Mira was short of breath as she ran through the endless, identical hallway.
Thud. Thud.
She heard footsteps and immediately hid in a dark corridor.
"You hear that?" One of the guards muttered.
"Hear what?" a second questioned, curiously looking around.
"Footsteps." The first guard eased his sword an inch from its scabbard and silently tiptoed toward the dark corridor.
She said a silent prayer to the moon goddess, begging not to get caught.
Every instinct screamed to run, but she stayed hidden, knowing that one misstep could be her last.
"Forget it," the second guard snapped. "That wing is off limits. You snoop around in there and the Alpha will have your head. Let's go."
She slumped against the wall, finally letting air into her lungs as soon as they were gone.
The noise from the dark room behind her stopped her from continuing her escape
She was certain it was Varek's voice she heard.
Carefully, she leaned closer and peeked through the narrow opening to see what he was doing.
Inside, she saw two men kneeling on the floor, covered in blood and dark bruises.
Varek stood over them, as still as a statue. His face was calm and cold. He watched their desperate pleas as if listening to the gentle sound of falling rain.
"You swore loyalty and still betrayed the pack. Mercy is what your kind lacks now."
The men's cries grew louder.
"We would never betray the pack, please Alpha, we don't know anything."
"Please… we have families," they begged, hoping that would move him a little, but he remained unfazed.
He turned slightly to the guard beside him.
"Take his eye," he ordered, pointing at one of them.
Mira's breath caught in her throat.
The guard obeyed instantly.
The first scream pierced the room.
Mira's hand flew to her mouth, trying her best not to scream at the horrible sight.
Blood spilled across the stone floor.
Varek did not look away.
He nodded toward the second werewolf, who was shaking violently, tears and mucus streaming down his face.
"Make him eat it," Varek ordered.
The man screamed and tried to pull away, but the two guards forced his jaw open and pushed the bit of flesh into his mouth.
Varek crouched in front of him, his voice low and steady.
"Your eyes are next," he said, looking directly at the door. A slow, predatory grin spread across his face.
Mira staggered back from the door, her heart pounding wildly.
The thought of him knowing she was there sent a sharp chill down her spine.
"He is a monster with a tarnished soul" she thought fiercely.
The words echoed inside her head as her stomach twisted painfully.
"What are you doing here?" a voice suddenly asked behind her.
Mira gasped and spun around to see a tall, broad-shouldered man standing there. Strikingly handsome in a dangerous way. Dark hair fell loosely across his forehead. His sharp jaw was shadowed with stubble, and a thin scar cut through one eyebrow. His piercing amber eyes studied her calmly, holding no emotion.
"I… I wasn't…" she swallowed hard. "I was trying to find my room."
The man said nothing, his amber eyes fixed on her, calm and unreadable.
"I got a bit lost," she rushed on. "All the doors look so similar, and I thought… I thought this was my room." Her fingers nervously twisted together.
"I swear, I didn't mean to overhear anything or spy. I really didn't." Silence filled the space as he studied her face carefully, as if weighing every word. Suddenly, another scream echoed from inside the room.
"Please… I want to go back," she pleaded, praying he wouldn't turn her in.
"Follow me," he ordered, walking away as Mira hesitantly followed him.
As they moved through the endless hallway, Mira noticed that the workers stopped to greet him before passing. This made Mira curious about his relationship with Varek. He might have noticed because he began introducing himself to her.
"My name is Lucien. I'm the Beta of the Blood Moon Pack, and I'm Varek's brother."
"No wonder, they look alike," Mira said to herself.
With Varek, every muscle in her body was braced for a blow. Lucien was different. He spoke softly, almost kindly, but there was a stillness in his eyes
Lucien noticed her reaction.
"My brother must have made some impression. Don't worry, he isn't usually like that. Kindness is not a luxury we survive on here."
They stopped in front of a heavy wooden door.
"This should be yours."
She hesitated before opening the door.
"Thank you."
"You should be more careful with your escape next time, the walls in the Blood Moon Pack have ears," Lucien said with a smirk.
Her heart hammered in her chest. She searched for words, "I… I wasn't trying to escape. I only…"
Lucien left before she could finish, leaving her unsure if she was safe.
She sank onto the mattress, chest tight, mind racing.
How did Lucien know she wanted to escape? If he knew, Alpha Varek must know too.
Fear curled in her stomach at the thought of ending up like the men Varek punished.
She pressed herself against the mattress and made a silent promise: she would be patient and never admit she tried to run again.
She froze when a prickling instinct told her someone was in the room.
Varek leaned against the wall, arms folded, his eyes sharp and cold as knives.
"Hello there. You couldn't wait for a proper introduction, and you're already snooping around and making friends with people you shouldn't. It seems I'll have to teach you a lesson," he said with a sly grin.
He started walking toward her, calm and steady. The way he moved made her stomach tighten. Like a hunter closing in.
He grabbed her wrist before she could pull away, placing a cold golden bracelet around her arm.
"What are you doing? Let go of me," Mira struggled, trying to yank her hand free.
Varek only smiled and carefully examined her for some reaction, but nothing happened.
Her arms still held strength. Her legs did not shake.
She frowned slightly and pulled at the bracelet again.
Behind her, the man's smirk slowly faded.
His eyes dropped to the shackle.
Then back to her.
He pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer, studying her like something had gone wrong.
"You should be on the ground by now," he muttered.
"If you want to kill,then do it, don't handcuff me like a slave," Mira yelled clueless to what Varek was doing.
"You also have the power to resist a wolfbane, who on earth are you," Varek stated, his expression caught between shock and amusement.