Chapter 78: Chapter 77

Chapter 77 – The Woman

“Choice is what enables us to tell the world who we are.” -Barry Schwartz

Kiya

My body demanded sleep after my panic attack. The cell was cold, but Phoebe was warm. She held me close and I rested my head on her bosom as I slept. Our cuffs were removed when the blonde–haired woman from earlier checked on us, conveniently ignoring the puddle of vomit in the room’s corner.

She said nothing.

There weren’t any windows in our holding cell, making it easy for us to lose track of time. We didn’t know how long we had been down here. The sunset from earlier was a distant memory, so perhaps it was nightfall?

I went from trainer to kidnapee in twelve hours.

It was just the three of us, Violetta, Phoebe, and me, trapped in this dark place. But it didn’t mean we had to be miserable. We made use of our time through conversation.

Violetta’s an avatar like us. Of Amphitrite, the Goddess of the Seas. She awoke several years back but has a tough time connecting to her true self. Sadness ached in my heart as she talked about it. Her past was painful, something Phoebe and I understood.

Was it common for avatars to have shitty childhoods?

Another hour rolled by, or what seemed like an hour, when the cell door opened again. This time, the blond woman had a man flanking her right. He was dressed…oddly. Who wears a violet and black suit in this place? Especially one with a tailcoat? In his hands were three dresses of assorted colors.

“Get up.” With little resistance, the three of us stood with our backs pressed to the wall. “You three are to change into your new clothes.”

The blond woman held the cuffs as the man tossed the dresses to us. Thick strapped and passed the knees. I didn’t like it. The only difference between this dress and the slave dress I burned five years ago was that this was pure white.

Not only that, but they sewed crystal rhinestones all around the chest area, swirling around where my breasts. were to be. Phoebe’s dress was purple, and Violetta’s was blue, both plain. Why was mine so different?

“No.” Violetta snapped. “I’m not wearing this.”

“Don’t be difficult, girl.” The man warned, red eyes narrowing on Violetta’s form. “Wear the damn thing and come peacefully.”

“Fuck being peaceful!” She threw the dress to the ground. “You expect me to strip down and change in front of you and her?” She pointed to the blond woman. “Like hell, I will! I want out of this place!”

I didn’t see it coming.

I don’t think Phoebe or Violetta saw it either.

In a blink of an eye, the man was behind Violetta, restraining her arms behind her back. It was like watching a

Chapter 21. The Woma

bird trying desperately to escape its trap. The woman continued to be combative, profanity springing from her mouth, I think she recited the entire Urban Dictionary.

“Lady Nadia.” Nadia, the woman with tired eyes, fished something out of her dress pocket and held it up for us

to see.

It was a syringe!

She quickly walked over to the pair and plunged the needle in Violetta’s neck, injecting her with a clear liquid. My fellow avatar’s combativeness soon ceased, she looked like a shell of her former self. She didn’t faint or fall, she became… compliant. Horrifically obedient.

The man looked our way. “Unless you two want the same treatment as your friend, get dressed.” We watched as Nadia clasped cuffs on each wrist and helped to drag Violetta out of the room, like two people taking care of their drunk friend. The door shut behind them, leaving Phoebe and me alone.

Neither of us said anything. The shock was too great. Did they drug her? With what?

There was shuffling beside me, I turn to see Phoebe stripping down to her underwear, “This is worse than I thought.”

“Phoebe, what the hell is going on?” I demanded, clutching the white fabric of my dress. “Do you know what just happened?”

“You know how sedatives work in hospitals? Well, that thing they injected her with was a kind of sedative. I don’t know if it was natural or concocted with dark magic, but I’m not in the mood to find out.” Her breaths were shaky as she slipped on her new clothes. “It’s like I’m reliving my childhood.”

“Hey,” It was my turn to comfort her, “We’re going to get out of this. They, whoever the hell they are, can’t hold us here forever.” Giving hope to my friend was the only way we would get out of this with our heads. intact. We didn’t know what these people were capable of, and judging by what they did to Violetta, they were capable of a lot.

We were going to have to fight our way out of here.

I hoped the others back home were working on our rescue. Because of the distance, I couldn’t connect to any of them. Many of them were injured during the ambush. I hoped they were doing alright..

My chest ached at the thought of Neron and that horrific injury he received when he sacrificed himself to protect me. That big, perforating hole in his stomach left a lasting image in my mind. My hands were no longer sticky, the blood was dry. However, that didn’t make the situation better. I wanted, desperately, to wash away the reminder that I couldn’t save him.

If Neron died after I disappeared…

Shaking the horrible thoughts out of my head, my clothes, merely a sporty top, and leggings were discarded to the side as I donned the white dress. It brushed my knees, revealing the faded scars on my calves.

There was something about wearing this dress that felt perturbing. A sensation lingered, crawling up my skin like a spider. Artemis growled deep within me at this foreign feeling. Protectiveness was her best trait, and she was ready to commit.

After five minutes, Nadia and the man came in with cuffs. “Arms out.” He demanded.

Chapter 77 – The Wernanc

Phoebe, trembling in fear, held out her arms first. Thick, silver cuffs clamped around her wrists and instantly, I could see my friend weaken. She was half the woman she is, like all her power drained away. I, too, became accustomed to the feeling because when the cuffs were clamped around my wrists, I felt less than half of the werewolf I am.

Artemis whimpered weakly, her howl less than a newborn pup’s. That’s when I knew. It meant these cuffs were meant to weaken me. Weaken us. Weaken the avatars. Every avatar in this facility had these cuffs, making them susceptible to whatever command these brutish folks have. These people know we have the capability of freeing ourselves, and they took extra precautions to make sure it didn’t happen.

Oh, Goddess.

After the cuffing, they separated Phoebe and me. She was taken away by the man and Nadia took me. From my peripherals, I glimpsed her side view. Her face twisted briefly as if she was fighting mentally. How curious. An internal battle whilst she was complacent in this crime.

It was just the two of us walking down the darkened hallway after leaving the dungeons, with her icy hand wrapped around my upper arm. “I’m sorry.”

I stopped, arched an eyebrow, and stared at her incredulously. “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry,” Nadia repeated, pale blue eyes full of remorse. “This shouldn’t be happening. None of you should be here.”

“You sure didn’t look like that when you drugged my friend!” I retorted, pissed off. “Why the hell should I believe you, Nadia?”

“Because I’m one of the few people here who want you and the others to escape.”

“Why kidnap us then? Didn’t you send Cerberus after us?” My anger crackled around me at the recent memories of bloodshed and death. “That…that thing killed people. It hurt people, and for what? This bullshit?”

“I didn’t send Cerberus,” Nadia whispered with a face cast down. “My mate did.”

My brain short–circuited.

Her mate?

…What did you just say?”

“My mate sent Cerberus after you. He commands him because he created him with the blood of our strongest avatars.” She explained, her head darted from left to right, watching out for anyone who might walk by, “You know about mates, right? You’re a werewolf.”

“And what if I am?” 1 growled. “You’re telling me that your mate orchestrated my kidnapping, and you didn’t do a damn thing to stop him?”

“I couldn’t,” Nadia growled back. “He’s hellbent on righting all the wrongs he and his kind suffered in this hidden world. He is a vigilante drunk on his twisted sense of justice. My words, the words of his soulmate, were not enough to stop his lunacy. Please understand that I’ve tried, over and over to get through to him but he’s…my love is too far gone in his darkness.”

“If this was your way of garnering sympathy for that deranged man, then forget it!” I jeered, crossing my arms. “How many of us avatars are here?”

“In this branch? Including you and your two friends, twenty. In others, there are many more.”

“Great.” I groaned. “Your mate gets a kick out of kidnapping avatars, huh? So, what is he? A werewolf, like me? What are you?”

“I’m human. Him? Half a werewolf. Or, at least, was.”

What the hell? How could someone be half a werewolf? My face held all the unasked questions that Nadia seemed to decipher. “My mate is a hybrid. Many of the men and women here are hybrids too.”

Hybrids. The offspring of two different species. Knowledge about hybrids was very minimal. Hybrids were never talked about like they didn’t exist. I knew interspecies relations occurred, Jacqueline and Abigail were mates, and Abi was a human, but why did hybrids feel the need to hide? Better yet, why kidnap avatars?

“I know you have so many questions, Kiya, but I cannot answer them.”

“How did you know my name?”

“As I said, I can’t answer that.” She grabbed my arm again. “I need to take you to him.”

“I don’t want to see your sleazy mate! He’s the reason I’m here in the first place!”

“Lady Nadia.” Our heads jerk to the side to see the blond man that took Phoebe walking towards us, daggers sent in my direction. “Is she giving you trouble?”

“A little, but–Lucien!” Suddenly, I was yanked out of Nadia’s grip. Attempts at removing my arm from him proved to be futile because his grip was like an iron clasp.

“Our Lord is not a very patient man.” He growled at me. “You have two choices, walk willingly or I inject you and drag your limp body. The latter is more fun.”

Believe me, I wanted to fight. I wanted to claw at Lucien’s disgusting face, but I would rather keep the control I have left than have an unknown substance inoculated in me. Having something like that floating around my body was bothersome.

I surrendered. Lucien dragged me down the hallway. I turned back to look at Nadia, who stood like a statue. Our eyes met briefly, conveying a silent message that I couldn’t decipher. The entire time we spoke, Nadia emitted a strange vibe.

The vibe between her and Lucien was different. Nadia’s vibe was more resistant while Lucien’s vibe was serious. Two different people on opposite sides of the spectrum, perhaps?

There had to be a way to know more about this. With kidnapped avatars, hybrids, and much more, this facility. was plethoric in mystery. Things need to be uncovered, and one might hold the key to our escape.

After a minute of walking and climbing stairs, we both made it to a door, thick mahogany with blackened, unknown symbols embedded in the wood. The door opened, and I was shoved inside before it closed, sealing my only chance of a getaway.

The room was dark. Cold. Chills nipped at my bare flesh and swam down my spine. I shouldn’t be here!

Chapter 77 The Woman

Because the very darkness that surrounds me watches me hungrily. Wolves were apex predators, but now, I was the prey.

To a beast shielded by black.