CHAPTER 70: CHAPTER 70

"What does it look like? I’ve captured all of you, haven’t I?" Mother said with a dry sarcastic laugh.

Something brushed against my leg, and I turned to see Alice slowly raising herself from the floor. She blinked around the room, her brows knitted in deep confusion. Blood slicked down her forehead and landed on the floor. She winced in pain and attempted to raise her hand to touch her head, but her hand was trapped in the silver handcuffs.

"Laura!" Alice screamed at the top of her voice to the extent that I heard an echo in the dark room. "Laura, don’t do this. It isn’t time. You can’t..."

"Shut up or I will tie your mouth," Mother sneered at her.

Alice continued struggling to free herself, while still screaming her sister’s name.

Father swallowed hard and grimaced his face as if something bitter was stuck in his throat. "Laura, what exactly have we done to you? Why...what..." He stuttered and his voice trailed off with his shoulders slumped as if he had given up already.

He stared at the ground now. Mother crouched to his level and lifted his face to meet hers.

"You were such a good mate and leader, trying so hard to protect your people, but you couldn’t protect them from me." With that, she tossed him aside roughly, and he collapsed by the side, grunting in pain as his back scraped against the wall.

Mother got to her feet and whispered something into the ear of the man she had sent for. Afterwards, she left the room, leaving us with this man.

I recognized every one of his features and he hadn’t changed a bit. He even wore clothes that looked similar to the one he wore when I was captured here. I recalled how he broke the silver chains on my hand in just one try. If he could hold silver like it was nothing, then how much more dangerous could he be. Who could he be? The forger? Or someone working for the forger?

The room was ominously quiet.

He sat on a raised slab of stone in the center of the room, his eyes scanning each of us like we were prey. I avoided his gaze. He couldn’t remember me, could he?

My father wore a greatly disturbed expression. It was a look he wore when he felt like he’d failed his people, and his family. He would definitely be thinking of how his wife and mate could pull such a move that he had no idea about it.

Why was mother doing this to us? Who had paid her to capture us? Since childhood, I never suspected anything off about her behaviour. This was something new and shocking.

As I looked at my father, his gaze locked with mine. His eyes were heavy and they seemed to be passing a message to me, as if telling me to hold on and not give up yet.

Sasha’s eyes were still completely closed. My heart slammed against my ribs as she was the only one still unconscious or maybe dead. No. She couldn’t be dead. Her lips were bruised and her legs ashy and pale.

I stared at her for an extended period, hoping I would see the rising and falling of her chest to affirm that she was breathing, but none of that happened.

Father followed my gaze and saw that it was fixed on Sasha. He stretched his hand wanting to reach her, but gave up as the stinging silver cuffs restrained him. He groaned and breathed in a laboured manner. The effect of the silver had really weighed him down.

"She’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it." Father assured me, but I could see in his eyes that he doubted if what he said was the truth.

"Is there a problem here?" The man whom mother had referred to as Azazel stood up from the rock he sat on and advanced towards us.

"She...she...she isn’t waking up." I stuttered, shifting my gaze towards Sasha.

He glanced at Sasha before returning his attention to me.

"And how is that a problem? Isn’t the plan for all of you to die?" He squatted to my level on the floor and ran his fingers along my face. "Besides, she’s the least useful of all of you, and you’re extremely useful to us." He was now bringing his hand towards the lower part of my neck.

I shook my body, trying hard to fling his hand away, but he remained unfazed.

"Did you really think I wouldn’t remember you? We had unfinished business last time, didn’t we?"

"Leave her alone!" Father growled and used his leg to kick Azazel.

Azazel stood up and punched father hard in the face that I screamed out my lungs in fear.

"Mind your business, old man!" Azazel spat.

Father collapsed to the ground, his limbs were shaking from the effect. He had barely raised himself from the floor when Azazel stomped on his chest with his boots.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" I sobbed loudly. "Do you want to kill him? Can’t you see he’s old?"

Azazel stomped on father’s chest two more times despite my plea. I looked behind and met Alice who was also seated helplessly, watching the event unfold. She also couldn’t do anything.

He seemed to be satisfied and raised his leg from father’s chest. My eyes watered as Father coughed out blood. His shirt was covered with the dust from Azazel’s shoe. He remained limp on the floor, too weak to stand up. His eyes were shut, but I felt relieved, seeing that he was still breathing.

I whimpered as Azazel crouched to my level again.

His hand found my face again and I struggled to shrug him off, but he didn’t even flinch.

"You’re beautiful, especially now that you’re not wearing a veil."

"Please, don’t kill us." I shakily said.

He let out a wry laugh. "Of course I won’t kill you, but..."

He paused and stood up, walking towards the door. I also heard the sound that came from that direction, a harsh scraping noise like someone was dragging metal over stone.