Chapter 33

Elara

A thick, suffocating darkness enveloped me as I opened my eyes. It felt so suffocating and impenetrable that it made my senses slow to awaken, almost like I was fighting to break out of its hold. When my consciousness finally breached the surface, a wave of panic washed over me. I was disoriented, my mind racing to comprehend my surroundings. I knew that my eyes were open, but they didn't adjust to accommodate the darkness. It was almost as if I had lost my sense of sight.

The air was thick with the scent of decay, and it made me nauseous. The silence around me was so profound that it seemed to press against my ears.

My body ached all over as if I had been run over by a bus, and panic seized me as the events that had happened before I lost consciousness flooded my mind. The darkness in the room, the struggle with the figure, the overpowering force that had knocked me unconscious. Terror clawed at my insides as I realized that whoever it was had succeeded in capturing me.

My limbs were restrained, icy metal biting into my flesh and I thrashed against the chains, desperation fueling my efforts. They held firm against my frantic struggles.

A cold sweat broke out as I tried to discern the shape of the room, I tried to find anything that would serve as a point of reference or that could dispel the consuming dread that I felt.

A low, guttural chuckle echoed through the darkness, and it sent a chill down my spine. It sounded very familiar.

Silas?

"Ah, the precious Elara. Awake at last, are we? How does it feel to be back where you belong?" The voice sounded almost like Silas, but it was distorted, as if it was being filtered through something.

Did Silas just sound different? Or was it someone else attempting to imitate him?

"Did you really think that you were so far away that I couldn't get to you?" he asked. His voice was closer now, meaning he had moved, and my heart sank to my stomach when I realized how helpless I was against him.

I couldn't hear the sound of his footsteps as he moved around the room. I couldn't see him or determine what part of the room he was in. Even when I tried to hone my Siren senses, it was still useless, and worst of all was the fact that he had no scent, so I couldn't even tell who it really was.

"You have no idea what your escape caused me. I've lost everything! And for what? A little taste of your damned freedom? A life of mediocrity? You were destined for greatness, Elara. You belonged amongst the most powerful army the world has ever known, but you threw it all away, and you brought me down along with you," he said, and my head started hurting from the confusion that I felt.

I wanted to scream at this man, to lash out at him, but my voice felt like it was trapped in my throat. I was not only a prisoner of my restraints but also of the terror that seized my frame.

"It was my mission to find you and bring you back. Finding you wasn't the problem. That was pretty easy. I still can't understand how you managed to get the protection of an all-Alpha pack. Regardless, I failed in my mission. And you know what happens when you fail Silas' missions?" he asked. This time I could tell that he had moved to stand in front of me, and so I sneered in his direction, defiance bubbling in my stomach regardless of the helplessness of my situation.

"Such a defiant little thing. It's no wonder Silas nearly lost his mind when you escaped. Your potential is not lost to us, but your stupidity has cost more than you can ever imagine. But fear not, I shall rectify this mistake. You will be ours once more, and this time, you will never escape," he said, backing up away from me.

And a cold dread seized me. I knew what he meant. He was going to ignite the bond again.

A small flicker of light finally filled the space and it pierced through the suffocating darkness, casting grotesque shadows on the wall. I could finally see clearly.

There was a man standing at the edge of the room, his face hidden by the heavy cloak that he wore but it wasn't even him that caught my attention. It was the figure standing beside him that froze my blood.

Naya.

"Well, well, well, look who I have with me. Your dearest friend and your faithful companion. All my efforts to find you proved to be futile. Until, of course, I found the best help," he mocked.

"Naya?" My voice sounded small when I finally spoke. I could hear my heart breaking into a million pieces inside my chest. This couldn't be happening.

"How could you do this to me?" My voice was shaky, and I felt the angry tears sting at my eyes.

His words felt like a dagger to my heart. I wanted to say a million things, but I couldn't even find the words to begin with. It was all a lie. Everything she had told me was a lie. She had penetrated through the safety of my cocoon, only to stab me in the back.

Naya only continued to stand there, looking like a ghost of her former self. Her eyes, once filled with warmth and laughter, were now vacant and filled with tears that I refused to believe were genuine. A look of shame and resignation was etched on her face, but I longed to grab and shake her until her teeth rattled.

My heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces. The betrayal that I felt was a physical pain; a wound that ripped through my soul.

"Well, now that this beautiful reunion is out of the way now, we can focus on the main event. I will reforge the bond that you broke when you escaped. And this time, I'll make sure that there will be no escape possible for you ever again."

He produced an artifact that I immediately recognized as Silas', holding it out in my direction. He began to chant, his voice a haunting melody that carried an undercurrent of menace. The air crackled with dark energy, forming tendrils that reached out toward me.

The artifact thrummed with an ominous energy, sputtering to life, and I felt a cold dread seep into my bones, a premonition to the impending doom I was about to face. It glowed brighter as his voice got louder, and it began casting eerie shadows that danced and twisted around us. I felt a strange pull, a magnetic force drawing me toward the object, and my body trembled involuntarily, as if resisting an unseen current.

My eyes widened with terror, and I writhed my body in desperation. But the chains held firm, binding me to the stone wall like a sacrificial offering.

The room seemed to vibrate with the intensity of the spell. The air crackled with energy, and the shadows contorted as if they were coming to life. Finally, he raised his arm above his head, and I braced myself for the inevitable.

But then, something unexpected happened. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naya move, jumping in front of me. I couldn't even get the words out before the energy struck her, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

I screamed, my voice a raw, desperate cry, but the man, undeterred, refocused his attention on me once again.

The energy surged again, but this time, the artifact sputtered, its glow flickering and dimming. The spell faltered.

"What the hell?" he growled, his voice filled with rage, and he tried to focus the spell again. But it was useless. The magic was dying, defeated by some unseen force.

I watched as Naya struggled to pull herself up. She looked like she had no more strength left in her, but she fought to sit right in front of me, determined to disrupt the bonding ceremony.

A surge of hope ignited within me, along with a flicker of defiance. But before I could savor this brief victory, weakness washed over me. My vision blurred, and I felt the world tilt around me.

I heard a commotion from outside, but before I could bring myself to focus on it, my consciousness slipped away, and I felt myself fading into the dark abyss.