The soldiers' hands guided Selene down the cold stone corridor.
Each echoing footstep was a hammer blow against the composure she tried
to wear .
They stopped before a cell, a cramped, shadowed space with a door that hinted at a smaller toilet . Inside, there was a narrow bed and a tiny window that reminded her of her own window back at home. The walls seemed to close in as they created a physical manifestation of her crumbling facade.
A wave of bitter humiliation washed over her, as she fought back the tears that stung her eyes .
"Go on in," Zeeb's voice, firm yet strangely restrained, cut through her thoughts.
She turned and her gaze locked with his. "Thank you..." Her words held no warmth but they carried a weight of unspoken gratitude. He had spared her further torment after she begged and she appreciated that small mercy.
Zeeb, his eyes holding a flicker of understanding, offered no reply as the iron door slammed shut, plunging Selene into darkness.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
The first thing on her mind was how she stepped outside without getting struck dead.
She had learnt never to step foot outside from the moment she started to understand words.
"Tobestruckonsight!"
The words replayed again in her head, the instructions that Monrel clearly told her each month.
The reason why she was always confined to her chambers.
The reason why she was secluded.
So why did nothing happen? Did the goddess spare her because she prayed? Was it because she was in a different pack or was it something else?
Selene's eyes, now adjusted to the dim light and they traced the stark outlines of her prison.
This was not the life she knew. Not the pampered existence, however restricted, of her father's court.
From her lifestyle where she had a well planned diet, even though it was bland, endless dresses and shoes, even though it was only a colour and thousands of books, even though her father tried to filter them.
The lowest moments of her life back at home had to be her monthly treatments with Monrel and the horrible Visits from Coral after the new moon phase.
It occurred to Selene again that her life was terrible.
From then to now.
A wave of defiance shook her as she looked around her.
She would not give up, she thought to herself. She had to devise a plan for her escape.
Then, the heavy clang of the iron door ripped through her thoughts.
Zephyr stood silhouetted against the dim light and his presence gave a dark, oppressive force that filled the room.
A brief moment of silence charged with a lot of unsaid words enveloped between the two.
Usually filled with fear, intimidation and undeniable attraction when facing Zephyr, Selene was now filled with anger.
"I know you're hiding something," Zephyr growled and his voice was a low, dangerous rumble. "Something connected to why you're here, something that keeps on stopping the rejection."
"I'm hiding nothing!" Selene retorted, her voice sharp with defiance.
"I'm not doing anything!" She snarled angrilly at him.
"Don't worry, I will unfold your secrets one by one!" He said with a low growl.
"Then go on! Be my guest. Torture me some more, kill me even! I don't care!" Selene exploded at him. "I didn't do anything to you, I don't even know who you are! I have no idea why you think I used dark magic to trap you as a mate when I can't have a mate. I don't even know how I got here!"
Zephyr's eyes narrowed and a flicker of surprise mixed with his anger. This defiance, this raw emotion she was displaying, was a stark contrast to the fragile innocence he'd seen before.
"So, the mask slips, finally. " he said, his voice laced with cold amusement. " That false innocence was irritating. I wonder what did the job, Did the prison finally break you? Or was it the punishments?"
The insults hit Selene hard. She knew within herself that she was very irritated at this moment.
It was the prison. She hated it. It reminded her of her pathetic life and there was also the fact that nothing had happened to her when she stepped out under the sky.
Her head was spinning!
"You should be prepared, I'm sure there are more ways to help take off your mask completely." Zephyr threatened.
Selene met his gaze, her own unwavering.
She knew a heartless person when she saw one, her father who she knew more than anyone in the world was a good example.
She could see that Zephyr was on that page as well. Dark hearted and heartless with no care for anything.
"If I had the power to trap a mate with dark magic," she hissed, "I certainly wouldn't waste it on a monster like you."
An uncomfortable silence descended.
Zephyr felt a storm of conflicting emotions within him: a burning hatred, a reluctant fascination, an undeniable, maddening attraction.
He wanted to know why she claimed she couldn't have a mate.
Was it a lie? A trick? Or something more?
Did she not feel the bond as well? Was he the only one feeling this madness then?
He hated the way she made him feel, the way she stirred something within him he couldn't control.
He hated that she had the blood of the Dark King in her veins and for that reason he wanted to kill her!
"You don't deserve to live," he snarled, his voice a low, venomous threat.
"Then kill me," Selene dared, her heart pounding against her ribs. "I'm not afraid."
"You should be," Zephyr whispered, his eyes dark and dangerous. He turned, his figure vanishing into the shadows.
Zephyr stormed in to his room which further fuelled his emotions because Selene's scent was everywhere.
In one brief moment, a wave of calm washed over him. He moved to his bed where this scent was at his peak and he laid down.
It was exactly twenty years since Zephyr had such a peaceful night.