huddled up in the corner of my freezing cell. I remember how he cut his silver knives into my flesh and carved me like a slab of bloodied meat right after. He had looked at me and smiled. Yes, he had the nerve to smile at me. His grimy teeth looked yellow in the dim light of the cellar hall. He stood and looked at me assessing my features as he continued to smile.

“W-what do you want?” I said in a scratchy voice. I had barely talked after I realised that the guards here never spoke. It was pointless to waste that energy when I never seemed to never have any these days.

The man chuckled and bellowed a repulsive laugh as he slapped knee in genuine humour. After pulling himself together he c****d his head as he looked at me seriously again.

“My, my. Looks like you still have some life left in you, my dear. Don’t worry it won’t last long. You will not be killed yet but by the end, you will be begging on your knees for death.” He said cruelly and he smirked at me. Anger stirred inside my empty gut and I glared at him.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. I would gladly skip death. It’s a win-win. You don’t have to waste your time on me and I get to join my sister, who by the way you killed. You killed her!” I spat out and my body started to shake in pure utter rage.

His face grew red at my outburst and he clenched his two meaty hands. A growl ripped through his throat.

“You will address me as Alpha or Alpha Jaden you piece of s**t mutt.” He yelled at me, “And if you ever disrespect me again I’ll chain your feet up too.”

I could physically feel the waves of anger that he emitted.

Suddenly he turned and shouted down the hall, “Bring me the cart.”

I was bewildered. Cart what cart. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as a young male wolf around my age walked down the hall pushing a metal cart with his head down. I craned my head as I tried to catch a glimpse of what was in it. As soon as I did I paled. A whimper escaped my mouth as I took in the dreadful sight before me. Small surgical knives ranging from the size of my pinky to the size of my foot. Each blade was razor-sharp and skinny. A few vials of liquids were also there and I had no doubt that at least one was the deadly wolfsbane. To finish off the assembly was a whip that looked menacing. I started to shake and Alpha Jaden looked over and gave me a wide smile. I shrank back at the cold venom that his one look contained.

“Don’t worry my sweet girl. I won’t kill you yet.” He said as the boy who had brought the cart quickly walked away. I think I might have caught a small look of regret on his face but no one would have known. No one would stop the psychotic monster.

Alpha Jaden then took out a key from his worn jean pocket and unlocked my rusty cell door. I tried to become one with the cold stone wall behind me but it was no use as he stalked into my cell and slammed the door shut which resulted in a loud bang that echoed all around me. Jaden went to work stationing the cart against the wall and assessing the tools before him. He started to sort through them as if he were shopping for clothes at a mall until he found what he wanted. It was a small silver knife that was just bigger than my pinky.

“Perfect one to start with don’t you think.” He started to walk towards me until he suddenly froze. “Oh my. Excuse my poor manners. What is your name mutt?”

I looked at him angrily. My heartbeat loudly in my chest my eyes fitted between the knife and his face. Both made me want to throw up. Then I realised something. Oh goddess, I was brilliant. I had no clue when or if I would make it out of here alive but as I looked at him at that moment one thing for sure. Alpha Jaden would get what he deserved even if I had to drag him to hell myself. For once I had something to live for in the many months I had been contained here. I would not let him put out my fire. I would not break my promise to my family.

I looked at Jaden with all the hate I could muster and snarled one word. One name.

“Athena.”