CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 34: FAR TOO WEAK

I won’t let any man touch me the way Torrin does!

As they lecherously begin taking off their clothes, I shut my eyes and pour everything I have into calming my heart and emptying my mind, refusing to let panic take control.

I try to remember every detail in the books about controlling my ShadowBind.

Weakly yet steadily, power stirs through me, rising like a dark tide.

Then,...

I snap my eyes open and yell, "Don’t you dare touch me!"

The three Gammas freeze with their hands only inches away from me, their eyes widening in terror.

"P-please... don’t k-kill us," one stammers, quickly understanding what’s going on.

"Free me," I command.

They scramble to obey, unfastening the restraints as quickly as they can.

The moment I’m released, I give my next order. "Now, kill each other."

Without hesitation, they wolf out and turn on one another, claws ripping and teeth tearing. As they fight to the death, I hurriedly pull my clothes back on and move to the digital steel door. I press my palm against the scanner, but of course, my biometrics don’t register. Only Dr. Reyes can open it.

With no other choice, I slam the red button beside the door.

The TV screen mounted on the wall flickers to life. And Dr. Reyes and Atticus appear on the feed, horrified as they watch the Gammas bleeding to death on the laboratory floor while I stand untouched.

"Free me, or I’ll use my ShadowBind on you too," I demand coldly.

Killing Dr. Reyes would be stupid, of course, coz I still need her biometrics to get out of here. But she needs to believe I’m seconds away from snapping.

I glare into Atticus’ face and scream, "Kill yourself, Atticus! Die now!"

Surprisingly,...

Nothing happens.

Atticus only glares back, jaw clenched.

The ShadowBind still pulses in my veins... so why isn’t it working?

I haven’t finished studying all the books yet, but the only explanation I can think of is I can’t use it on someone who’s only on a screen.

Before I can test the theory further, the TV abruptly shuts off. Then the lock clicks, and the door swings open.

About a dozen white wolves flood into the laboratory, lunging at me at once, provoking me to shout, "All of you die!"

Instantly, they wheeze for air, before collapsing then dying one after another.

The power drains me too fast since I carelessly use it against many all at the same time. My vision blurs, and my stomach twists until nausea bursts through my mouth.

When more white wolves rush in, I try to use my ShadowBind again.

But,...

It didn’t work this time since I’m far too weak.

I also try to wolf out to have a chance to defend myself.

But,...

My wolf can’t respond for the same reason.

When they know I can’t fight back, they shift into their human forms. They seize me, drag me through the corridors then the hospital’s parking space, and shove me into the trunk of a car.

After a short drive, they haul me out again and toward the prison, which is quieter, eerily so. Gone is the earlier chaos.

Where are those Frostveil werewolves who are protesting when they found out that Alpha Torrin is still alive?

I’m shoved and locked up into a cell, which is directly across from Alpha Torrin’s.

"Alpha Torrin!" I call out, clutching the rusty bars.

He weakly meets my gaze, but there’s no recognition of who I am.

"It’s me, Harleigh Hale, your fated mate, your future wife," I say, tears falling from my eyes.

He lowers his eyes, either not hearing me or simply too weak to care about anything else.

Then,...

Exaggerated claps echo, snapping my attention toward Damian as he appears from the stairs.

"What a heartfelt scene." He crouches in front of me on the other side of the rusty bars. "By the way, all of your efforts to provoke unrest among our pack have gone in vain. Those who insisted on freeing Torrin were either killed or jailed. And the majority of them were tamed out of fear that they may face the same fate, and out of hopelessness when they saw with their own eyes how impotent Torrin has become. They realized that letting dad lead us is the best thing for the pack to ever happen."

My heart sinks. If I don’t love Alpha Torrin, or if the bond I’m feeling for him isn’t as strong, I’d probably give up on him too. He looks... painfully irreparable.

-Killing Damian will save Torrin.- The multi-eyed seer’s spine-chilling voice echoes through my mind.

While Damian wickedly enjoys staring at Alpha Torrin, I try to protrude my claws, hoping to kill him, but... my strength still hasn’t returned, that even a partial transformation isn’t possible.

Horrifyingly,...

Damian gestures at the Gammas, and immediately they begin vehemently whipping Alpha Torrin. His skin splits open, blood oozing down his trembling body, while his excruciating screams tear through the air without pause.

I clutch the fabric of Damian’s shirt and plead. "Please, I’ll do everything you want! Tell them to stop this now!"

He tucks my hair behind my ear and replies, "You said that to me before. But look what you’ve done. Do you think I can still trust you?"

I nod. "Yes, because you love me. And you need my love to summon your wolf again, right?"

His silence, plus the longing and hope flickering sharply in his eyes confirms what I have been suspecting.

I continue, "I’ll give you all of me. But you have to free Alpha Torrin. Exile him far from here. As you said, he’s completely incapable now. So he’s no threat to you or your father anymore."

"I’m not stupid," he counters. "I’ll make him... and you too, experience the same living hell you made me go through."

"So, you don’t want me back? What about your wolf?" I ask, desperately hoping it might make him yield.

He stands and turns his back to me. "I can wolf-out again once I learn and survive severing the last remaining threads of my bond with you. But, if I don’t survive it, I already asked dad to kill you and Torrin in the most gruesome way he can."

He leaves without glancing back, no matter how much I beg him to come back.

On the other hand, the Gammas only stop Alpha Torrin’s torture when they grow tired.

Alpha Torrin barely moves, slumped on the floor with his hands shackled to the wall. The only thing telling me he’s still alive is my wolf’s connection to his own.

"I’m sorry. I made everything worse," I whisper, sinking to the floor.

I fall asleep crying, and when I wake up, the first thing I do is frantically look toward Alpha Torrin’s cell to see how he’s doing now.

Unfortunately, he’s still slumped on the floor.

I turn to the Gammas, who have stern faces, and beg, "Can you call a healer for him? He might die if his wounds aren’t treated as soon as possible."

One of them answers flatly, "We only follow the orders of Alpha Atticus and soon-to-be Alpha Damian."

I’m still far too weak and emotionally shattered to even attempt activating the ShadowBind again.

Time passes slowly, and I barely let my gaze drift away from Alpha Torrin’s battered form. Every shallow rise of his chest keeps me breathing; every stillness threatens to tear me apart.

Soon, my stomach growls fiercely.

"When are we going to get food, or even a glass of water?" I ask.

"The two of you won’t get any, as per soon-to-be Alpha Damian’s orders," the Gamma replies.

Suddenly,...

My vision blurs again. A wave of nausea crushes me, and I vomit again.

This is probably the result of overusing my ShadowBind. Sleep clearly wasn’t enough to recover.

The vomiting continues until my whole body begins trembling.

Am I going to die here? But, I can’t. I haven’t saved Alpha Torrin yet.

As my consciousness begins slipping away, the Gammas finally panic. "We can’t let her die! She’s still needed for the experiment!"

Hurried and frantic footsteps echo then fade. After that, everything goes dark. I’m too weak to hold on any longer.

.

.

.

When my consciousness returns, I’m no longer in the cell. I’m lying in a hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown.

And,...

On a nearby couch sits Damian. He’s lost in thought, looking guilty.

"Thank you for allowing me to be treated here," I say, then hesitantly add, "I hope you did the same to Alpha Torrin coz he needs this more than I do."

He doesn’t respond, let alone glance at me.

I wanna persuade him further until I hear him say, ’Yes, I did. Alpha Torrin is okay now’.

But,...

He doesn’t.

Both of us look up when a doctor enters the room, a medical folder tucked under her arm. She flips through the papers briefly, then lifts her eyes to me with an unreadable expression.

"I’m not sure if this should delight you or make you more worried," she says. "You’re pregnant."

The words strike like a lightning bolt, freezing everything inside me.

Damian straightens in his seat, shock widening his silver eyes.

Pregnant?

At a time like this?