34. Belle

Chapter thirty-four

Belle

M y head hurts.

Everything hurts as I roll over onto my side, wincing at the pain in my neck.

What happened?

Where is Rian? Troy?

Francis.

Did Troy and Rian manage to kill him? I don't recall much.

I had been adamant to watch; I was determined to see the man who had made my life hell for three years die a miserable death.

Despite Troy's and Rian's protests, I would have marked his grave.

He may have been cruel, but he was still a part of my life. A miserable part of my life, but I would have put something down on his grave.

A rock perhaps to mark his final resting place.

I'm not in the forest anymore. The scent of wet soil and moss are gone, replaced by the scent of metal and oil.

Carefully, I open my eyes, finding those solid bars.

Am I back at the prison?

No. This is no cell.

This is a crude cage barely fit for a bear.

My heart thumps and I gasp for breath.

This has to be one of those nightmares. The type where you wake up and nothing is familiar.

You're in a strange place and highly vulnerable. People watch you from all around.

I am exposed. But I can't see them.

Whoever they are.

My skin breaks out in a cool sweat as I sit up on strained muscles, trying to peer beyond the bars.

It's dark.

Only monsters lurk beyond the cage, and I don't even have anywhere to hide.

Bars surround me on all sides.

I have to escape.

My throat is dry as I call out. "Hello?"

No one replies, and I try my luck again.

"Is anyone there?"

I don't know what I expect. As if someone will come to my aid and rescue me.

No. I am alone.

It all comes back to me.

The darts.

And Francis's cruel laugh.

His men had arrived on time to rescue him. How had they known where he was? Did they know we had Francis all along?

Feet scuffle at the end of the room, and I tense, heart pounding.

They slowly make their way to my cage, and it's pure torture waiting to see who is at the other end of those footsteps.

Are they friend or foe?

When they step into the light, a strange calm falls over me.

In fact, I get the awful sensation of deja vu.

Because I have been here before…

Except my cage is literal this time. And it's not gilded with gold.

Francis.

I should have known. I heard the way those footsteps limped as they came toward me.

He's still in pain. His face is bruised, and he can barely stand up straight.

Yet he's alive.

I had gone out into the forest to see him die.

But now the tables have turned.

I can't read his face as it's too bruised. I'm not sure if he is even glaring at me.

But I glare at him, though. With enough will to burn him to ash.

I hate him. Truly.

He has managed to get the better of me yet again.

Francis mock sighs. "I'm sorry, Belle…"

I stiffen, coiling up like a snake that's about to attack.

Francis reaches across with a wince, brushing his finger down one of the rusted bars. He tuts at the orange stain on his skin, wiping his hand with a handkerchief.

"I'm sorry I couldn't find you more suitable dwellings, but we were in a rush."

A rush for what?

"We had to make do with what we had."

My fists curl, and my nails leave crescent-shaped dents on my palms. "Where are they?"

The Beta still fusses over his stained hands and I speak louder.

"Answer me!"

He growls, but there's no strength behind the sound as he stuffs his handkerchief back into his suit pocket.

He's wearing a brand-new suit.

It looks like he got the chance to change before he came here.

Bastard.

"Who?" he asks.

I get up on wobbly legs, approaching the rusted bars. "You know who I am talking about."

He smirks and his pale blue eyes flash. "Which one? The brute or the one who thinks he's a brute?"

I growl, gripping the bars. They stain my own fingers. "Both of them."

The Beta looks down at me pitifully, and I will wipe that smug look off his face.

"I don't know about the lesser brute, but the greater brute… We have him."

There's no missing the malice in his tone, and now my voice drops. "Don't you hurt him…"

Francis scoffs. "And why shouldn't I? Especially after what I endured at his hands."

I tighten my lips.

Whatever Troy did, Francis deserved it.

Francis laughs. "I bet you thought you were finally rid of me, hey, sweet Belle?"

"I'm not your sweet. "

He gives me a cruel once-over. "No. You're really not sweet at all."

I throw one right back at him. "Something you made sure of, Francis. "

The Beta falters, and now silence spreads through the spacious room.

I continue. "You turned me into a killer. And I will never forgive you for that."

Francis's face remains a bruised mask as he shows no emotion. I wish I knew what was running through his mind right now.

A dry laugh escapes me. "But what do you care? I'm just your trained mutt, right? One you can do as you please with."

The Beta continues to stare at me with those blank eyes, and I am sick of this.

I am sick of him.

"Why?"

He closes his eyes. "You already know why…"

I shake my head. "No. I don't believe it. Sure, you think I'm a simple-minded animal, but there's more. Someone… someone is making you do this… I know it."

His eyes open, and then his mouth pulls up in disgust. "You know nothing."

I probe deeper into his eyes, trying to ascertain what has made him this cruel.

"Well, whoever they were, they were just as cruel to you as you are to me. That's the only explanation. They treated you like an animal too."

That gets a reaction from him, and now his arm shoots through the bars of the cage, grabbing me by the throat.

"You know fuck all…"

I laugh. "Never thought I would hear such filthy language from you, Francis."

Francis bares his nice white teeth. "Yeah, well… let's just say that your Alphas rubbed off on me."

Our eyes never leave each other as he keeps his fingers around my throat. He only squeezes long enough to remind me that I'm his little creature and he can do whatever he pleases with me.

Finally, he lets go and then steps away to assess me from afar.

My fingers tighten around the bars and now we just stare.

"If you dare hurt a hair on his head," I say quietly.

He chuckles. "Don't worry, Belle. We won't hurt a hair on Troy's head…"

My body shakes with pure rage. This bastard.

I wish I had taken the knife from Rian for myself and slit his throat.

I don't need any further clarification. I know damn well who he's talking about.

So, this is what it all boils down to.

This is how he is going to get his revenge on me and my pack.

By making me hurt the ones I love.

Troy and I never really got to know each other.

It can't end like this. No matter what, I must have restraint.

I must retain control of my own body and actions.

I am not a puppet.

And I am certainly not Francis's puppet.

It's okay. I will survive this.

Troy and I will both survive whatever they have in store for us.

Finally, Francis fishes his hand into his pocket, and I spy that familiar bell. He takes a moment to wipe away a stain.

Then when he meets my eyes, a villainess smile takes over his face. He rings the bell, and then everything becomes a blur as he puts me under his spell.

But I send a warning to Troy before I am pulled under. "Troy, I will save you…"