Chapter 153

I spent the night staring at the concrete walls around me. Every muscle in my body ached, and my eyes burned, but even so, I couldn’t sleep. Now and then, I fell into a fitful slumber, tossing and turning until I was shocked back awake. At one point, I gave up completely and traced patterns on the wall with my finger to pass the time.

When Jeremy appeared with my breakfast, I could hardly stomach the thought of eating. He just watched me, not speaking, as I spooned porridge into my mouth. A few times, I had to resist the urge to gag. He didn’t say a word when he left, either, but I jumped when the door slammed shut behind him.

Despondency folded around me, and I curled up in bed. I couldn’t even bring myself to plan some sort of escape–to even hope for one. Whatever they wanted with me, they were going to get. I’d never felt so helpless before. A few tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn’t even have the energy to cry.

I should have listened to Jack. I never should have run off with Matt. If I had known the truth, maybe I would’ve been more careful. The thought sent a surge of anger through me, but I was too tired to hold on to it for long. It dissipated like smoke between my fingers.

The door opened, and I turned to peer over my shoulder. Alyx stood at the end of the bed, his arms crossed.

“Get up,” he said.

I just shook my head and looked away. He could do what he wanted with me. I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t have the energy to.

He let out a long sigh. “Seriously, you’ve given up already. That’s a little pathetic, even for you.”

I ignored him.

He poked my shin, and I whipped around, snarling at him. My teeth and claws elongated, and I felt the wolf inside pulling for me to give in to the shift. I still hadn’t given over to my wolf completely, but the time had to come, eventually. If I took Alyx down with me, that would be a plus.

His eyes flashed gold, and he growled in response. “That’s more like it,” he said around his canines, his words slightly slurred.

My claws retracted, and I turned away. “Leave me alone.”

“I’m afraid that’s not an option. Ronan would like to have lunch with you.”

“I don’t care.”

“You should,” he snarled, leaning down toward me. “My brother’s patience only goes so far. Trust me when I tell you that you do not want to see him mad.”

“Maybe I do.”

I glanced at him, catching the end of his eyeroll. “It’s been two days. During the war, my uncle was held prisoner for 107 days before they finally executed him. He fought until the very end. Not even your mother gave up this quickly. I can’t imagine she’d be very proud to see this.”

“Who killed your uncle?”

His gaze darkened. “The false king. Who else?”

“I don’t know what any of that means.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t.” He grabbed my arm and violently tore me from the bed. I hit the concrete floor, crying out as my knees cracked. “I will drag you there if I have to, Celeste, so help me, God. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. The more you resist, the more fun you’ll make it for me.”

I forced myself to my feet, my knees screaming in pain.

He scrunched up his nose. “We’ll have to get you some more clothes,” he said. “No matter, this will have to do.”

He opened the door and gestured for me to go ahead of him. I eyed him, knowing I only had a moment to decide. As I started to go past, I whirled around and kicked him full force in the balls. He bowled over, grunting in pain.

I sprinted from the room, only to slam into something hard. I hit the ground, pain radiating up my spine.

A tall figure gazed down at me, completely unfazed. “Thought I’d see what the holdup was.” From what I remembered his name was Kai. He was the one who stood behind the Alpha’s chair. His second. The hierarchy of wolves wasn’t something I necessarily understood, but I knew Kai was important. I also knew I should fear him.

Alyx appeared in the doorway, his face red with fury. His expression turned sheepish when he met his brother’s gaze.

Kai just gave him a crooked smile and pulled me to my feet by the arm. His grip was firm, but not harsh. “Come on, aren’t you hungry?”

He walked on, his fingers still holding me in place. I forced myself to keep pace with him, even though fiery pain shot up my back and knees with every step. “The pain will recede soon,” he said. “You heal much faster now than you did before.”

“Okay,” I mumbled.

He smiled. “There’s no need to be so stubborn. Ronan just wants to talk to you.”

“Why?”

“Well, because you’re important.”

He led me back to Ronan’s office, taking the same route Alyx took the night before. The twins were stationed outside the door again, and they gave me curious looks as they stepped aside. Kai didn’t bother to knock before he opened the door, pulling me along after him. Alyx stayed outside with his brothers.

Kai closed the door, and I had to stop myself from flinching. From the look he gave me, I wasn’t entirely sure I was successful.

Ronan was lounging in his chair, a glass of whisky in hand. At least, I thought it was whisky. There were so many bottles on the cart nearby, it was hard to tell.

He watched me with an inscrutable expression as Kai led me over to a chair on the other side of the desk and sat me down. Instead of taking his place behind his brother, he stood just left of my chair.

“Celeste…” Ronan trailed off, cocking his head. “You’re in pain.”

“No–” I started, but he held up his hand. I swallowed hard.

“I can smell it on you. I’ve got a nose for that kind of thing.” Like that wasn’t creepy at all. “Eat,” he said, gesturing to the plate in front of me. A mound of eggs and a few pieces of toast covered the surface. “You need your strength.”

I knew better than to refuse. I picked up the plate and started eating the eggs. They were good. Really good. “Thank you,” I mumbled.

He gave a half-smile and leaned back in his seat. Despite bringing me here for lunch, he didn’t have anything to eat. He just sipped from his glass and watched me shove the eggs into my mouth. It was much better than the porridge I’d had earlier.

“I brought you here for a reason, Celeste. I know you’ve had an unconventional upbringing. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve only recently learned about the existence of werewolves.”

I nodded and took a bite of toast.

“I see. Well, I can only imagine the falsehoods your boyfriend and his friends have been putting in your ear. I assume he’s told you about the war.”

“He has,” I said cautiously. For some reason, he seemed to hate Matt. I didn’t care why as long as Matt stayed away from this place. The sinister gleam in Ronan’s eye made me afraid for him.

“The Peacekeepers talk a big game, but their version of events is skewed. We never wanted a war. My father was the King of all, the Alpha. He led with a gentle but firm hand. All he ever wanted was to integrate our two worlds. Human and wolf. We’re a dwindling species, and we have to find a way to carry on.”

“By turning humans into werewolves?” I asked, thinking of the rogues.

“Exactly.”

“But don’t they turn crazy?”

“There have been mixed results,” he conceded. “But you see, it’s possible for a bitten wolf to make that transition. If we’re not careful, our species could go extinct. My father understood that.”

“I don’t understand what this has to do with me.”

“No, I don’t expect you to.” He gave me a hard stare. “But you are the heiress to a great power. Your mother was the key to everything, but then she was taken from us before she could do what she needed to. Then my father died. Lost in the war.”

A dark look came over his face, and I immediately tensed.

“You’re going to set things right, Celeste,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “You’re our savior.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“You’re going to figure it out,” he answered, and it felt like a threat. “You’re our last hope.”