Chapter 68

Selene

The next time I wake up, the room is bathed in an unforgiving brightness, the kind that makes my eyes water and my head throb. I blink against the harsh light, trying to make sense of my surroundings, but there's almost nothing to see. Bare walls, a single chair, and a dresser in the corner. The sterile emptiness of the room only heightens my sense of dread.

The sudden, grating sound of a key turning in the lock sends a jolt of panic through me. I scramble to sit up, my heart pounding, and I'm jerked back by the cruel reminder that my arms and legs are bound tightly to the bed. The restraints dig into my skin, leaving me helpless and vulnerable.

The door creaks open, and Kate strides in with a tray of food that looks completely inedible and smells stale and burnt. She's dressed in jeans, a white shirt, and a leather jacket, like she's heading out for a casual day, not feeding pig slop to the woman she's holding captive. The sight of her makes my stomach churn, worse than the food does.

"Please...please let me go," I plead, my voice breaking, the desperation I feel seeping into every word.

She doesn't even glance my way, her cold indifference only fueling the fear simmering in my chest. She drops the tray on the dresser, the metallic sound echoing through the room.

"Let me go. I didn't do anything wrong. Why am I here?" My voice wavers, the words rushing out before I can stop them, a frantic plea for some sliver of mercy.

But I already have a feeling I won't find any here.

Her head snaps in my direction, her eyes narrowing in disdain. "You think you're better than me?" she spits, venom dripping from every syllable. "You're nothing. Living in your stepfather's pack, working at his company, sleeping with the pack's future Alpha. What have you achieved on your own?"

What the fuck does that have to do with her? And how does she know so much about my life?

Since she mentioned Phoenix, I try a different tactic. "If you keep me here, you'll lose any chance of getting back with Phoenix. If you let me go now and help me get out of here, I'll tell him it's over between us, and you can have him."

Saying those words make my heart ache, but I need to tell her what she wants to hear. I need to get out of here. I need to survive.

It's the only way I might ever get the chance to see him again.

I wonder what he's doing right now, what he's thinking. I bet he's going fucking berserk, looking high and low for me. I hope there's a way he can track my scent, or maybe there's a chance Kate didn't fuck with the surveillance cameras in Philip's building, and he saw what happened.

Kate's lips curl into a twisted smile, and she lets out a sharp, deranged laugh that snaps me from my thoughts and sends a shiver down my spine. "Zack warned me you'd say that. Phoenix will come back to me. He'll soon tire of his virgin princess. To him, you're just a challenge, a bitch to tame. Once he's had enough of you, you'll be tossed aside like garbage."

Her words slice through me, leaving a sting that's more painful than the restraints cutting into my skin. Before I can muster a response, she grabs the tray and hurls it at me with a strength that catches me off guard. The edge of the tray slams into my legs, sending a sharp pain radiating up to my hips.

"Shit!" I cry out, my body recoiling from the impact as Kate stalks out, slamming the door behind her with a force that feels like a fucking death sentence.

The darkness settles in again, but this time, it's not just the absence of light that scares me. It's her words: "Zack warned me."

Zack? How does she know who Zack is?

My thoughts are a tangled mess, fear and confusion gnawing at my consciousness. Seriously, why am I here? What twisted game are they playing, and why the hell is Zack involved?

Suddenly, the door creaks open, and I flinch, bracing myself for another round of Kate's insanity. But it's not Kate. My breath catches in my throat as Zack steps into the room, towering in the doorway. His expression

"Zack, what...what's going on?" I stammer, my voice barely above a whisper as I struggle to sit up again, only to be painfully reminded of my restraints.

A low, sinister chuckle escapes his lips, sending a wave of nausea through me. "No one can save you. You belong to me, Selene."

His words hang heavy in the air, thick and suffocating. I freeze, the implication of his claim sinking in, choking the air out of my lungs.

What?

"Are you fucking insane, Zack? You...you had some chick that Phoenix had a fling with kidnap me, and for what?" My voice rises, hysteria creeping in. "I don't belong to you anymore! You rejected me, you asshole!"

Does he think he can just reclaim me now that he's changed his mind? My thoughts are a chaotic whirl of anger, fear, and disbelief.

This cannot be happening, right?

This can't be fucking happening!

How did this happen? The day started so beautifully, and now I'm here, trapped in whatever room/dungeon this is, and knowing that there's a chance I will never see the light of day again.

I glare up at him, hoping he can feel all of my hatred for him. "You're wrong. Phoenix will never give up on me," I say, the conviction in my voice stronger than the trembling in my limbs.

His sneer deepens, and without another word, he flips off the light, plunging me back into the oppressive darkness. The sound of the door locking echoes in my ears as I'm left alone, surrounded by nothing but the pain radiating through me and the paralyzing fear of what's to come.