FORBIDDEN TEMPTATION

ABYSSAL DUNGEON ELEANOR’S POV “Papa, please! It hurts!” I cried as the iron cuff snapped around my wrist. The metal burned like fire against my skin, and I pulled away instinctively, but the chain (Lupine’s Bane) held me firm. The place reeked of death and despair. This was the Abyssal Vault, the heart of the Silverclaw pack’s territory. A place so dangerous even the bravest wolves dared not approach. Only the Alpha could enter without losing his wolf or going insane, and my father, Lord Alaric Gitz, one of the seven most powerful Alphas in Hull City was that man. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone!” I screamed, tugging at the chain with all my strength. But it didn’t budge. Lupine’s Bane wasn’t just any chain. It was forged by witches centuries ago, it was said to be unbreakable, capable of binding even the strongest wolves. He didn’t look at me as he stood. “Eleanor, this is the only way.” “No, Papa! Please don’t leave me here!” My cries echoed off the dungeon walls. I was only nine, but I understood fear in a way no child should. Werewolves don't shift until eighteen. But I did at nine. My first shift had been a nightmare. The pain, the uncontrollable rage, the blood. I hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, but when it was over, nine of our pack’s strongest wolves lay dead. “Papa, I’m not a monster! I promise I’ll be good!” I clutched at his leg. He shook me off with ease, his expression was as hard as a stone. “You were born under a curse, Eleanor. The witch’s mark is on you, and you’ve proven it. You’re too dangerous to be free.” “I’m your daughter!” My voice broke into sobs. “You are a curse.” His tone was ice. “The day you were born, the witch cursed your mother and me, saying you would destroy both the human realm and the wolves’ realm. I won’t let that happen. Stay here for ten years. When the curse breaks, you will lose your wolf.” I watched as he turned and began to walk away. “Papa, no! Don’t leave me! I’m scared!” My knees scraped against jagged stone as I tried to crawl after him, but the chain held me back. He paused at the base of the stairs, his broad shoulders were rigid. For a heartbeat, I thought he might turn around, that he might see me not as a curse, but as his little girl. But he didn’t. The door slammed shut, plunging the Vault into darkness. “Papa…” I whispered, hoarse and broken. But there was no answer. I was nine years old, locked away in the Abyssal Vault with Lupine’s Bane chaining my powers. The cursed child of the Silverclaw pack. Abandoned by my father, the Witchslasher Alpha—the man who was supposed to protect me. --- PRESENT DAY – Nine Years Later The chains rattled as I shifted. My wrists and ankles bore scars etched deep into my skin. Each crescent mark burned with power I could neither control nor escape. The gate groaned open just wide enough for a hand to toss a piece of moldy bread into my cell. It landed at my feet with a dull thud. I didn’t bother to pick it up. Hunger was nothing compared to the ache in my soul. For nine years, I had been a ghost to the world. Eleanor Gitz is dead, they said. Gone and forgotten. But I wasn’t dead. I was here, hidden in the depths of the Silverclaw’s most feared prison. My father had made sure of it. To the world, Lord Alaric Gitz was a hero, the Alpha who brought Hull City to its knees, who purged the witches and cleansed the realm. But to me, he was my tormentor. A man who looked at his daughter and saw nothing but a curse. My power was uncontrollable. That was why he cast me into the Abyssal Vault. I was his greatest fear. The one thing he couldn’t control. Footsteps echoed. I froze, lifting my head. A scent reached me but unfamiliar. My eyes locked onto him. A stranger stood at the edge of my cell. His piercing blue gaze caught mine, and my breath hitched. He was handsome, even in rugged simplicity. He wore denim jeans with a fitted blue polo. He carried an aura that didn’t belong in this cursed place. For a moment, I couldn’t move. Who was he? He didn’t look like a prisoner, but he didn’t belong here either. Was he here by mistake or had fate brought him? As he stepped closer, the oppressive aura of the Vault seemed to bend, as if it recognized him… or feared him. Before I could speak, the sharp echo of boots broke the spell. Guards shouted beyond the corridor, flashlights slicing through the dark. “Thieves in the building!” My heart leapt. The stranger’s smile deepened. Was he the thief they were hunting? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. If he was, why had he come here—into the most forbidden place in the Silverclaw territory? And why was he staring at me like that? “Check the Abyssal!” a guard barked. “Don’t be foolish!” another snapped. “That place is a death trap. Only the Alpha can enter without losing his wolf. Everyone knows that. Unless the thief has a death wish, he won’t go near it.” The first guard grumbled but relented, their footsteps retreating as they moved on. The stranger’s eyes glittered. “So the legends were true. Ancient treasures lie within these Vaults.” Yes. Priceless relics were kept here. “Who are you?” he asked softly. “And why would Lord Alaric chain someone like you in this place?” The question struck me harder than the chains ever had. No one had ever asked me that. No one had ever cared. Before I could answer, he stepped closer. His eyes glittered, piercing straight through me. “You’re… breathtaking. Even in chains, you steal the air from my lungs. I’ve never seen anyone like you in Hull City.” My heart stumbled. No—this can’t be. My wolf was supposed to be gone. Yet deep inside, something fierce stirred, clawing against the darkness. No. I bit down on the thought, shaking my head. I would not feel this. But my body betrayed me. My pulse thundered, and before I could cage it, the word slipped past my lips in a broken, reverent whisper: “Mate.”