Chapter 7

Vladimir

Three Enforcers drag me to the dungeons while four pack members take Ana and her parents. I try to free myself from the Enforcers, but one of them takes out a taser and uses it on me until I stop struggling. Fortunately, they don't do anything to Ana or her parents.

When we reach the dungeons, we are taken to different cells.

There are bloodstains on the walls and the floor of the cell the Enforcers take me to. A pole dressed in silver is in the middle, and a male removes my t-shirt and ties me to it with special zip ties. After that, I am left alone in the cell.

I struggle to get free, but the harder I pull, the more the zip ties seem to cut into my wrists. Derayu tries to speak to me, but I block him.

Screams coming from Ana and her parents start a few minutes later. Son of a bitch! Alpha Max will make me listen to how he hurts the only people who care about me before torturing me.

Nothing would have happened if I had insisted to Ana that I didn't want to escape.

"T-They di-did n-nothing wro-wrong!" I yell, but no one listens to me. "A-Ana!"

"V!" she yells back. "Help me!" she cries.

"I-I am g-getting y-you o-out o-of h-here! D-Do y-you he-hear me?"

"Please, don't!" she says loudly before a heart-wrenching scream echoes in the dungeons.

"Ana! Ana! Talk to me!" I beg. She does not reply , but I can hear her screaming.

The screams go on and on for what seems hours, and during this time, I keep trying to get free while I yell, calling Alpha Max a coward. When I don't hear Ana's parents screaming, I start to get worried.

"M-Mr. Radu? M-Mrs Radu?" I say as loud as I can, but no one answers. "A-Ana?"

No one replies.

I try again. "A-Ana! An-Answer me!"

Nothing.

I will never forgive myself if Alpha Max killed Ana and her parents.

I am about to call Ana once more when Alpha Max and Beta Stefan come to my cell. The door is opened, and they enter directly. Their clothes and hands are full of blood. The smell and sight of blood make me sick, and I try to breathe through my mouth.

A table with all kinds of objects used for torture is close to the pole, and Alpha Max walks over to it, picks up a clean rag, cleans his hands, and puts it back. All this time, he looks at me, and this time I don't lower my gaze. His eyes fill with rage, and I know I am going to be punished severely for looking into his eyes, but at this point, I don't care what happens to me.

"W-What t-the fu-fuck d-di-did you d-do t-to t-th-them?" I snarl.

Beta Stefan punches my ribs again and again, and I bend to the side because of the pain.

"I taught them what happens to those that betray my trust!" Alpha Max replies.

"A-are t-they s-still a-alive?"

"You should worry about yourself!" Alpha Max replies.

"I-I a-am go-going t-to k-kill y-you!"

Beta Stefan laughs. "You are going to die down here!"

I spat at them, and Alpha Max grabs me by my hair and smashed my forehead into the pole. The silver causes me a lot of pain, but this is nothing compared to when Beta Stefan and Alpha Max whipped me to an inch of my life. My body is full of scars from all the torture sessions I have endured. He keeps smashing my head until I get disoriented.

Alpha Max takes a cheek retractor and, with the help of Beta Stefan, forces my mouth open. While Beta Stefan prevents me from moving my head, Alpha Max takes silver needles and shoves them between my teeth and gums. The pain is so intense that it takes all my will to stop myself from screaming.

With pliers, he rips my nails before electrocuting me for long periods of time. When I faint because of the pain, Beta Stefan throws water on me, waking me.

They torture me for many hours, and when they get tired, I am taken to the lowest level of the dungeons, to a cell so dark I can't see anything. The torture session left me drained of my powers, and I force myself to remove the needles before I close my eyes. Despite all the pain I am feeling and being worried sick for Ana and her parents, I fall asleep.

Some time later, a loud bang jolts me awake.

"Worm, are you awake?" I hear Alpha Max’s voice close by. I sniff the air, but he is not in the cell.

More sounds reach my ears—drums, wolves howling and scratching a wall. I look around to see where the sounds are coming from, but I can't see anything.

"Wh-where a-are y-you, y-you co-coward?" I yell.

Alpha Max laughs like a madman.

"I tell you what. If you can run faster than those pack members that wanted to be part of the fun, I will answer a question for you."

I wonder what he means when I hear a door opening and scents coming from at least five pack members, all Enforcers in their wolf form. They enter the cell I am in, and I can hear them snarling and growling at me. If Alpha Max expects me to start running around this part of the dungeons, he is in for a big surprise. The wolves can tear me to pieces, and I won't move a millimeter.

The wolves get so close to me that I can feel their warm breath on my cold skin. I should be afraid, but strangely, I feel at peace, knowing I will soon be reunited with my family and her.

"You either stand and start running," Alpha Max snarls, and I wonder how he can see me, "or I will kill Ana."

"H-how d-do I k-know s-she is al-alive?" I ask.

"Stefan, bring in the little bitch!"

Moments later, I hear Ana's voice. "V?"

I stand as fast as I can, but I am in so much pain I fall to the floor. "A-Ana?"

She starts sobbing. "He killed them!"

I clench my teeth hard—my gums hurt like hell but I ignore it and concentrate on Ana’s words. Alpha Max killed her parents.

"If you don't want your dear friend to be passed around by the Enforcers and suffer a horrible death, I advise you to start running!"

I do as Alpha Max says, and I force myself to run as if my life depends on it. No! As if Ana's life depends on it! The wolves chase me, and I get out of the cell. The hallway is as dark as the cell and I extend my left hand, and while my fingers brush the wall I keep running. When the wolves are about to catch me, I do something I never did before—I let Derayu give me a boost of energy.