Chapter 40: Better to Kill than Get Killed

ELAINE

A loud bang startled me awake. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt heavy, like they were glued shut. I groaned, trying to force myself to wake up, to move, but my body felt weighed down.

My arms ached. My legs felt like lead.

I curled up, and heard a rustling sound nearby.

That’s strange, I thought.

The rustling sound came again, followed by a sudden tug. My eyes flew open, but all I saw was darkness.

Scared, I backed away. Without Ashina’s sight, I was blind.

I waved my hand around, desperate to find something, anything.

“Hello?” I called out, but the only response was the sound of dripping water.

I shivered. How did I end up here?

“Hello?” I called again, and this time, a growl answered me.

I froze as the sound of heavy footsteps echoed around me. I couldn’t feel anything nearby, not even a wall.

“Stop it!” I tried to sound commanding, but my voice came out weak.

My body was tired, and I was in so much pain that I could barely sit up. Whatever drug they were giving me, it was worse than being shot.

Another growl, closer this time. I tried to stand, but the room spun around me.

“Stop...it!” I managed to gasp out.

“Enough,” a voice said, and suddenly, the room was filled with blinding light.

I shielded my eyes with my arm.

“You’re useless without your lycan,” Maddox sneered from somewhere in the room.

I slowly lowered my arm, blinking until my eyes adjusted to the light and I could see Maddox leaning against a metal door.

“Where am I?” I asked.

“In the mansion,” he replied. “Your lover is furious with you for causing so much trouble.”

I frowned.

“Sorin...,” I whispered, my lips trembling.

Maddox chuckled and walked over to me. I looked down and saw the heavy chains that held me in place.

I thought I was on a table, but I was actually chained in the middle of the room.

“I’m also furious, you know,” Maddox said, crouching down in front of me. “Fabian got seriously hurt because of you.”

I smirked.

“Good.”

My smirk faded as a loud slap echoed in the room. The sting on my cheek brought me back to reality.

I glared at Maddox.

“My brother is blind because of you!” he yelled. I held his gaze.

Did he think I cared?

He stood up, straightened his suit, and walked over to a wall where a variety of dangerous weapons were displayed.

“I have permission from your ~lover~ to punish you,” he said, picking up a knife. “Especially after you escaped and had my men searching for you everywhere.”

“Oh, was it that hard?” I chuckled. “Couldn’t do it without the help of a wolf?”

Maddox turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed.

“We don’t need help from your kind to do what we do!” he snapped. “We wouldn’t be called hunters if that were the case.”

“Still, you hire rogues, people with no ties to their wolves, to help you!” I shot back. “You’re still weaklings.”

Maddox threw the knife at me. It grazed my face, and I felt a trickle of warm blood run down my cheek. I didn’t move, didn’t blink.

It was clear he had me here for punishment. I could see that he wanted to kill me, but he didn’t have the authority.

“You’re not the leader,” I said, and I saw a flicker of interest in his eyes.

I smiled and looked around the room.

“Who is it?” I asked, locking eyes with him. “Who’s the one who commands you?”

In an instant, Maddox was on top of me, his hands around my throat.

I smirked at him, which only seemed to make him angrier.

“Someone controls this place, and it’s not you!” I spat.

Maddox tightened his grip on my throat. I saw my chance and used all my strength to wrap my legs around his neck.

The chains wrapped around him perfectly. I pulled, forcing him to let go of my throat. He struggled to free himself.

Maddox punched me in the face, but I pushed him back and punched him in the stomach. I flipped him over and wrapped the other chains around his neck.

Maddox squirmed under me as I tightened the chains, turning his face blue.

“I will get out of here,” I hissed at him. “But before I do, I will kill ~every one of you~, and then I will tear Sorin into pieces for what he did to me!”

I grabbed Maddox’s neck and twisted with all my strength.

His eyes rolled back, and his body went limp.

I let go of his head, and it hit the ground with a thud. I took a few deep breaths.

My vision blurred for a moment.

“Fucking drugs,” I muttered, pushing myself up.

Once I felt a bit better, I looked around the room. There were no cameras, which was odd, but if this was a torture room, they probably had them outside the door.

I sighed and patted Maddox’s body.

There had to be a key or something to unlock the chains.

I didn’t find any keys, which made me curse. But I did find something that could help: a phone.

With shaking fingers, I turned on the screen. It was locked with a passcode, but it also had a fingerprint unlock.

I smiled, grabbed Maddox’s hand, and unlocked the phone.

I punched in the digits, pressing the phone against my ear. My eyes squeezed shut as I silently pleaded to the Goddess. ~Please let him answer.~ I prayed, ~Don't let me be forgotten, left to die.~

The phone rang a fourth time, and someone picked up just as the room's door creaked open.

A wave of panic washed over me. I quickly shoved the phone under my dress, hiding it in my underwear.

“Well, this is unexpected,” Sorin said, his face twisted into a scowl as he took in the sight of Maddox’s body next to me. “Elaine, we need to have a chat.”