Chapter 2

Freya's POV

I woke up to the sensation of something gently brushing against my leg.

"Hmmmm..." I let out a soft groan, slowly opening my eyes. I was still feeling sleepy, but that feeling quickly vanished when I saw the prison guard standing right in front of me.

A sinister grin spread across his face, sending chills down my spine.

My eyes widened as I finally realized what he was doing.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I screamed, immediately scrambling to sit up.

I was about to shove him away when my hand suddenly stopped midair. It was chained behind my back!

The man simply burst into laughter at my futile attempt to resist.

"There's no point in struggling, young lady. I suggest you just cooperate if you don't want to get hurt," he said with a wicked grin.

Oh, fuck. I'm dead!

I frantically scanned my surroundings, searching for anything I could use as a weapon. Unfortunately, the only thing within my reach was my pillow.

A shiver ran down my spine. The man was about to approach me when I quickly kicked him, forcing him to stumble backward.

"You little bitch!" he shouted furiously.

I watched as his eyes began turning yellow. That was when I knew I was in serious danger.

"No! Please, no! Help!" I screamed in terror.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as he roughly grabbed my dress and began tearing it apart. I could feel his claws scratching my delicate skin.

Within seconds, my dress was reduced to shreds, leaving me with nothing but my underwear.

I couldn't stop trembling as the cold and fear seeped into my bones.

"By sunrise, you won't be alive anymore, mortal!" he snarled, a sinister smile playing on his lips.

He forcefully grabbed my hair and tried to kiss me, but I immediately turned my face away. My resistance only made him tighten his grip, painfully pulling at my hair.

"No! Please, someone help me!" I screamed desperately.

Deep inside, I felt utterly hopeless.

Who would save me? I didn't know anyone in this place. I had no one to turn to.

"Who would've thought that a mortal like you was hiding such beauty?" he remarked maliciously, his eyes wandering toward my chest.

I wanted to cover myself, but my hands were still chained behind my back.

He was about to pull down my bra when he suddenly froze.

His eyes widened as he glanced over his shoulder.

Meanwhile, I remained motionless, paralyzed by fear and anxiety.

Suddenly, the man coughed up blood.

I instinctively curled my legs toward my body as he collapsed lifelessly onto the concrete floor.

There was a gaping hole in his back, apparently the cause of his death.

Only then did I notice a shadow standing behind him. I couldn't make out who it was because the figure was partially concealed by the darkness.

"W-Who a-are you?" I asked, my voice trembling.

The man stepped out of the shadows, revealing his face.

His eyes were burning yellow, and fresh blood dripped from his hand-the same hand that had killed the man who had just tried to assault me.

"V-Vincent?" I stammered in disbelief when I recognized him.

I instinctively pressed myself against the corner as he took a step toward me.

"N-No... P-please don't come near me," I begged between sobs.

I knew he had just saved me, but given my current situation, I couldn't bring myself to trust anyone.

He stopped when he noticed my reaction. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Darlyn," he called.

A beautiful woman immediately entered my cell.

"Yes, Beta?" she asked respectfully, her head slightly bowed.

"Clean this cell and give her a new dress and some first-aid supplies. Make sure she is properly guarded. I don't want something like this happening again."

His voice was authoritative, but his eyes remained fixed on me.

"Yes, Beta," the woman replied.

Without another word, Vincent left my cell.

I remained silent, huddled in the corner, watching his retreating figure until he disappeared from view.

I was still terrified, but deep down, I couldn't help feeling grateful.

I was glad he had saved me.

For a moment, I had truly believed that my life was over.

I stayed curled up in the corner, silently sobbing as I tried to process everything that had happened.

I need to go back. I need to find a way out of this hell...

❤️❤️❤️

I woke up to strange noises, loud crashes, and howls coming from outside.

Fearfully, I looked around. The guards who had previously been stationed outside my cell were nowhere to be seen, which I found rather strange.

Judging by the faint light filtering through the window, it seemed to be almost dawn.

My eyebrows furrowed when I caught the smell of burning wood.

I immediately got up from where I had been lying.

Whatever was happening outside, I was a hundred percent certain that it was dangerous-and definitely not something a human like me should get involved in.

I didn't know why, but I had a strong feeling that if I wanted to survive, I needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.

I hurriedly scanned my surroundings, searching for a way to escape.

It felt like spotting an angel when I noticed a bunch of keys hanging from a pillar near my cell.

I didn't know why, but I had a feeling that someone had deliberately left them there for me.

I mean, seriously? What kind of sensible guard would leave a bunch of keys right beside a cell's lock?

It didn't make any sense, right?

Nevertheless, I quickly grabbed the keys and tried them one by one on the lock attached to my ankle.

My hands were trembling from a mixture of fear and anticipation, making it difficult to insert the keys properly.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief when I heard a faint click, signaling that the chain had been unlocked.

I quickly stood up and stepped out of my cell.

Once outside, I cautiously made my way toward the door, careful not to make any unnecessary noise.

I could still hear growls and cries coming from outside.

I stopped right in front of the door.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened the small entrance leading out of what appeared to be a basement dungeon.

I wanted to make sure that death wouldn't be waiting for me on the other side.

These people were werewolves, after all.

I wasn't about to risk my life by running straight into the middle of a war without a single gun or bullet to protect myself.

I gasped at the sight that greeted me.

I immediately covered my mouth with one hand to keep myself from making a sound.

This was the first time I had actually seen this place.

Several houses were burning, and countless dead bodies were scattered across the ground.

Whatever had happened earlier seemed to be over.

Aside from the lifeless bodies scattered everywhere, there were no longer any werewolves fighting one another. Some were still in their wolf forms, while others had already returned to their human forms.

All of them were staring in the same direction.

I carefully pushed the door open a little wider to see what had captured their attention.

My eyes widened at the sight before me.

It was a gigantic midnight-black wolf!

Its enormous size was particularly noticeable compared to the other wolves surrounding it.

I swallowed hard when I noticed what lay beneath its feet.

Another lifeless wolf.

I couldn't help feeling sorry for the dead creature, even though I had absolutely no idea who it was.

I shifted my gaze back to the enormous black wolf, only to feel my heart nearly leap out of my chest when I realized it was staring directly at me.

Impossible! How did it even see me?

I wanted to run straight back into the dungeon when it began taking slow steps toward me.

I swallowed hard.

My heart was pounding violently with fear, yet I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from it.

I forced myself to snap out of the strange trance its gaze had put me under.

I need to think. I need to do something!

I was just about to take a step backward when a white wolf suddenly leaped out of the nearby forest and launched itself at the black wolf.

Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, the black wolf failed to dodge in time.

The two wolves began fighting fiercely.

However, perhaps because the black wolf was considerably larger, it effortlessly caught the white wolf between its jaws before hurling it against a nearby tree.

The white wolf whimpered in pain but still managed to struggle back onto its feet.

The moment it stood up, it launched another attack.

But the black wolf easily dodged its assault before sinking its teeth into the white wolf's neck.

I watched as the white wolf's eyes turned red with fury and pain, but there was nothing it could do to escape the black wolf's powerful jaws.

The black wolf sank its fangs even deeper into the poor creature before throwing its limp body against a pillar near where I was standing.

The white wolf desperately tried to stand, but its injuries were too severe. It collapsed again, and moments later, its body slowly began transforming back into human form.

My eyes widened.

"Vincent..." I whispered.

Damn it! That white wolf was Beta Vincent!

Panic washed over me as I watched the enormous black wolf slowly approach him.

It was still in an aggressive stance, clearly preparing to attack the helpless Beta.

Judging by the way it moved, I doubted it had any intention of letting Vincent live.

Damn it! What should I do?

Vincent had saved me once. Just last night, to be exact.

I couldn't just stand there and let him die.

He was the only person who had shown me even a little kindness in this strange and unfamiliar place. Perhaps he was the closest thing I had to a friend here.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the black wolf launched another attack.

Its jaws clamped down on Vincent's shoulder, making him cry out in pain.

A loud crash followed as the black wolf hurled him away once again.

Tears began streaming down my cheeks.

I couldn't bear watching anymore, especially when the other werewolves surrounding them did nothing but stand there and watch in silence.

The black wolf leaped into the air, preparing to deliver another attack.

And that was when something inside me finally snapped.

I threw the door open and ran toward Vincent's nearly lifeless body.

"Please, stop!" I screamed, wrapping my arms around the bloodied Beta to shield him from the impending attack.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trembling as I braced myself for the impact.

I could hear warning growls coming from every direction, but I could also sense that the wolf had stopped moving.

Slowly, I lifted my head and met its gaze.

"He's already too weak to fight back. Please, don't kill him," I begged, my face drenched in tears.

I could still feel the burning intensity of the black wolf's stare, as though it were weighing whether or not to grant my request.

I held my breath until it finally took a slight step backward, signaling that it had no intention of attacking anymore.

"Thank you..." I whispered, desperately trying to wipe away my tears, although it was practically useless since they wouldn't stop falling.

The black wolf turned away from me.

It then lifted its head toward the golden sky and let out a powerful howl.

To my surprise, several other wolves, including those who had already returned to their human forms, joined in.

Their howls echoed throughout the area, marking their victory in the battle that had just taken place.

I couldn't help staring at the enormous black wolf.

Its midnight-black fur swayed gently in the breeze, making it look absolutely magnificent.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, it turned its head toward me and met my eyes once again.

My heart began pounding.

There was something strangely overwhelming about the way it looked at me.

I was certain he was their Alpha.

The enormous wolf took a step toward us, making me even more nervous.

I thought it was going to approach us, but without saying a word, it simply walked past me and continued on its way.