Bitten by My Enemy Alpha

Chapter 5: Family

When Henrietta woke up, she heard the faint dripping of water echo somewhere in the darkness. Her head was throbbing. Her body felt heavy and sore.

She softly groaned as she slowly sat up. She then realized she was on the stone floor, inside a dungeon cell. When her gaze pierced to the chains clinked softly around her wrists.

Then, her breath caught when she looked down and saw the dried blood staining her hands.

Memories flashed behind her eyes.

Hezekiah's shout... The smell of metallic, tangy blood... The sound of metal breaking... Her own roar...

She pressed her palms to her temple, trembling. Even the color of her face had drained.

"No... no, I didn't... Zeke..." Her voice cracked. She didn't remember everything, only fragments. All her body could remember was the rage, pain, and fear.

Outside her cell, a pair of guards whispered before walking away. With how eerie the surroundings were, she loudly heard their footsteps fade, leaving her alone.

Henrietta curled her knees to her chest, trying to calm her breathing. She didn't know how long she had been detained and worried how Hezekiah was doing.

Not only that, her body still felt strange. Her sense of hearing was quite sensitive, her sense of sight was as clear as crystal, and her sense of smell was sharper than before.

Her throat tightened. "Hezekiah..." she whispered, closing her eyes. "What did I do?"

She was on the verge of tears. Not only had she realized that she hurt her twin brother, but the fact that she would be executed soon, uncertain when, because she knew that while being in her wolf form, she managed to kill some of the guards and high-ranking knights.

She would never forgive herself. She couldn't understand why, but she felt satisfaction and guilt that she got to avenge her brother for what they did to him.

Now, she wanted to know if he was alright.

The sound of footsteps pulled her from her thoughts. Henrietta stiffened and became alert, her heart pounding. She prepared herself that this might be the end for her as she would be forever branded as the tainted one.

The torchlight flickered faintly outside the bars before a familiar voice whispered, "Henrietta."

A gasp almost escaped from her lips while her eyes widened. "Z-Zeke?" she muttered in disbelief and relief.

Hezekiah appeared from the dark, limping badly, his left leg wrapped in rough bandages. His face was pale, but his amethyst eyes glowed in determination.

He placed his forefinger to his mouth. "Keep quiet. I don't have much time."

Tears filled her eyes as she scrambled closer to the bars. A sharp, searing pain shot through her palms as she stumbled back, her hands shaking uncontrollably and burning, and she barely stifled a scream.

"W-What..." Henrietta bit her lower lip from pain. She had never felt this kind of pain before. She was supposed to be immune to pain, but why did it feel so painful?

Her palms were blistering and emanating a foul odor as tears streamed down her face. They were covered in third-degree burns.

Hezekiah looked at her with melancholy in his eyes. "This cell is smeared with wolfsbane, Hetta..." he paused, making her eyes widen in horror.

Wolfsbane was considered lethal and toxic to werewolves. Every hunter knew that fact.

Henrietta's lips parted, quivering as her amethyst eyes darted at the cells. She didn't need more elaboration.

She realized that the bite had transformed her into the very tainted beast she had always hunted, and now she was one of them.

Henrietta's breath hitched as the truth sank in. She shook her head slowly, her tears dripping to the cold stone floor. "No... that can't be true," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm not—"

"You are," Hezekiah said softly, cutting her off. His tone was firm yet gentle, as if afraid the truth itself would shatter her. "The council decided to keep it quiet for now, but they've already ordered your execution."

He also wanted to keep her emotions in check in revealing this information because her first transformation had caused her to wreak havoc. And it caused more than 15 casualties amongst the 20 hunters who reprimanded her because of how strong and wild Henrietta's wolf form was.

He would never forget how her wolf form protected him. Even though it was ferocious and untamed, he saw the sole goal of the beast then.

Hezekiah concluded that the injury he suffered was the reason Henrietta finally transformed into the beast they considered one of their enemies.

Henrietta lowered her gaze. "I know," she whispered, her voice weak. "Purification means death." Bitterness tainted her tone. "But when, Zeke? When is it?" She gawked at him with a deadpan expression, trying to cover the fear that was about to spill.

He hesitated, heaving out a low sigh for a second before coercing a bitter smile. "Midnight," he said quietly. "It's almost time. And that will be two hours away."

The color of her face drained, and she backed slightly, her chains clinking. "Midnight?" she echoed, her chest heaving up and down.

They were really after her head, she thought. Even though Hezekiah wouldn't say anything about what happened after, she didn't need to know.

The hastening of her execution was the answer.

Hezekiah's limp worsened as he crouched closer to her cell door. "That's why I'm here," he murmured. "I'm not letting them take you."

Henrietta's eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-You can't..." She shook her head. "Z-Zeke, you're injured! You shouldn't even be walking."

For that moment, she didn't know why, but she could have wished that her brother's injury would easily heal just as what happened to her before. But her hands... were a different story.

They were taking a long time to get healed because of the wolfsbane.

Hezekiah ignored her protests and took out a small key from his pocket, snapping her back to reality. "I don't care. You're my sister. My twin sister. I won't stand by while they burn you alive for something you couldn't control."

She swallowed, her visions blurring from his words as she watched him unlock the cell. "They'll kill you if they find out," she whispered.

Hezekiah gave a faint, tired smile. "They won't. I am still one of the best henchmen in the Order. They won't easily discard me."

"Yet they can do it to me," she pointed out.

He didn't say anything. She got distracted when the lock clicked open, echoing faintly in the distance. He caught her arm gently, helping her up even as she winced from the sting of the wolfsbane still clinging to her skin.

"Can you stand?" he asked softly.

Henrietta nodded weakly, gripping his sleeve for balance. "Yes... I think so."

"Good." Hezekiah fished out something from his pocket. It was a new roll of bandage before he reached out to her hands and wrapped them. "I knew something like this is going to happen, so I brought it," he uttered. "You're not used to the changes of your body. But this can do. I'm sorry if I don't have any antidote to counter wolfsbane."

Henrietta blinked, trying to hold back her tears. "It's fine... Bondage will do."

She felt guilty.

Hezekiah, who was her twin, had been always cared for her welfare, even though she was sometimes reckless. He never stopped worrying for her and always thought of her before himself.

After that, he led her and freed her from the chains as he glanced down the corridor. "We have to move. Now. Before the guards change shift."

Henrietta wanted to protest, but there was no time for that now. She followed Hezekiah quietly, the sound of their footsteps muffled by the cold stone floor. Her heart was pounding so hard she could barely breathe.

Hezekiah limped ahead, his injured leg dragging slightly, but he never slowed down.

She couldn't help but bit her lower lip upon seeing his injury. She had wished that he had the same ability as hers where she could fully heal after grazing a wound.

Hezekiah noticed her gaze and softened, giving her a reassurance smile before gesturing his hand that they must stay quiet to avoid alerting the guards.

He knew every corner of the fortress. Every corridor, every secret door the Order thought long forgotten.

No. Only those who had proven to the Order that they were the best amongst the rest could be entrusted the secret doors. That was why he had the privilege.

They reached a dim corridor behind the armor, where a worn tapestry hung crookedly. Hezekiah gripped the edge and pulled it aside, revealing a narrow stone door barely visible in the shadows.

Henrietta blinked. "This path..." She knew this. She was already brief about this route.

"The old escape route to the catacombs," he said. "From there, the drainage tunnel leads out of Argenthal. It's your only chance."

She looked at him, noticing how pale he was. "Zeke, come with me. Please."

He smiled meekly, his expression softened. "I can't." He shook his head, smiling weakly. "If they find us both gone, they'll hunt us immediately. But if I stay..." he paused, exhaling shakily. "I can buy you time."

He gritted his teeth as he leaned against the wall, his injured leg barely holding him up. "You have to go now," he uttered. "Before the guards return."

Henrietta violently shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can't leave you here, Zeke. Not like this."

There was no way that she would the only one who escaped this place. Even though there was assurance that the Council wasn't going to touch him, but once he helped her, he would be considered a traitor.

Hezekiah's expression hardened, though his eyes were soft with pain. "You have to," he said firmly. "If they catch you, it's over."

"But they'll know you helped me—"

"They won't," he interrupted, shaking his head. "They'll think you killed me and fled alone. It's the only way they won't question it."

Her breath hitched from his plan, her heart feeling like being stabbed by a thousand of arrows. "Don't say that," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I could never—"

"I know," he said softly. "But they don't. That's what matters."

He reached into his coat and pulled out two items. It was a familiar rapier, and a small silver ring engraved with faint runes that shimmered under the dim torchlight.

"Take these," he murmured, pressing them into her wounded hands. "The sword is yours. It belongs with you. No one else. And this ring... it has an incantation charm. It will change your appearance for a while. Enough to hide the red hair and the purple eyes."

Henrietta stared at the ring, her tears blurring her sight. "How... How long will it last?"

"Until the moon starts to fade... a few days at most," he answered. "After that, it will no longer work. But it'll keep you safe long enough to escape Argenthal's borders."

Her throat tightened as she slipped the ring onto her burned hand. A faint glow wrapped around her.

Her red hair began to change to raven black, her purple eyes became amber.

"Zeke..." she whispered after witnessing her new appearance. "Why are you doing this? You'll be branded a traitor if they ever find out."

His lips drew out a small smile, though the weariness in his eyes betrayed him. "Because you're my sister," he replied. "My only family left. I'd rather be branded a traitor than watch them take you away."

He didn't mention about their father who had turned his back on his daughter. Hezekiah would never forgive their father for that.

A lump formed in her throat. She wanted to argue, to beg him to come, but his tone, his gaze, his point left no room for refusal.

Hezekiah reached out, brushing his thumb against her wet cheeks as if memorizing her face. "Go, Hetta," he whispered, urging. "While you still can."

Her vision blurred, but Hezekiah just gently wiped them off as she nodded, barely able to breathe. She turned toward the narrow escape door, clutching her rapier close to her chest.

"I'll come back for you, brother," she promised, gulping.

Hezekiah's smile deepened, looking proud despite how pale he was. "I know you will. We're twins, after all."

With one last look at her brother, Henrietta hugged him so tight to assure him before slipping through the passage. The stone door closed behind her with a dull thud, leaving Hezekiah alone in the darkness.

His hand still outstretched toward where she had stood moments ago. Then, he clasped his hands, his eyes darting at the moon.

'Moon Goddess of the werewolves, please protect my sister and keep her safe.'

Though he never believed about Her existence, nothing will lose from him if he dared to pray and seek Her protection for his sister. He would do anything just to protect her...