Chapitre 5

I couldn't ignore the eyes boring into me. He was surrounded by darkness.

He was dangerous.

"Poor thing, did they lock you up here," he purred, as if he was anything but sad about it. "What, not a word? No reaction? Where's the tears, the anger?"

I wouldn't give him anything.

As if understanding my silence, he retreated further into the cell, but his red eyes remained fixed on me. I dropped my gaze to my hands. I was still in shock. When I thought about what had just happened, I wouldn't be able to hold it back. Tommy's screams...

There was a rustling in the silver cell. The humor around him vanished.

"Why are you here?"

I said nothing but looked back into his eyes. Unlike last time, I wasn't afraid of him. Why was he so interested in me? I was probably just his amusement, a pastime in isolation. He was locked up and couldn't do anything to me.

Should I answer him?

A part of me wanted to tell him everything, but I held back. what would i say Because I didn't take care of my brother? Because Beta Leo wanted to see someone suffer for Lia escaping his clutches? I widened my eyes.

What punishment would befall me?

"Elizabeth-"

A shiver ran down my spine as he said my name, but a second later the gap closed and his eyes closed. Footsteps echoed against the stone. Less than a minute later, warriors were marching purposefully past me through the cells.

I take a deep breath.

The old guard had awakened from his sleep and bowed to them.

"All quiet so far," he croaked.

"He behaved? No riot with the prisoner?" one of them asked, and a sinking feeling settled in my stomach.

"No, not Muchs. Pretty unusual..."

Unusual? I stared at the silver cell.

"Okay, we'll take care of the Silverblood prisoners. Until then, she will stay here as long as Alpha Fenrir has not decided her fate," said the guard, and with a nod, they disappeared to the back of the dungeon.

The guard took a deep breath, coughed, gave me a pitying look, and disappeared back into his corner. After a few minutes, the snoring sounded like that of a brown bear. My shoulders sagged and I leaned my head back against the cool metal bars.

How long? I brushed my tousled curls away from my face.

The creaking of the hatch followed.

He did not say anything.

I looked up.

"Why are you talking to me but not to them?"

My voice broke in half and I coughed the itch out of my throat. I rubbed my throat, which was bone dry.

"You're not trapped here," he replied, something glinting in his eyes.

"How long have you been locked in here?" I asked, the torches wrinkling his eyes with laughter.

“Ah ah ah, that's not how it works here. It's my turn," he said, and the mocking twinkle was back. "How does a person who smells of apple and wine get in this dungeon?"

I pursed my lips.

"A personal dislike on the part of Beta Leo, I would say. It's my turn. What is your name?"

A melodious laugh echoed against its metal walls. A warm tingle ran down my arms. Why did he attract me like a magnet?

"Your fear is gone. Am I not scaring you anymore?" he asked, amused.

"You're locked up, I'm locked up. As long as there's a thick wall of silver between us, I'm more concerned about myself."

He chuckled like this was all just a joke. Voices came from the cells of the silver-blood prisoners. someone was angry

"Oh, don't worry," he said, catching my eyes again. "Soon you'll get more of this than you'd like."

All humor was gone while his glowing eyes were completely focused on me.

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"You'll see when the day comes..."

I frowned.

"Who are you?"

A distant laugh was my answer. He mocked me. I sighed and clutched the freezing bars. Goosebumps spread under my coat and I crouched down.

At least Tommy was safe.

And Lia too...

A yawn escaped my lips.

I closed my eyes.

At least a second...

...

A scream broke through the fog and I woke with a start. The bars trembled and my stomach clenched. Cold sweat ran down my back.

Torchlight flickered across the stones. A second scream made the air tremble. It was dull through the dungeon door and yet it made my guts tremble. The Silverblood Warriors.

Her agony echoed throughout the dungeon.

I clapped my hands over my ears, but the sounds stayed. Was it morning? In the last few days I had completely lost the sense of time. I narrowed my eyes.

I wanted to see Tommy.

I wanted to go home to my bed.

The hot tears ran down my cheeks and I sniffled to keep my nose from running. How long should I stay here?

I pressed my forehead against the bars and just let the tears fall.

"Shh..."

I lifted my gaze to the Silver Prison, where the ruby eyes were fixed on me like embers glowing in the dark.

I wiped my cheeks and blinked a few times as if that would erase my sadness. Silence fell over us. Even without words, his presence brought a spark of comfort. Maybe he didn't tell me how long he was here because he didn't know himself.

How could he stay so calm?

Didn't he have a family?

No home?

My vision blurred again. Tommy probably couldn't sleep for worry. And what about the store? Everything destroyed... How could we survive this winter? Without money, without supplies? And I was wasting my time here in the dungeon. Fresh tears ran down my cheeks.

"Shh," he whispered, "don't cry..."

His voice echoed around the room like a warm breeze. Was he trying to comfort me? I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The monster was calmer than me. Maybe just the calm before the storm.

"If Silverblood won," I asked, "would they release you?"

A soft laugh echoed off the walls.

That was probably a no.

"Why not?"

"If I go free, they won't win the war," he said with amused eyes.

"You would help us?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"You poor naive thing. When I'm free, there won't be any more packs. Neither Silverblood nor Mountain Shadow."

My stomach did a somersault. He was dangerous. I couldn't forget that. There was a reason he was here. He wanted to wipe out the packs. What do you think he would do when he got out of here? I stared into the red eyes that were watching me like prey.

He would fall into a blood frenzy.

The self-control he displayed in my presence was only an act. He played me something so I trusted him. Little by little, day by day, word by word, he lulled me to sleep.

He was dangerous.

I couldn't trust him.

No wonder he was locked up down here.

He was a predator just waiting for an opportunity. And I didn't want to be his prey.

Footsteps echoed over the stone, pulling me out of my thoughts. The old guard shuffled along, his weary eyes fixed on me. Without saying a word, he pushed a piece of bread through the bars of my cell. He always did that when his shift was over. I hadn't seen Davin since I got here...

The bread was hard as cardboard, but my stomach didn't care. I took a bite and chewed as fast as I could. I closed my eyes at the taste of old rye. It was the only food I had seen in days.

My eyes fell on the silver cell.

The guard had never brought him anything to eat. How could anyone live without food? The guard had long since disappeared upstairs, leaving us alone again.

I finished off the rest of my bread and leaned contentedly against the icy metal.

"I've never heard of a werewolf that doesn't need food," I whispered. The opening creaked open to reveal blood-red eyes.

"I'm currently following a... bland diet."

An unwanted laugh gurgles out from between my lips. It swept down the walls like a wave, an unfamiliar sound for the dungeon. I hadn't smiled in days.

It felt good, like a ray of sunshine after a long winter.

"I've never met anyone like you, not even a werewolf," I said. Was he even one? Maybe there were other beings hiding in the night or the forest.

"I can promise you I'm one of a kind in this world," he said, his eyes twisting into a smile. The white fangs gleamed in the torchlight. I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Please, if you don't want to tell me what you are, at least tell me your name. After all, you know mine too."

Silence followed, as if he had to think about it.

"All right Elisabeth," he said, and a warm shiver ran down the back of my neck. "I'll tell you my name on one condition."

"And that would be?"

His mocking grin was back.

"You owe me a favor."

A favor?

I hesitated. I couldn't forget that he was a monster. Maybe he just wanted to take advantage of me. But what could he do, locked up in the safest cell in the world? I played with the sleeves of my coat.

"Fine, but I won't do anything illegal," I replied, scanning his eyes for any hint of mischief, but they honestly looked back.

"Do not worry. We don't want you to have to stay here any longer than necessary. And I trust on your word that you will keep your promise if I want to return my favor. We have a deal?"