Chapter 102

ANASTASIA MULBERRY

When she opened her eyes, still blinking through the sleep that weighed down her eyelids, she was glad to realise that it was all a dream.

Except, none of it had been a dream and when she awoke back in that dark, dreary room with absolutely no chance or possibility of escape; she closed her eyes again and squeezed them tight, still holding onto the hope that all of this was a simple nightmare and nothing more.

Unfortunately, it was never as easy as that and as Anastasia glanced around the room, blinking to get adjusted to seeing in the dark again, her breath hitched in her throat and her eyes grew large and wide in size; suddenly realising the simple fact that this time, she wasn’t alone.

A groggy groan passed her lips as she forcefully lifted her body off the cold, hard ground, the chains clanging together at her movements. Despite trying to be as quiet as possible, a tried groan sounded from the other side of the room and before Anastasia knew it, she was staring into the dark eyes – she couldn’t quite pinpoint what colour as it was simply too dark to tell – of the only other person in the room.

A female, bound and chained to the wall. Just like her.

Anastasia blinked back at the woman who continued to hold her gaze, both her wrists and ankles chained to the wall.

“Who are you?” They both asked at the same time with equally confused and panicked expressions on their faces, almost as if mirroring each other.

“How did you get in here?” Anastasia asked quickly, her eyes still wide with shock and confusion as she blinked back at the female figure on the other side of the room.

“I don’t know.” The female couldn’t help but hiccup as she raised her knees and pressed her face into them so as to hide her tears. “The last thing I remember is putting my son to bed and going to sleep but when I woke up, I was here. With you.”

Akin to the state that she had been when she had awoken alone in this dark and dank cell of a room the first time, she couldn’t help but feel bad for the female in front of her. Especially after learning that whatever had happened to the both of them had separated her from her son.

“What’s your name?” Anastasia asked quietly as she shimmied back to rest her back against the wall. After the initial shock of the coolness that pressed into the skin of her back and arms, she very quickly became numb to it.

“Thea.” The other woman was able to barely whisper as she hiccupped onto her knees, her body shaking slightly as the occasional sob escaped her.

“My name’s Anastasia.” She offered even though she doubted being polite and friendly would be able to help the situation in anyway, but if they were going to be prisoners together, she’d much rather be on a name basis. “Do you know what you’re doing in here?”

Thea merely shook her head in response, refusing to look up; still whimpering quietly, her mind reeling with thoughts of her little boy and what could have possibly happened to him.

Blinking back at Thea through the darkness, Anastasia could only assume that this was the second woman that Harvey had implicitly mentioned the last time he had decided to drop by.

“They haven’t explained anything to you?”

Again, Thea shook her head but this time, it appeared as if Anastasia’s question had piqued her interest as she glanced up through watery eyes; her vision clouded as she attempted to blink back the tears.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Thea sniffled as she asked in a small voice; staring at the woman across the woman as she held her breath; hoping for some good news.

However, there was nothing Anastasia could say or do to make this situation better. Well, unless she had an effective escape plan which would remove the both of them from this situation but for now, a thorough explanation would just have to do.

“Let me start off by asking if either your mother or father are werewolves?” Anastasia asked directly, choosing to avoid beating around the bush.

Thea frowned slightly but after a few prolonged moments, nodded her head.

“My mother is a wolf.”

“So, that makes you half-wolf?” She asked just to clarify.

“Yes.” Thea nodded her head in confirmation. “Are you a half-wolf too?”

Anastasia shook her head. “My dad is a half-wolf which makes me a quarter wolf.”

“Okay, but what does that have to do with anything?” Thea asked as she reluctantly dropped her knees and stretched her legs out in front of her, struggling to get into a comfortable position on the cold, hard ground. Anastasia wanted to tell her to stop trying as there was no point, that no matter how she sat or what positions she tried, there was absolutely no chance of being able to get comfortable while stuck in these chains.

She couldn’t help but purse her lips as she stared back at Thea, struggling to piece together all the thoughts in her mind into a coherent sentence, one which wouldn’t scare off the other female however, she wasn’t quite sure if that was possible.

“You said you have a son.” Anastasia murmured quietly, unable to think of a better way to break the news to this unsuspecting female, one which appeared to be in the same boat as hers.

Thea’s lips turned down into a deeper frown as she stared back at Anastasia; her breath stilling as her heart suddenly started beating very fast.

“Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?” She asked in a wary voice, her words slow and deliberate.

“Everything.” Anastasia sighed as she lifted her knees to press them into her chest in attempt of consoling herself.

When Harvey had broken the news to her many hours ago, Anastasia had felt very violated and genuinely scared for her life, especially because he had painted her future as very dark and almost impossible to believe. Even though she didn’t know this woman, she couldn’t help but wish to break the news as gently as possible; wanting to cause as minimal damage as possible.

However, Anastasia wasn’t quite sure if that was possible as Thea had a son and now, she had been separated from him.

“What do you mean?” Thea asked in a barely-there whisper.

“Is your son completely human?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“I need you to answer me.” Anastasia insisted, needing to know however, Thea’s evident hesitation had already answered the question. “He’s a wolf, isn’t he?”

“How did you know?”

“Because you’re here with me.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Thea groaned in frustration as she blinked back at Anastasia, willing for her to stop speaking in riddles.

“They didn’t tell you anything?”

“I don’t even know who you’re talking about. Like I said, I put my son to sleep, went to bed and now I’m here. I really have no idea what you’re talking about.” Thea shook her head and sighed, bowing her head as she sniffled. “I just want to get back to my son. I need to know that he’s safe.”