Season 2-Chapter 56

Soulless eyes brimmed with tears were staring in naught. The shivering figure didn’t even feel the wrath of the chilling breeze that was piercing her supple skin like needles. With hands crossed over her chest and head inclined on the window pane, Emmaline was gazing at her captor’s territory for the past thirty minutes.

She was caged, bereft of hope and freedom. Damien hit her strongest nerve to gain her submission and sadly, it worked. Her foster family was still under his clutches. Emmaline unwillingly had to give up as one wrong move from her side will result in fatal consequences for the Colt family.

A week passed and no one came to her rescue. Damien after locking her got occupied with his pack activities. His long absence infirmed the strength of his guards but for his enemies, it served as the best opportunity to strike them.

Damien was furious when Zion reported to him that there have been multiple attacks on the Northern Valley in the last two months. His men though fought bravely; they sustained some serious injuries in the process. The bloody wars claimed a lot of precious lives that left the Alpha guilt-ridden. Damien considered himself solely responsible for this so he decided to take the situation into his hands. He started the rigorous training of his pack completely forgetting his forced Luna whom he had abandoned amongst his monstrous family.

The maids delivered the lunch and dinner for Emmaline to her doorstep as they had strict instructions from Isabella, Damien’s mother not to interact with her. For the first few days, Emmaline refused to eat but soon give in to hunger. It was because she needed to survive. To fight back, you need to build stamina and by not eating food, she was only tormenting herself because no one in the house give a damn about her. So, she would simply take the food from the maids and leave the empty plates outside her room for them to collect.

“Luna”

A knock was heard on the door that grabbed her attention. Sighing, Emmaline dragged her feet to the door and twisted the knob. She opened the door and as usual, extended her hand to get the tray. But to her surprise, instead of a maid, she was met with a buff figure.

“How are you?”

Her ears perked at a deep voice.

“Ryan?”

Emmaline frowned. Why was he here?

She hadn’t seen Damien and his two bodyguards since the last week for which she was grateful. After all, they had given her enough reasons to hate them.

Emmaline was in no mood to entertain him. Her blood boiled recalling the day when he watched his Alpha toying with her with sealed lips. Does loyalty to his Alpha so important for him that he wouldn’t even save a teen being molested and abused? How pathetic.

Without saying anything, Emmaline pulled her hand back and was about to shut the door in his face when Ryan blocked it with his palm. Her fiery eyes collided with his guilty ones.

“Move.” She snarled.

“I am sorry, Luna but please hear me out once.” Ryan started with a genuine apology. He had been trying for a week, looking for an opportunity to avoid Damien and meet Emmaline so that he could apologize to her. Just like her, he was also shocked after knowing about Damien’s façade. How he used him to get his hands on Emma while fooling him the whole time, making him believe that he was doing everything to protect her.

Emmaline wasn’t a bit moved by his pleas. She grabbed his hand and pushed it away but Ryan didn’t budge and again tried entering her room.

“Please Luna-“

“What’s going on here?”

Her stomach churned after hearing that sickening voice. Emmaline glared at Ryan who was also taken aback as he didn’t expect to get caught by Isabella.

“Nothing Ma’am,” He quickly retreated and stepped outside the room, “I just wanted to make sure that the Luna is fine.”

Ryan instantly grabbed the knob and tried to close the door for Emmaline. He was cognizant of Isabella’s twisted plans.

“Wait.”

She hollered that instantly ceased his actions. She then walked forward and glared at him compelling Ryan to back away.

“So sweet of you,” Isabella mocked and then looked at Emmaline who didn’t miss the sneer in her voice. Sizing her up and down, Isabella then shifted her eyes back to Ryan and scoffed.

“But perhaps you forgot that she is no fucking Luna.”

She spat and before they could understand, she grabbed Emmaline’s right hand and pulled her out of the room.

Emmaline was puzzled and tried to snatch her hand away, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING-“

“Sshh”

She was hushed by Isabella who placed her index finger on her pale lips.

“Keep it down or you know what will happen next.” She snickered. Emmaline looked away in annoyance. Damien had reduced her to a puppet.

Gratified by her obedience, Isabella looked at Ryan who also didn’t look pleased by her behavior. He immediately jumped to action when she turned to leave while dragging Emmaline along with her. He tried to chase them when Isabella turned around and shoot him a death glare.

“Stay here.” She gritted in a threatening tone. Ryan was enraged but still, backed down half-heartedly as he can’t go against her orders.

*****

Emmaline grunted when she was harshly thrown on the cemented floor. Isabella brought her to the dungeon, the place where her loved ones were locked. Her knees and palms got scratched but her mother-in-law was too cruel to tend her wounds. Walking past her, she perched on exquisite the chair of state and looked down at Emmaline.

She snickered at the murderous glint in her blue eyes as the girl hawked at her like a wounded lioness.

“Now what’s with that look, pretty bird?”

“Why did you bring me here?” Emmaline ignored her question.

“Straightforward, impressive.”

Isabella then leaned back and placed her hands on the armrest, “Cheer up sweety. We’re just going to play some games.” Saying that she clicked her fingers in the air. A maid came forward and handed her a glass of red wine. Emmaline eyed the golden stem of her glass with resentment. The snobbish woman was just wielding her authority, a way to tell her that she has no value in front of her.

Isabella furrowed her brows when Emmaline dusted her palms and sat on the ground properly. She then proceeded to clean her ripped jeans and stood up on her feet.

“Well, I don’t know about you but I like to act my age. Still, I can understand your feelings. And as you’re my mother-in-law, I would like to strengthen our bond by sharing some secrets with you.” Emmaline spoke and then sashayed towards a mad Isabella.

“I have a soft corner for old people so be assured because I won’t make fun of you if you bring cubs here and roll with them in the mud. It’s perfectly fine, these childish cravings are routinely for old people.”

“HOW DARE YOU!!” Isabella roared and stood up from her golden throne. Marching towards her, she grabbed a chunk of her hair and tugged them harshly.

Emmaline groaned and coiled her fingers around her wrist that was tearing her hair from her scalp and twisted it. The cracking of bones was heard which was soon followed by a painful scream that reverberated through the cemented walls of the dungeon.

Holding her broken wrist, Isabella staggered back and glowered at Emmaline with red teary eyes, “Who do you think you are? What makes you think that you can offend the Queen of Shadow Banes?”

“And what makes you think that you can rule over the daughter of an Alpha?” Emmaline shot back.

Isabella soon burst into laughter and straightened her spine. Emmaline watched how she clutched her broken wrist and twisted it back. She brought her bones back into shape and rubbed her skin to ease the pain.

“Daughter of an Alpha? The same Alpha whose head was ripped off his body and thrown on my husband’s feet.”

Her vitriolic words scarred Emmaline. Isabella deliberately pressed her buttons but her eyes widened when her throat was grasped and the next thing, she was thrown against the wall like a ragdoll. Everyone gasped in shock as they watched Isabella flying in the air and soon her figure crashed on the hard wall and slumped to the floor.

“KEEP YOUR TONGUE IN CONTROL, BITCH, OR I WILL RIP IT IN THE SAME WAY AND SERVE IT TO YOUR BASTARD SON!!” Emmaline yelled while fighting her tears. She was already reveling in her fear and helplessness, she didn’t want to please her more by showing her tears.

Isabella also lost her sanity. Getting up, she clutched the black velvet cape whose strings were tied around her neck. She tore it away roughly and threw it on the floor.

“You crossed your limits, slave. I was trying to be lenient on you but you have Seraphina’s blood in your veins. Your mother was also one stubborn bitch. I tried multiple times convincing her, making her understand that Edward is siding with the traitors, and warned her of the consequences but she paid no heed.” Isabella spat but then released a deep sigh feigning disappointment, “See, where her arrogance led her to? The poor woman didn’t even get to hug her baby girl and was stabbed the next moment she gave birth to you.”

Emmaline froze. The tears she was holding for so long started running down her eyes. She couldn’t believe that her parents were killed this inhumanely by his mate’s parents and how proud they were telling her, not even caring what impact it would lead on her small heart. They were literally monsters.

Isabella, on the other hand, smirked like a sadist. Her hazel eyes gleamed with malice as she enjoyed her broken state.

She strutted to Emmaline with one hand resting on her waist, “Stop fighting me, little girl. If I want, I can crush you in a blink of an eye.” She spoke in a condescending tone while eying her as if she was filth.

“You were hell-bent on sharing secrets with me, right? Then let me return the favor. Since you have heard about your mother being stabbed to death so wouldn’t you want to know the name of her culprit?”

Emmaline remained silent but a horrifying gasp escaped her lips when Isabella unveiled the shocking truth.

“It was me, sweetheart.”

No sooner had she said that than Emmaline pounced on her. Grabbing her neck in a vicious grip, she started strangling Isabella to death who was left shell-shocked by her prodigious strength.

“You self-conceited bish. Just because you killed my parents, captured my foster family, and received my submission under duress, do you think you have me under your thumb, huh?” snarling, she inched near her face. Isabella cowered in fear when her terrified hazel hues connected with the golden specs that were boring holes in her face.

“You see our position. Now tell me who’s got the upper hand”, Emmaline sneered and tightened her hold on her throat. “I can snap your neck within a blink of an eye and your deranged boy won’t be able to save you.”

Fighting back her dread, Isabella met with her glare head-on, “You can’t do that. Remember the deal, Emmaline, even if Damien won’t be able to save me, he would definitely avenge me and that will start with the massacre of all the people you have ever met in your life.” She tried to scare her. But her voice came out shaky which made Emmaline laugh.

“Oh, stop with these vague threats. You’re underestimating me, old hag. Before he comes for my family, I would end up his. He’ll get busy with the obsequies instead of hunting me down. And by then, I will release my loved ones and fly the coop, miles away from your evil eyes.”

“Are you sure about that, Princess?”