Chapter 14: A Sister's Hope: The Power of Sacrifice and Love

(POV: Lina)

"For Lina, we're not like that!" Lua exclaims, hurt by me. "Please, STOP!"

"No! He deserves this! He betrayed us, Lua, him and that worthless girl!" I speak with hatred, tears welling up in my eyes. "They deserve something worse than this!"

"If you do that, I'll never speak a single word to you again, and I won't let you turn into a wolf again, Lina!" Lua threatens me.

"What did you say? You wouldn't have the courage to do something like that!" I say disbelievingly.

"Do it, and you'll see!"

I do not believe her. You know what? When I'm done, I'll have a little chat with Lua. She better be prepared.

I look at Nicollas, who is kneeling (naked and all bruised) along with Melanie (who is in the same state as him). Nicollas is crying and looking into my eyes...

Those eyes...

Why does love hurt? Why did he betray me? Why?

Those eyes...

They're telling me something, but my anger is so great that I can't decipher them.

Those eyes...

With a heavy heart, tears in my eyes, and Lua hurt by me, I raise my hand transformed into a wolf's paw with large sharp claws and swiftly bring it towards Nicollas's neck, but...

I stop halfway and, looking into his eyes, I fall to my knees on the ground, crying profusely.

"Lina! Lina! Wake up!" I sense someone shaking me. "Lina..."

I open my eyes and realize they're moist. An anguish grips my chest, and without the strength to say a single word, I hug Sophie, who also embraces me without saying anything.

We stay like that for a long time.

"What a cute scene," a voice says... it's Scarlett's mother.

We break the embrace, and Sophie gets up from the bed and kneels, showing reverence to Scarlett.

"After breakfast, human, take Lina to the laboratory."

"Yes, ma'am," Sophie says, still kneeling. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No," Scarlett turns and leaves the room.

Sophie stands up and looks at me, her eyes filled with sadness and suffering.

What happened to this girl?

"It's time for breakfast, Lina," Sophie gives me a sad and awkward smile.

"I'm not hungry."

"Please, you need to eat, or I'll be punished for not feeding you."

"Fine."

"Must we?"

"Can I eat here in the room?" I ask.

"Yes, I'll fetch your breakfast. Excuse me."

Sophie leaves the room, and I get lost in my thoughts.

What was that dream? Why do I keep dreaming of seeking revenge on someone and giving up at the last moment? Would Nicollas have the courage to betray me?

"NO! He loves us, Lina, and would never do that!" Lua defends him.

"Then why am I having these nightmares?" I question. The anguish in my chest only grows.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling we'll find out soon."

Just as I was about to reply to Lua, Sophie appears, holding a tray with a variety of food in her hands. I suddenly feel my stomach come to life, and a loud growl escapes me.

Sophie comes in and places the tray on the bed. My mouth salivates so much that I'm afraid I might have drooled without realizing it.

I pick up the cheese bread, but as I'm about to put it in my mouth, I look at Sophie, who lowers her head when she realizes I caught her staring."

Are you hungry?" I ask, although I already know the answer. She doesn't say anything, only remains silent with her head down, and it saddens me. Not only for her but also for my memories of when I used to go hungry. "Come, sit with me, Sophie."

She lifts her head and looks at me, as if wanting confirmation. I nod, indicating that she can, and she takes slow steps toward the bed and sits on the other side of the tray.

I eat until I can't anymore, and I notice that Sophie hasn't eaten much. She holds two pieces of bread tightly in her hand, hidden inside her torn dress, making it visible to me.

"Why are you saving those pieces of bread?" I point to her discreetly concealed hand.

"I'm sorry." She puts the bread on the tray, and a tear rolls down her right eye. "It's just that... I wanted to save some for Anabelly."

"Who is Anabelly?"

"My sister."

"When was the last time you both ate?"

"It's been a few days. There are rare occasions when I can get food, and when I do, I save most of it for my sister, who is bedridden. She... she's very ill, and I can't do anything to help her." Sophie cries, and low, timid sobs escape her mouth. I don't say anything because I know how difficult it is not to be able to help your family. I hug her, expressing all my support in that embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Sophie. I didn't know."

"It's okay, Lina. Thank you for the hug. It helped a lot." She wipes her teary eyes with the back of her hand.

"I want to meet her, Sophie."

"Maybe someday, but now you have to go to the laboratory, or Scarlett will kill me."

Poor Sophie, living in a place like this with people like them is a curse. Why does she live here? I'll ask her later.

"Okay, I had forgotten about them."

She doesn't say anything, just gets up and leaves the room, with me following her.

We walk through a long beige corridor, where the paint is old and almost completely peeled, giving the place a frightening appearance. But since I don't scare easily, it doesn't make a difference to me.

After a few minutes and long corridors, we stop in front of a large iron door. Sophie knocks twice, and within a minute, it's opened, revealing Scarlett.

"You're dismissed, human," she dismisses Sophie, waving her hand in a gesture of superiority. "Enter, Suprema."

I enter the room, and it's impeccably white, with various machines that I have no idea what they're for.

As I walk a bit further, I see a man wearing a white lab coat with his back turned to me.

"Our Suprema is already here, Deniel."

Deniel turns around, holding a clipboard in his right hand and a cup in his left. Upon looking at me, he gives me a smile that sends shivers down my spine, making me restless and wanting to run away.

"Good morning, Lina. Did you sleep well?"

"Great," I try to disguise the fear in my voice.

"Lying is not nice, you know?" He places the cup on the countertop.

"Who said I'm lying?" I raise my right eyebrow.

"How do you feel about your dreams?"

Wait! How does he know?

"How do you know that I had dreams?"

He ignores me and points to an examination table.

"Sit!"

"Why?"

"I'm going to take a sample of your blood."

"N..."

I sense my face turn, and a stinging sensation on my right cheek. I place my hand on the spot and discreetly look at Scarlett, who slapped me on the head.

"Never say no to your creators, Suprema."

Tears well up in my eyes, but I don't allow myself to cry in front of them. Without saying a word, I extend my arm, and Deniel cleans the area around my vein with a cotton swab. Then he punctures my arm with the needle and draws my blood into the syringe.

Blood and more blood. Why is he taking so much blood? Wasn't it just a sample?

"Done!"

He removes the needle from my arm and helps me off the examination table. As soon as my feet touch the ground, weakness engulfs my body, and my head spins, making me lean on the table for support. My vision becomes blurred.

"Human!"

I hear Scarlett shout, and my head throbs with the sound of her voice.

My vision becomes increasingly blurred until it goes dark, and I see nothing more.