Chapter Nine: The Beast
774 Words
The chamber trembled with the growl of the hound.
Its eyes glowed like embers in the dark, locked on Mia as though she were prey. The chain that bound it rattled violently, metal scraping stone, the beast pulling against it with savage force.
Mia’s grip on the dagger tightened. Her heart hammered so loudly it drowned out every other sound. Her throat was dry, her lungs heaved for air, and her legs threatened to give out beneath her.
She whispered to herself, voice trembling. “This isn’t real… it can’t be real.”
But it was. The beast’s hot breath filled the chamber, its teeth glinting in the candlelight. The watchers in the shadows murmured among themselves, eager, almost gleeful.
Adrian’s jaw tightened. He stood just outside the circle of light, his fists clenched at his sides. “She isn’t ready for this,” he muttered, his voice low, nearly drowned in the growl of the hound.
Sofia’s laughter cut through the tension, sharp and mocking. “Then she will be torn apart. Better for us all.”
The patriarch silenced her with a glance. His cold eyes never left Mia. “Survive, girl. Or die here.”
The chain clinked again. Then, with a sudden snap, it fell loose.
The beast lunged.
Mia screamed and stumbled back, the sound of its claws scratching stone echoing around her. She raised the dagger instinctively, her arms trembling as the hound’s weight crashed toward her.
At the last moment, she ducked aside. The hound’s massive body slammed into the ground where she’d been standing, its snarl filling the chamber.
The watchers roared in approval.
Mia’s breath came in sharp gasps. She scrambled across the cold stone floor, clutching the dagger so tightly her knuckles whitened. I can’t do this. I can’t fight that thing.
But the hound was already turning, its glowing eyes blazing with hunger. It lunged again, faster this time.
Mia darted behind one of the heavy pillars that lined the chamber, her back pressed hard against the cold surface. Her heart pounded in her ears.
The hound’s claws scraped stone. Its growl grew closer. She could feel the vibrations of its weight moving around the pillar.
Her mind screamed at her. Run. Hide. Fight. Anything.
But her body was frozen.
“Mia!”
Her head snapped up. Adrian’s voice. His eyes burned with urgency as he met hers across the chamber.
“Don’t run from it,” he said, his voice sharp, commanding. “If you run, it will hunt you down. Stand your ground!”
Tears burned Mia’s eyes. “I can’t—”
“Yes, you can.” His tone was like iron, steady, unbreakable. “Trust yourself. And remember… it can bleed.”
The hound growled, circling the pillar. Mia’s grip on the dagger shook, her whole arm trembling.
It can bleed.
Her breath came quicker. The beast lunged again, rounding the pillar with terrifying speed. Its eyes locked on her. Its jaws opened wide, ready to tear into her flesh.
Mia screamed and thrust the dagger forward.
Steel met flesh.
The blade sank into the hound’s shoulder, hot blood splattering across her arm. The beast howled in rage, its massive body thrashing violently. Mia was flung back against the pillar, the dagger nearly torn from her grip.
The watchers gasped. Some hissed. Others clapped, exhilarated.
The beast staggered, then shook itself violently, crimson dripping from its wound. Its glowing eyes turned back to Mia, angrier than before.
She panted heavily, her chest heaving, her arms shaking from the force of the strike. Her mind reeled. I hurt it. I actually hurt it.
But there was no time to celebrate. The beast crouched low, muscles coiling.
It lunged again.
Mia barely had time to roll aside. Its massive claws scraped the stone where she’d been, sparks flying. She stumbled to her feet, clutching the dagger with both hands.
Her whole body screamed at her to collapse. To give up. To let it end.
But Adrian’s voice echoed in her head. Trust yourself.
The hound snarled, preparing for another strike.
Mia wiped the sweat and blood from her brow, her knuckles white around the dagger. She raised it again, her arms steadier this time.
Her voice was low, trembling but defiant. “I’m not prey.”
The hound growled, muscles rippling, ready to tear her apart.
Mia squared her stance, heart pounding with terror and something fiercer—determination.
The watchers leaned forward. Adrian’s fists clenched tighter. Sofia smirked with cruel delight.
And then—
The hound leapt.
The chapter ended in a blur of teeth, steel, and Mia’s desperate cry.
- Writer
