Alpha's Exclusive Healer

The air in the dungeon was suffocatingly cold, the dim torchlight flickering weakly against the damp, stony walls. Chains clinked softly as Elena hung motionless against the stone wall, the cruel thorny vines wrapped around her, biting deep into her flesh. Her breaths were faint as if she was on her limit. Her head hung low, her raven-black hair clinging to her bloodied face. Blood trickled slowly from her wounds, painting the cracked floor beneath her feet. The heavy iron door creaked open, its sound echoing in the hollow space. The soft clack of heels echoed as Luna Fiona entered with her maids. Behind her, two guards followed silently, their expressions cold. Fiona’s gaze swept the room, her emerald eyes narrowing as they settled on Elena’s broken form. She smirked. "Check if she’s still breathing," she commanded without emotion. A maid hurried to the prisoner, hesitating only momentarily before bending down to check Elena’s breathing. She placed two fingers under Elena’s nose and tilted her head slightly. After that, to be sure, placing two fingers against Elena’s neck, she waited, feeling for the faintest sign of life. Finally, she turned to Fiona. "She’s alive, my Luna." "Perfect." Fiona’s smirk widened. She turned to her guards. "Bring me a chair. And wake her up. I want her eyes open when I speak." One of them rushed out, returning moments later with a simple wooden chair. Fiona sat down with the air of a queen. Another guard hurriedly picked up a bucket of chilled, salted water from the corner. Without hesitation, he dumped it over Elena's head. She gasped violently, her body jerking in pain as the water stung her wounds. Her eyes fluttered open, her face a mix of pain and confusion. Through her blurred vision, she saw Fiona seated elegantly before her. "Oh, it's you, Fiona…" Elena said slowly, her voice hoarse. "Does Alpha Ray know… about this?" Fiona leaned forward, resting her elbow on the chair’s armrest and her chin on her hand. Her lips curled into a mocking smile as she tilted her head, exposing the claiming mark on her neck. "Oh, Elena, sweet, naive Elena," Fiona purred. "I am the Luna now. Ray chose me. Did you really believe you could be the Luna? A healer with no family, no status? You were nothing more than a tool, a plaything." A single tear rolled down Elena’s cheek. Her cracked lips trembled as she whispered, "You’re lying… He loves me. Only me." Fiona laughed louder this time, her voice echoing. "Loves you?" she sneered. "Ray used you. Your healing powers were useful during the war, but now that it’s over, so is your worth." She leaned back, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. The words pierced through Elena like a dagger, and for a moment, the dungeon seemed to spin. Her chest tightened as if invisible chains were wrapping around her lungs, choking the last bit of hope from her. The betrayal, the pain, was burning high. It was too much for her to handle. She wanted to scream, but her voice caught in her throat. The dungeon door creaked open again. This time, the figure who entered made Elena’s heart skip a beat. Alpha Ray stood tall, his dark eyes scanning the room before they settled on her just for a moment before turning to Fiona. "Ray," Elena whispered, her voice trembling with desperation. She just wanted to believe that what Fiona said was all a lie. Ray must be here to save her... But that hope was extinguished when Ray walked straight to Fiona. He cupped her cheek and kissed her tenderly, his voice soft as he murmured, “Fiona, my precious Luna, why have you come to this filthy place?” Fiona’s cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling with a mix of pride and love. "I came here to handle this traitor, my love," she replied sweetly. "This woman dared to harm you. How could I stay away?" Ray turned his attention to Elena then, his expression hardening like stone. His face remained unreadable, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something. It should be guilt, perhaps, a tiny bit of regret. However, it vanished as quickly as it came. "Elena," he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "Why did you poison me?" Elena’s lips parted in disbelief, and then a hollow laugh escaped her, the sound dripping with bitterness. "Would you believe me if I said I didn’t?" "Criminals always act like innocents," Fiona commented from the side with a smirk. Elena lowered her head, a bitter smile playing on her lips. "You’re right," she said softly. "I am guilty. Guilty of loving someone unworthy of love." "Elena! How dare you!" Ray used his alpha force, making everyone in the room kneel. Elena was already weak after being tortured for days, and the wolfbane that was injected into her vein was making her whole being break into a thousand pieces. A huge patch of red blood painted the floor like a newly bloomed flower among wilted ones. "Just kill me, Ray. I have no use to you anyway." Elena said while locking eyes with the man she had loved for years. In her eyes, there was no love left. She closed her eyes to accept her fate. Ray’s jaw tightened, and his hands curled into fists. He walked to Elena and grabbed her jaw tightly, forcing her to look at him. Elena felt pain, but the pain in her heart was much stronger. So she refused to look at the face that had made her blind in the past. Ray felt agitated for some reason. He thought he had never given his true heart to anyone. Everyone was just a chess piece to be the Alpha of the strongest pack in the East. But why was he feeling like he had lost something very precious? He couldn't let her die. It's okay as long as he punished her enough to make Fiona happy. That way, he would get support from the WonderMoon Pack and be the best in the east. "I hereby announce Elena as a criminal. She is stripped of her title as the pack’s healer, but because of her previous merit, she won't be punished with death," he declared. "But from now on, she would be reduced to a breeder exclusive to Alpha." His voice cut through the air like a whip, leaving no room for argument. His heart was filled with the thought of making her his without harming his interests. Elena’s head snapped up, her heart breaking anew. "Ray, no, please don't do this. Just kill me…" she pleaded, but he had already turned away without caring for her desperate cry. Fiona’s gaze flickered to Ray, a spark of jealousy flashing in her eyes. She could see it, his heartfelt emotions for Elena, he tried so hard to bury and not show them to anyone. 'He still cares for her. That's why he wants to make her a kept woman,' she thought, her nails digging into her palms. 'I will never let this woman stay here, she vowed silently. She’ll never have another chance to tempt him.' "My Luna, you take over from here. Our pack needs more pups. So, I expect you to monitor well." Ray just passed his command and walked out of the cell. Ray’s footsteps echoed as he left the dungeon, his shadow disappearing into the darkness. Fiona stepped closer to Elena, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "You Slut! You had better be dead, I won't ever let you ever get close to Ray, even as a kept woman," she hissed. "Don't worry, I’ll make sure you're in somewhere worse than being a pack's breeder." Elena closed her eyes, her body trembling as silent tears slipped down her cheeks. She had lost everything, her love, her dignity, her will to fight. As if satisfied with the response, Fiona smirked. "Take her away," she instructed the guards. As the guards unbound Elena and dragged her away, she didn’t resist. Her body was too weak, her soul too wounded. But deep within the broken remains of her heart, a small spark of will to revenge still burned. And it whispered one thing, 'This isn’t over.'