Chapter 156: Trapped and Afraid
Aurora’s POV
I woke up slowly, my head pounding like a drum. Everything felt hazy at first, but then I realized something wasn’t right.
The room was cold… and pitch black.
I blinked, trying to adjust to the darkness, but it was useless; I couldn’t see a thing.
Panic started to rise in my chest as I shifted slightly, only to feel something dig into my wrists.
I tried to move my legs, but they wouldn’t budge either.
That’s when I realized.
My hands and legs were tied.
Thick ropes dug into my skin, tight enough to leave marks. My heart started racing. I twisted and pulled, but it was no use.
“Hello?” I called out, my voice hoarse.
“Is anyone there?”
No answer.
Only silence.
The kind of silence that made your skin crawl.
I tried to remember what had happened before I blacked out. Annie’s apartment… the broken glass… The door flew open, then nothing.
Just darkness.
My breathing quickened.
Was Annie okay?
Were the others looking for me?
Was Alessandro…?
A sudden creak echoed through the room.
I froze.
Footsteps.
Slow, deliberate… getting closer.
I swallowed hard as the door creaked open, letting in a faint light. A tall, unfamiliar figure appeared.
Something about them made me feel uneasy. I could tell they weren't here to help me.
The person entered the room, and the light made it hard to see their face. My heart was racing loudly.
They didn’t say a word.
Just stood there… watching me.
“Who are you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking.
“What do you want from me?”
Still, no answer.
Instead, they slowly walked toward me, their boots echoing against the hard concrete floor.
When they got close enough, I could finally make out some features: dark eyes, a cruel smirk, and a jagged scar across his cheek.
Not someone I recognized.
Not someone I trusted.
He knelt down in front of me and reached out, brushing a strand of hair away from my face like he had the right to touch me. I flinched.
“You’re even prettier up close,” he said, his voice low and cold.
I furrowed my brows.
“What do you want?”
He chuckled darkly.
“You’ll find out soon enough. But for now… let’s just say you’re a valuable piece in a much bigger game.”
A game?
What the hell was he talking about?
“Alessandro will come for me,” I snapped, my voice stronger now despite the fear coursing through me.
“And when he does, you’ll regret ever laying a hand on me.”
He smiled, like he found that amusing.
“Oh, I’m counting on him coming. That’s part of the fun.”
Then he stood up and walked toward the door.
“No!” I shouted.
“Wait!” I called out, my voice trembling with desperation.
“Please… tell me where my friend is.
What did you do to her?”
He paused, hand on the door handle, then slowly turned to face me again.
There was a twisted gleam in his eyes, the kind that made my blood run cold.
“Your friend?” he echoed, turning his head like he was genuinely thinking about it.
“Oh… you mean the loud one. The one who tried to protect you.”
I held my breath.
“She’s here too,” he said with a mocking grin.
“Don’t worry. I don’t really have any use for her. But I suppose…” He shrugged casually.
“I could keep her alive for a little while longer. Maybe until the full moon.”
My heart stopped.
He took a step closer, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.
“When one of my rogues gets hungry… I’ll let them have a little fun. They haven’t torn anyone apart in a while.”
“No…” I gasped, horrified.
He chuckled darkly.
“You should be more worried about yourself, sweetheart. You’re the main prize.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“My friend didn’t do anything.
Please… let her go.”
I pulled at the ropes again, but they just hurt my skin more.
He laughed at me, then pulled a chair over and sat down in front of me.
His eyes were cold.
"You're Aurora," he said, sounding mean.
"I only care about getting what I want." His voice was flat, like he didn't feel anything.
“And… what do you want?” I asked, trying to keep him talking, trying to buy time, hoping for a weakness.
He let out a long sigh, looking up at the ceiling for a brief second before locking eyes with me again.
“The throne,” he said, his voice calm but filled with venom.
“The position that should’ve been mine. The power, the respect… all of it. Taken from me.”
My heart pounded.
“You mean… You’re one of them. A rogue.”
He smiled bitterly.
“No.
I was born into that pack.
But they banished me like garbage. Just like they always do with people who threaten their precious order.”
A pause.
“But now?
“Now I have leverage.
And you, Aurora…” He leaned in slightly, his eyes furrowing. “You’re the key to making everything fall apart.”
“Who banished you?”
I asked, trying to keep him talking, trying to find a crack in his armor as my fingers worked slowly against the knot behind my back.
He chuckled bitterly.
“Who else? Alpha John.
Your beloved Alessandro’s father.”
My breath caught.
“That’s right,” he continued, eyes gleaming with resentment.
“He stood there and cast me out like I was nothing. Like I didn’t bleed for that pack. Like I didn’t matter.”
“You were part of the pack?”
I asked, my voice soft, filled with just enough curiosity to keep him focused on the story and not on my hands.
He nodded slowly, his jaw tightening.
“I was more than part of it. I was family.
But Alpha John stole my woman and took what’s rightfully mine.
And now?
Now he’s going to watch everything he built burn… starting with his precious sons.”
He leaned back in the chair, cracking his knuckles as he looked me over again.
“You’re the perfect tool.
Alessandro cares about you. Maybe even loves you. That kind of weakness? It’s exactly what I need.”
I swallowed hard, hiding my fear behind clenched teeth.
“If you want revenge,” I said carefully, “then take it out on the people who hurt you.
Don’t drag me or my friend into this.”
He gave a dry, humorless laugh.
“See, that’s the problem.
People like you?” He sneered, his voice filled with venom.
“You’re part of the reason everything went wrong.”
He stood up and paced slowly in front of me, his fists clenched at his sides.
“Alessandro’s mother… she was mine. My mate. Before she ever laid eyes on John.”
My breath caught as he continued, his voice growing more bitter with every word.
“She would have been mine forever if he hadn’t gone behind my back whispering lies, planting seeds of doubt in her heart. He poisoned her mind against me.
And when she left… when she chose him, it shattered everything.”
He stopped pacing and turned sharply toward me, his eyes burning with hatred.
“I loved her,” he said, almost in a whisper, his voice thick with emotion.
“And he stole her. Just like he stole the pack, the future that should’ve been mine.
He took everything. And now… I’ll take everything from him.”
He stepped closer again, crouching slightly so he was eye-level with me.
“I’ll make him suffer. Through his sons. Through you.
I’ll destroy the legacy he tried so hard to build… And when I’m done, there’ll be nothing left of Alpha John or his bloodline.”
He stood slowly, the shadow of vengeance clinging to every movement.
“You, Aurora… You’re just the beginning.”
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