The corridor was cold and dim, the kind of cold that slipped under the skin and settled deep inside the chest. Freya walked quietly behind the guard, her heart pounding so hard it echoed in her ears. Every step toward that dungeon made her body feel heavier, as though her guilt had turned into chains around her ankles. She tried to breathe evenly, but her throat kept tightening.
She was finally going to see them—Nicole and Daniel. The two people she had dragged into this nightmare.
When the heavy iron doors opened, the sound groaned through the stone passage. The air that escaped carried a sharp metallic scent—blood, rust, and the faint musk of damp fur. Torches lined the walls, their flames flickering weakly, throwing long, shaking shadows on the ground.
Inside, she saw them.
Nicole w
