Chapter Twenty Five

Lillian

As I sit against the cold hard wall, I can’t help but wonder if the reason he grew so meek and seemed glad we stopped talking about the story is because it is somehow related to him. I won’t dare ask, though, because I know he will never tell me.

But what if someone loved him so much that they wished they were a wolf to be with him? Could that be why he was cursed? Maybe something went wrong.

I just can’t bring myself to say anything, especially after I asked him to distract me.

Grandmother moans in the cell next to me, distracting me from my thoughts. “Are you okay?”

“What hit me? Did anyone catch the broom that whacked me?”

I move as close to the bars as I can and reach through them to twirl her gray locks between my fingers. “Two of his men were standing next to you. I’m not sure what they did to you, but you dropped after. Neither hit you. Now we are in the dungeon beneath the alpha house.”

“Those worthless imbeciles. They are supposed to protect the pack, not injure them.” She looks up at me, her eyes sunken from not feeling well. “I feel rough and there is a spot on my back that is too sore.”

My eyes roam down to her wrists, where the cuffs gleam in the dim light. “It’s the silver cuffs. Have you ever noticed that Corbin and his dad can handle silver without it bothering them?”

She chuckles. "That blasted witch left some secrets, after all."

“What are you talking about?” I gently lift my hands and rest them against the bars between us.

“I can only say so much,” she whispers.

"I do, but what if I tell you what I know and see if you can shake your head if I'm on the right track? Do you think you can do that?”

She looks at me suspiciously before slowly moving her head to look at the bottom of the staircase. "Okay, let's try that."

“You are not going to like this, but I can talk to the beast in the woods.”

Oddly, she doesn’t say anything for a solid minute, which causes me to panic. Then she laughs. “It’s about time.”

“I’m going to ignore you for a moment, so we can hopefully figure things out. He told me it was a witch who cursed him because he didn’t fall for her. So, she got mad and cursed him to roam the woods, except for two nights. Once during the new moon and once during the full moon. He used the night of the new moon to roll in my bed, which is why I was gone for a week after. His scent caused my wolf to surface.”

“Wait, are you serious? That is what happened to cause your wolf to come out?” She struggles to sit up with the chains burning into her wrists, but eventually she does and pulls the sheet over herself. “I knew something happened, but you didn’t tell me about this.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s not like I can proudly proclaim I can hear the beast in my mind. Anyway, a bit ago, I told him about the story my parents told me about the woman longing to become a wolf to be with her lover. His emotions felt weird.”

She looks down at her hands, watching the silver cuffs biting into her skin. “You are close, Lillian. So close.”

“Did the beast run from the witch and end up getting cursed? But it’s not because she wanted to become a wolf. It’s because she was angry that her magic didn’t work on him?”

She sighs heavily as she glances up at me. Then her head dips down.

I finally have my answer, but how do I free him?

Before I can ask her, she looks up at me with a solemn gaze.

“You have a hard choice to make. Though no one can tell you the full story because of being bound, when that choice comes, you’ll know. You will have to mean what you claim. That is all I can tell you without evoking the binding. You speaking to him in your mind should be a clue about what is the right choice as well. Time reveals all.”

“We don’t have time. I have days until the full moon. Less than a week to be accurate. He will keep me in this dungeon until the night of our ceremony.”

"Things are never as they seem, my sweet child. The answer is under your nose, and you'll figure it out." Her eyes close as she drifts off against the wall.

I pull away from the bars and lean against the wall again. Now that I have a clearer picture, there are only a few things left to find out.

How do I free him?

Will freeing him save my grandfather’s pack as well?

Will they accept us as their alphas?

What if I’m making a huge mistake?

Right as I close my eyes, one detail stands out. A white wolf was in the story. What if a white wolf is the key to his freedom?

White wolves run in our family, but none have been solid.

Not until me. Does that mean I’m the key?

With that thought, my eyes slide closed and I fall asleep for a while. The hours blend together as we remain imprisoned over the next day. Corbin has the audacity to come into my cell and ask me if I will be his obedient little mate.

A smile spreads across my face as I think about all the ways I have come up with to say no since he asked more than once. This particular incident ended with me spitting on his shoe and throwing my water cup at him, which he sadly dodged, and once he got close enough again, I kicked him in the shin.

The other visits became frequent, and he seemed to come every single hour until dusk.

He just doesn’t get it. Corbin was truly shocked by my refusal to become his mate. It’s like his mind can’t comprehend why I wouldn’t want to.

Why don't I beg for this?

After he stops coming for a while and the skies turn dark, I sit along the wall, thinking of when he’ll come again.

His first mistake in asking me was just that. Asking me. The second is asking me to be obedient. The third reason is because he’s a disgusting prick. Why would I want to be with him when he has treated me so horribly?

I’d rather see his head depart his body, just as his father’s had.

A while passes as I think things through again and then I hear his familiar steps coming down the stairs.

Oh, great. Here he comes again.

Turning my head in the opposite direction, I let out a scoff. There is no point in even meeting his gaze. Instead of intimidating him, it only encourages him.

"Still not talking to me? What are you going to do this time? Bite a finger off?" He laughs to himself as he comes close, but not close enough that I actually can. I wouldn't want to put his fingers in my mouth anyway because I don't know where they've been.

The very thought sends a shiver down my spine, but he mistakes it for excitement instead of disgust. "Oh, do you like that idea?"

I sigh and turn slowly to face him. "You are just gross and no, I don't want that."

He smirks as he checks me from head to toe, then his gaze lands on the cuffs. "This could all be over if you'd just agree. You're going to end up my mate in a few days as it is. Why suffer like this?"

"It's one less day I have to see your ugly mug."

I growl, letting my teeth shift, though it zaps my energy.

This only seems to thrill him. "I love it when you're feisty. Maybe you can sink those pretty little fangs into my throat and mark me as yours already.”

"Oh, shut up, Corbin," my Grandmother chides from her cell next to mine. "You are nothing but a colossal idiot."

He looks appalled as his jaw falls open, but he recovers quickly. "You will learn when to keep that mouth shut, old hag."

"Don't you talk to my Grandmother like that!" I lunge for him, but the chains hold me back, burning into my skin and causing me to let out a hiss of pain. "When I get out of here, you're dead."

Corbin clicks his tongue as he takes a step away from the bars. "After I mark you, you won't be able to resist me. I will call to parts of you that you didn't know existed."

My lips pinch closed as I try to think of how I truly feel about his words, but there are only three that come to mind. “In your dreams.”

"Well, that is enough for today. I will bid you goodnight and I will come back tomorrow. Maybe you’ll have a different answer for me then.”

He heads for the stairs and disappears; the door slamming behind him. I'm unable to meet her gaze as she looks over at me.

"My child, I normally don't say this, but maybe you should accept."

My eyes meet hers. How can she say such a thing? "Are you insane? Why would I even consider such a thing? You told me I had a choice, but this sounds like you’re settling on me being with Corbin.”

She swallows hard, like she doesn't want to tell me something. "He has a point about the mating mark. It will tie you two together.”

"What are you trying to say?"

She lets out a sigh. “I’m saying that if you accept him and he marks you, you won’t be able to kill him, but he also won’t be able to hurt you, either. Your wolf may hate his guts, but you’d be safe and maybe help the pack. That is the only benefit of mating with him. If you choose the other route, you can’t let him mark you because, like I said, you won’t be able to kill him.”

Of all the things that could happen to me, this just complicated things even further. I can't kill him if he becomes my mate. My wolf won't allow it.

Days. All I have are days until the ceremony. I try to rub my hand across my face, but the cuffs dig into my skin, making me hiss.

"Stop doing that. You're going to scar around your wrists with how much you yank those."

I lean against the wall as the tears flow freely down my face. How am I supposed to get out of this? "It doesn't matter. Corbin will not care if my wrists are scarred. He just wants my power and the control he thinks I hold over the beast."

"He's going to be in for a surprise when he realizes you do not control the beast. That little monster does whatever he wants from within the woods."

I chuckle to myself. "It's not like he hasn’t been warned. We better get some sleep."

As I move to the bed, I curl up into a ball on the thin mattress and grab the sheet. It's not much, but it protects me from the chill in the night air. The dungeon doesn't have the best heaters.

My eyes slide close, but I can't fall asleep. Everything is in the forefront of my mind and keeps me from falling asleep.

Grandmother falls into a deep sleep almost immediately. Her snores are the only way I know she's alive and well. I try shutting my eyes again, but it escapes me.

The beast's deep voice startles me. Are you having trouble sleeping, little wolf?

I sigh and roll to my side to face the wall without making my cuffs push into my skin. It's been a few days, and he hasn't let me go. I don't know what to do. Grandmother says if he marks me, I won't be able to kill him. I mean, I can save the pack from him, but it means a life of torture for me.

A low growl comes through the bond, his voice becoming guttural. Why are you talking like you've given up?

Because this is how my life is. I'm between a rock and a hard place. Suddenly, I feel him poking around in my mind. What are you doing?

You have all the answers you need to defeat him. Why can't you see that?

I hear his growl of frustration, but I'm not even sure what answers he thinks I have. Theories are all I have and I'm not sure how accurate they are. You and Grandmother both swear it's a decision I have to make, or I know the answer, but you neither can give me any more information. The only thing she could confirm is that the story I told you is about you and that the witch who cursed you did so because her magic didn’t work on you. That is all the strength I have left, beast. I need to sleep.

Shutting the bond closed, I can feel his minor panic as it snaps shut. I'm tired and all I want is to sleep. Honestly, I'd rather wake up and this all be a nightmare, but I'm not that lucky. When I wake up, I will still be here in this dungeon, facing the same nightmare I am going through right now. Nothing will change because I have slept.

Finally, I fall into a restless sleep. Images haunt me of Corbin chasing me through the woods, but I'm not sure why. All I know is that I have to keep moving, just a few more steps, then all goes dark before the next dream takes over.

I see this man I've never seen before standing before a stream. He's drenched in sweat from running, but I can't see what he had been trying to escape until this woman steps out from the trees. "Natalia, you can't do this," he says.

“Oh, but I can. You are mine,” she says in a sultry voice as she strokes her fingers down her side.”

“You are not my fated mate, Natalia. I don’t feel the bond between us, so I can’t be yours.”

"Is that your final answer?"

"Natalia, it can never be." He looks sincere, but takes another step back as he prepares for an attack from her.

She laughs. "Then I curse you to roam these woods that you tried to escape me in. You will forever be a beast, and there is only one way to end it."

"No, don't do this, please." He holds his hands up, but she blasts him with magic.

As she stalks closer, she leans over him with a wicked smile. "The only way to break it is -"