CHAPTER 4: ELORA'S POV
1100 Words
My body trembled, but my voice was firm. “No.”
The single word cracked through the air like a whip. “What's the essence of being free if I give you the only thing I have. I’d rather die than give you my child.”
Alpha Luther’s eyes darkened, a flicker of something, anger? Amusement? crossing his sharp features. His jaw clenched, and I saw the shift in his stance, the predator in him stirring.
“Then rot in my dungeon,” he growled coldly. His voice was low, laced with finality. He snapped his fingers, and the guards behind me stiffened. “Take her back.”
Rough hands seized my arms, dragging me backward. I struggled, my heels scraping against the cold stone floor. “You’re a monster!” I spat, my voice raw with rage.
Luther’s expression didn’t change. “Then it seems you and I are both trapped by what we are.”
“Wait!” The doctor's voice rang out, his footsteps quick as he stepped between me and the guards. “Alpha, this is a mistake.”he whispered to Luther.
Luther’s glare shifted to him. “Stay out of this, Doctor Shins.”
“She’ll change her mind,” the doctor insisted. “She’s scared and alone, but she will come around. Give her time.”
Luther’s eyes flashed with something icy. “Until then,” he said coldly, “she stays. As. My. Prisoner.”
I met Luther’s gaze one last time as the guards dragged me away. His face was a mask of stone, but behind it, something flickered, something cold and guarded.
The iron door clanged shut behind me, sealing me back into the darkness.
Hours passed. Or maybe days. I lost count. The cold seeped into my bones, and the silence pressed against my ears until my own breathing felt too loud. I curled into myself, my arms wrapped protectively around my belly.
The dampness clung to my skin, and my throat ached from screaming. My voice was hoarse, my body exhausted, but my mind raced.
Could I really do it? Give away my child?
No. Never.
But then...
I felt a flutter. Soft, faint, but unmistakable.
My heart squeezed. My baby. My everything.
I closed my eyes tightly. “I’ll protect you,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “No matter what.”
The rage in my chest dimmed, replaced by something colder, sharper, resolve.
The sound of footsteps broke the silence. The soft clinking of keys followed. I stiffened, my heart racing.
The iron door groaned open, and a familiar voice spoke. “Let me in. I won’t be long.”
The guards hesitated but then stepped aside.
A figure entered, the torchlight casting shadows on his face. The doctor.
He knelt beside me, his voice gentle but firm. “I mean you no harm,” he said quietly. “I just want to check on you. You’ve been through a lot.”
I didn’t move. My eyes narrowed as I watched him warily. “You work for him.”
He nodded. “I do. But that doesn’t mean I want to see you suffer.”
I stayed silent, my body tense, ready to fight if he tried anything.
His voice softened further. “My name is Doctor Shins.” His hands moved with practiced care, checking my pulse, feeling my forehead. “You’ve been screaming and crying since you arrived. I need to make sure you’re okay... and that the baby is okay.”
I flinched slightly at his mention of my child. My arms curled tighter around my stomach.
“Relax,” he said softly. “I’m here to help, not harm.”
I kept my mouth shut, my eyes never leaving his face. But I didn’t stop him from doing his work.
His fingers were gentle as he checked my temperature and examined me with quick, efficient movements. There was something different about him, no malice, no cold calculation.
After a long silence, he spoke again. “Alpha Luther isn’t what you think,” he said quietly.
I scoffed, my voice rough. “He’s exactly what I think. A monster who wants to steal my child. And what's his reason?”
Doctor Shins paused, his eyes flicking up to meet mine. “You’re wrong about him. And I can't disclose anything to you until you agree to the offer.”
My jaw tightened. “Don’t waste your breath. I don’t care what kind of person you think he is. He’s keeping me here. That’s all I need to know.”
He sighed, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he finished his examination in silence, his brow furrowed in thought.
I watched him carefully. I didn’t trust him, couldn’t trust anyone here. But something about his patience made the cold walls around my heart c***k, just slightly.
Finally, as his hand lowered from my wrist. “Alpha Luther can be so many things. But one thing I know about him. He never backs down, it's either you agree or you rot here.”
“It's for your own good, child.” He advised, his voice soft. With one last glare, he stood up to his feet as he walked towards the dungeon gates.
“I’m ready to agree.”I spoke, my voice firm despite the knot in my throat.
Doctor Shins froze mid-movement. His head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. “You—” He stared at me as if he hadn’t heard me correctly. “You’re... agreeing?”
I held his gaze, my heart pounding. “Yes,” I said, steady and sure. “Tell him I’ll accept his deal.”
The room felt too still, the silence stretching thick and heavy. Doctor Shins’s hand dropped from my wrist, and his voice was laced with confusion.
“Why?” he asked softly, his brows knitting together. “Why the sudden change of heart?”
I met his eyes, and for a split second, I let him see a flicker of my resolve.
But not the truth. Never the truth.
“Because,” I said, my voice calm and even, “I’ve decided to survive.”
I saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes before he masked it. But I kept my face cold, guarded. Let him wonder. Let him doubt.
I couldn’t let them keep me here. I couldn’t trust Luther. But... I could use him.
If I played along, if I pretended... I could get close enough to escape. To protect my child and never let this monster have them.
- Writer
