11 Eustacia's Hell Begins

♔ Eustacia (P.O.V.)

I'm not sure how long I've been in this damp room. Hours? Minutes? I know it hasn't been days. I haven't been down here as a prisoner for a few years. The last time was three years ago when Emma started being her big bad bitchy self that I know and hate today.

The walls are still the same pale shade of deathly gray flaking concrete. The metal bars are slightly rust and express their anger as the bar doors creak when they open. The chains are caked in old blood and various poisons no doubt. The floors and cell walls are stained red with the blood of many victims. Even now the stale sour smell of their blood rushes through the crisp air.

Winter is approaching and fast, the chill that lingers in the air down in this despicable room has gotten worse than during the summertime.

The room is empty of other souls. As far as I can tell by the stench of the old blood that's not mine, I'm the newest tenant within the last week or so. I'd like to keep it that way. Preferably I'd like it to end here too.

Gedeon dropped me off in the middle cell and shut the door. He seems like a big brute on the outside, but he seems like a decent person. He could have put the chains on me or stripped me to face the cold if he wanted to. Yet, he didn't. Half of me wishes he did, my death would come quicker.

I crawl slowly over to the corner against the wall and curl into a ball as I lay on the floor. Waiting for death. It seems grim but it's my only option. He'll never let me go and I'll no doubt die here one day. If not from beatings it'll be from malnutrition. Even werewolves can starve to death, after all, we aren't immortal we just live longer.

A sound outside the hallway that leads down into the dungeon reaches my ears. Voices and footsteps. The tumblers of a lock clink as it unlocks and the doorknob as its being turned, no doubt to come inside.

Alert signals scream throughout my body telling me to flea. Being locked in this cell isn't my reason for not even trying to leave. It's the fact that I don't have the will to even move.

Stay here, die. Leave, die. He rejected me. Even though it's not complete since

I didn't utter the rejection words back, I think it's safe to say it's set in stone. His actions before his words told me so.

"Mutt! Guess what," a female's voice calls from the other side of the bars.

I'd know that voice anywhere, without even having to look. Emma. Staying quiet I wait for her to finish because of course, she will. That's just who Emma is.

"It's our fun time," she chuckles.

There's no point in replying to her. The results will either be the same or worse. Regardless, I'm welcoming her beatings. Maybe it'll provide a distraction I need from whatever this is I'm feeling.

Wait. So she knew?

"How'd you know?" I ask no more than a whisper as I stay curled on the floor.

She laughs, "of course I knew mutt. Why wouldn't I? Or did you not know he knew already before today?"

Curling deeper into my ball I shake my head no.

She knew. Sure she didn't know who it was, but she knew his mate was in the pack. What's worse is she found out from him. He knew I was his mate and just threw it away. If I hadn't found out would he have ever told me?

"You poor thing. Of course, he didn't tell you. Just look at you. You're covered in scars, you're hideous, you're skin and bones and in your state, you have nothing to offer him. I'd be ashamed if you were my mate as well dear." Clapping her hands she continues, "Well time to get this party started. Neko, Gedeon chain her will you?"

"Yes Luna," they both answer together.

Two different sets of hands lift me by either arm. Neko Minks stands on my left and Gedeon on my right. Neko is Leah's twin brother he's a regular warrior rank in the pack. So he's not much higher than an omega. He's shorter than Gedeon by a long shot but he's slightly taller than the average guy here. He sports a short blond hair cut with bright blue eyes. Almost the same as his sisters, just less feminine. Their blue and green eyes hid sadness behind them.

I understand why. Leah has always had a soft spot for me. She can't express it since her mate is the beta and that would cause various problems for them. The same goes for Neko and Gedeon. They don't agree with everything their alpha, and now luna does. Yet, they have to follow it since the alternative is worse than death. I nod in an almost natural way as they lift me up, hopefully, they'll understand that I'm alright with what's about to happen.

"Stop!" Tight silver chains are being placed on my wrists when Emma shouts out. "Not those plain old chains I want these." She rummages through her large brown bag that is draped over her shoulder. It hangs at the side of her hip as she holds up a large bag. With thick gloves, she pulls out brand new silver cuffs with the same spikes the others have. The only difference is the dark semi-saturated purple liquid that is covering the metal and slowly dripping from the pointy spikes.

I felt the hesitation come off of the men in waves before Gedeon took his few steps forward and with a glove, Emma handed him, retrieved the new cuffs. He added the cuffs to the chains that dangled down from the wall. Gedeon places each cuff separately on my wrists. As each cuff is locked agonizing pain through every nerve in my body as the sharp teeth dug into my flesh. Falling to my knees as I fight back screaming, the amount of pain immediately confirmed my suspicions about what that liquid was.

Wolfsbane.

Wolfsbane is a poison to us. It makes our wolf weak. Three petals ground into a liquid causes our senses to dull to almost a human likeness. Seven petals ground into a liquid causes our quick healing of a broken bone from a few hours to one or two weeks. Twelve petals ground up causes our wolf to go into a deep sleep to fight off the poison. Eighteen causes our healing to go from one or two weeks to almost six. I'm sure enough of it could kill a werewolf the same way silver does.

Except silver is more of an irritant to us on the outside of our body. Almost like an allergic reaction all of us have to it. Sure a silver bullet to the heart can kill us but that would kill anyone. If just shot with a silver bullet or injected with low amounts of silver we can fight it off. Silver just completely stops our healing process until it is removed or leaves our system which can take months.

"The collar too and make it tight so she has to stand up," Emma demands as she looks at me currently crouched over on the floor. Tears swelling in my eyes.

"Yes Luna," they both respond in unison, their voices laced with sadness and anger.

Carefully they both place the silver collar that was adorned with spikes around my neck. Through blurry tear vision, I can still see the blood from the previous victim. My heart swells at the thought of whatever they had to go through. I just hope it wasn't too bad and that maybe they made it out alive. Even if it was a slim possibility. I hope they met a fate better than I have here.

A loud metal clunk rings through the air as they lock the collar in place around my neck. The silver spikes begging to dig their teeth into the flesh on my neck. However, they didn't tighten the collar tight enough to pierce through. They pull me to my feet and begin adjusting the chains from the back of the collar. As they tighten it chain links begin to fall to my side and dangle from the adjustments made. They allowed just enough play in the chain so I can move my neck around without cramming the spikes into my skin with a simple movement.

"That is all boys. Leave," Emma motions at them to leave.

They obey her orders and as they walk up the stairs I could've sworn Gedeon looked back at me with tears in his eyes.

"Let's get to business," she pats the large brown bag she has at her side the entire time as she starts to tie it on the door's bars. "What should we do first?"

Over the numerous amount of times I have been in this same situation, I've always had a shred of dread. I've always feared dying, being mutilated to the point it's an agonizing existence even more than my daily life. I've tip-toed around all the eggshells to avoid anything and everything that may lead to harm for myself or anyone else around.

That wasn't always the case.

I'll be the first to admit after Flynn took over as Alpha I was reluctant and fought back against various things he did. Even after they first started beating me in this very cell. I'd spit, curse, fight back and be an absolute pain to deal with when I was dragged off for whatever the reason may be. I was a typical wild card.

Then a few years ago, they brought in a very puny boy appearing to be around the age of seven or eight. They had caught him crossing the border, which to anyone other than pack members or friends was a death sentence. Unless you were useful. He had the cutest baby face, blond hair, and bright green eyes. His face and clothing were covered in soot, dirt, red and black liquid that is safe to assume is blood. His hair was disheveled. It was littered with various substances. The bottom of his plain blue t-shirt had been scorched by fire leaving black tuffs of singed cotton in various locations. His small navy blue jeans were ripped almost to shreds and soaked by liquids. He reeked of smoke, woods, blood, and werewolf.

They chained him up by his wrists and left him in there with me. Enough time for me to find out that his name was Liam Kristopher and that he was eight years old. He was from a neighboring pack from the south of us, the Shadow Thorns. One of our few allies that still remained after my father died.

The Shadow Thorn wolves were trained to be vicious stealth fighters. They'd often use ambush tactics and poisoned claws that were fashioned to fit every warrior's claws in their wolf form. Lukas Kristopher was the pack's Alpha and a Lycan. He was one of their best warriors and had the highest kill count known to all werewolves.

However, his bloodthirst was fizzled out after he found his mate; Mae. She was a half breed, a werewolf, and a witch. Her powers buffed the pack in both the offensive and defensive areas. She was able to heal warriors as they fought. She was even trained as a warrior. Together they climbed the rankings of packs and eventually became the highest-ranking in strength next to the Royal Lycans. So what he said next almost blew the wind out of me.

He explained that hunters raided his pack with rogue werewolves. He told of the fires that were started to smoke people out of their safe houses. How warrior after warrior was shot down and killed. He spoke of how his mother exploded the backside of the house, kissed him on the forehead and told him to run and never look back.

Yet, he did.

He looked back just in time to see his mother's wolf form being shot down as blood sprayed everywhere.

I wanted to protect him after he spoke those words. I wanted to hold him as I heard his voice break and his small body shake as he cried. He wailed and asked why they deserved that. Asked why he was forced into that cell and chained up when his mother said the pack would save him.

Then came Flynn and two of his lackeys. Flynn asked the boy some questions and he answered without any hesitation. When Flynn shut the cell door and left it sent the kid into a panic. He started squealing and sobbing.

Flynn instructed his lackeys to shut the kid up. Almost like blood-lusting hounds they leaped at the opportunity and started hitting him. I howled at them and begged them to do it to me instead that he wouldn't cry anymore. Eventually, they listened.

A day after the bloodhounds came back downstairs to finish doing whatever they wanted to me. After all, I was down there because I pissed someone off and they were allowed to get whatever punishment for me they wanted.

I was a regular bitch to them. I'd comment back smartly and antagonize them. At one point a finger was pointed in my face, which was then chomped down on with a lot of aggression. It sent the one I bit into a furry and he started screaming that hurting me wasn't enough. He wanted me dead but who at that point didn't? The other told him death would be too good for me and almost instantly twisted smiles covered their faces. They were looking at the kid.

The one I bit stared at me and told me that it was my fault for what was about to happen. Panic sat in my body and I began asking what they meant as they left the cell I was in. Once they opened Liam's I understood what they meant. I started screaming at them and begged them to come back. To do it to me instead.

They refused.

As they entered the cell, Liam's little body began to shake in fear and screams left his frail body. In one swift motion, the one I bit snapped Liam's neck. I watched as his little body went limp and the life left his body. The last sound I heard him make was a loud wail as his neck made a loud popping noise.

It was my fault he died.

I didn't accept that the pack changed. I didn't roll over and obey. I didn't do a lot of the things they wanted me to and I caused someone else's demise.

The spitfire I had been so proud of back then sizzled at the moment Liam died.

The pain of watching that young boy die will never compare to the feeling that I experienced after Flynn rejected me as his mate. The boy made me change my actions, and sadness filled my being from a life lost young. His rejection has sent knives through my heart.

The fear that should be present when Emma was deciding on what she should do to me first, wasn't there. Instead, it was white noise. No pain she could inflict on me right now could be worse than the pain rushing through my heart.

In fact, I welcomed it.