One year later 374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKS5mYHd8P
(Four years into captivity)
I miss them so much.
They don't miss you.
That's a lie.
No. That's the cold, hard truth.
Liar. They care about me.
Then why didn't they come save you?
It's because they don't know where to find me.
Think what you want. But you know the truth.
What truth?
They stopped caring for you. Your family and friends moved on...without you.
Liar. They love me.
No, Ariel. They loved you. Not anymore.
"Ariel?" Someone placed their hand on my chin and moved my head toward theirs.
My eyes connected with bright green eyes and hair that was red as blood. A light stubble of hair graced his chin and I blinked, seeing how old he looked for the first time.
"What's wrong, Angel?" Scott asked, and I frowned slightly hearing the nickname they chose for me.
Angel.
They told me once that I was their Angel, and that without me, they'll be plunged into hell with the devil himself. Otherwise known as Lucius.
I laughed at first when they gave me the nickname, telling me that it's a perfect nickname for a kind and caring girl like me.
I was amused and thought it was a way for them to lighten up things. However once I realized how genuine they were when calling me that, I couldn't help but feel self-conscious.
Me? Kind and caring and perfect? They must be blind for them to call me that. I'm the last person that nickname should be given to.
Angel.
My lips curled in distaste, hearing the name in my mind. The name was a mockery to what I was before. An angel is someone who's loved by all.
And who loves me any more? My family and Jason?
No. They loved you.
"Be quiet," I whispered to who, I did not know. Maybe it was to my weakening self or maybe it was to Scott, who was now shaking my body harshly.
"What's wrong?" Scott demanded, gripping my face tighter in his hand. "Tell me what's wrong."
I stared at his face hard, feeling a surge of anger go through me. Why would he care about me? He's not my family or Jason.
That's right. It's an act. Don't trust them. Don't trust anyone.
I pressed a hand to my throbbing head, wanting to mute the voice in my mind.
For the past few months, a constant voice in my head was whispering mean words to me. I thought at first that it was my silver wolf that finally resurfaced into my mind and I felt hope thinking that my best friend and other half was back.
However, that thought quickly disappeared with each passing day. The voice in my head was filled with anger and madness, making me go crazy to no ends.
Maybe I finally did hit the deep end. It was only a matter of time anyways.
"Ariel!" Scott's arms wrapped around me, and for some reason, I felt claustrophobic feeling the new physical weight on me.
Space.
I needed space.
"Let go," I whispered, trying to pry his arms off from me. When his arms tightened around me even more, I panicked. "I said, let go!"
My screech of terror even left me shocked, as I tried to claw myself away from him. It was too much and I felt out of breath.
I dimly heard Scott call out to someone but I didn't comprehend who he was talking to until I heard Leon's soft voice in my ear.
"Calm down," he ordered softly, smoothing my hair from behind me. "Take deep breaths and focus on our voices."
"Leon," I pleaded, my voice coming out as a whimper. "There's someone talking to me, telling me bad things. Can you hear it too?" My words sounded crazy to my own ears.
"Stop talking for a second," Leon said calmly, stroking my hair softly. "You're just tired which is perfectly understandable, Ariel. You'll feel a bit better after some sleep."
That's right. Go to sleep. Leon thinks you’re annoying. Just go to sleep and stop bothering people.
"No," I cried softly, squeezing the side of my head with my hand. My head was throbbing but that was the least of my worries right now.
Was I really going crazy? Just like Lucius said I would. I shuddered, remembering the conversation that I had with him just a few nights ago.
***374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWdxnGNro0
I feared the times when I was forced to spend time with Lucius in his office. It was a large, spacious area that was occupied by a large desk filled with papers and books.
As usual, I was standing in a corner, twiddling my thumbs, in hopes that the monotonous action would distract my fearful thoughts.
My gaze was transfixed on anything but the devil at the desk, who at the moment, was ignoring me to work on some files.
At the corner of the room was a shelf filled with thick books that had strange writing on their spine. It was a language that I did not know of, but more than once, I felt drawn to that shelf.
Or more specifically, to a book.
The black book that was meshed with chains and secured with a thick lock. There was no key in sight, but I had the strongest desire to open it and unravel all of its secrets.
"Come here, princess," he ordered from his seat behind the desk. His words were calm and collected, making it hard for me to understand what mood he was actually in.
His eyes were focused on the papers on his desk while he gave me that order with supreme arrogance. Like he knew that I would obey him without any hesitation.
And why wouldn't I? I long ago lost the pride that I preciously held to my being.
Now I could barely even hold my head up without flinching. Self hatred filled me but with that, came the feeling of helplessness.
My life was slowly ending before it even had the chance of beginning.
That's right, Ariel. You’re pathetic.
"Did you not hear me?" Lucius asked in a voice filled with anger. I jumped involuntarily, not knowing if I did so due to the rude voice in my head again or because I heard Lucius' chair creak.
Before I could utter a single word, I found myself looking straight into his dark cobalt eyes.
I know that after four years, I should've been used to his speed but each time he used it, I still myself still breathless.
"Lucius," I whispered, looking anywhere but into his dark glowing eyes. "I'm sorry. I got lost in my thoughts for a second."
"Is that so?"
I nodded, praying that he would let it go. "I'm sorry."
"You know, you apologize so much these days," Lucius said, taking a piece of my hair in his finger. "Now why is that?"
He twirled the strand around his fingers and I found myself staring at his large, elegant hands. The same hands that rained torture and pain upon my form.
"I don't want you to be angry," I replied softly, hating how weak my voice sounded.
"Is that because you truly don't like seeing me upset or because you're afraid of punishment?"
"I don't like to see you upset." The lie felt bitter in my mouth as I forced the words out. "B-because-"
I swallowed, cringing to say the words he wanted to hear.
"Because what, princess?" Lucius demanded, a small smirk plastered on his face.
My next words died slowly in my mouth, seeing the cruel expression on his face.
"Because what?" Lucius demanded again, swiftly wrapping his arm around my waist, and dragging me to his chest.
"Ariel!" He snarled, crushing my form to his body when I couldn't answer.
"It's because I love you!" I cried out, placing my hand desperately over his arm. I tried to remove his crushing weight off me to no avail.
"Prove it to me," he hissed in my ear, placing soft, cruel kisses on my right cheek.
"I- Lucius, you're hurting me," I pleaded, feeling his claws leaving marks on my back.
"Prove to me the love you claim to have for me," he said, and if possible, tightened his arms further around me."And then, I would let you go."
Slowly, not knowing what to do but not wanting to anger him further, I tilted my head up.
He was watching my every movement with obvious pleasure and when I pressed my lips to his, he growled approvingly.
It didn't take long for Lucius to take control of the kiss. He was brutal, as his hands roamed all over my body, while he shoved his tongue deep in my mouth.
Tears slid down my cheeks, as I closed my eyes trying to block his image from my mind.
"You taste divine," he whispered softly in my ear, before placing wet kisses down the side of my neck.
I smelt blood in the air and I knew immediately that Lucius bit down on my lip again. He liked to see his marks on me.
He said that the marks proved that I was his.
"Kiss me back," he growled in my ear, and I complied. I shuddered when my lips moved slowly to his.
I was ashamed to admit that for the past few years, I would do anything Lucius asked for. And I was terrified to let the other wolves and Leon know what I do with him. I didn't want to see their disgust or their pity.
I'm sorry Jason. I'm so sorry.
Why are you apologizing to him? Jason doesn't care about you. And besides, we both know that you're a wanton bitch. You actually enjoy Lucius' kisses, don't you Ariel?
I reeled back in shock, abruptly breaking the kiss. Lucius growled loudly, slamming me back into his chest.
"Why did you stop?" He growled down at me, while his golden eyes were burning holes on to my face.
"No. That's not true," I whispered to myself, waiting to see if the voice in my head will respond to my comment.
"What's not true?" Lucius cocked his head to the side, and I shook my head slowly, not wanting to tell him my secret.
"Are you defying me?" Lucius snarled and exchanged his grip on my waist to my hand. With his other hand, he brought it to my chin and squeezed it tightly.
Answer his question, Ariel. Isn't that the only thing you're good for. Being Lucius' pet?
"No," I said, not knowing if I was replying to Lucius or to the voice in my head. Pressing my fingers at the side of my head, I tried to soothe the headache that was starting to form, while staring at him.
Lucius in return was staring at me, before laughing abruptly as he dragged me to his chair. He sat down before forcing me to sit on his lap. I tried to squirm away from him, but stopped when he placed his arm heavily around my waist.
"You hear it, don't you?" Lucius said from behind me, before he typed something on his computer. I watched his large hands move the mouse around, before I jerked my attention to him.
"What did you say?" I demanded hoarsely, surprised by his words. He can't possibly know the voice that's going through my mind, can he? To this day, he showed no hints for us to think that he can read minds.
"I didn't say anything," he replied, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. He was playing with me. No surprise there. Mentally torturing me was one of his favorite pastime.
"You said that I hear something," I said, not letting the subject drop. I turned around his lap to look at him, before looking down at my fists. The way he was staring at me was too intense.
"Did I? I don't recall saying anything along the lines," Lucius commented casually, but I could hear the grin in his voice. "Ah, here it is. Look at the computer screen, princess. I think this image will be of utmost interest to you."
Confused from his words, I turned around once again, to see what he meant. I gasped, covering my eyes with my hands immediately, when my eyes made contact with the gruel image.
Lucius laughed softly, as my body trembled, seeing the gruesome picture.
"Oh come now," Lucius chuckled, as his laughter resonated through his office. "It's not that bad. In fact, I think it's very creative."
I shook my head, trying to block the image from my mind. It was a picture of a man, his head decapitated from his body. Dried blood and mud was caked all over him but that wasn't even the worst part of him.
His head was put on a stick beside his body, with the word "Silver" tattooed on his forehead. It didn't take me long to figure out who he was.
"Why did you do this to him?" I mumbled into my hands, as I tried to suppress the urge to gag. The poor man. It wasn't his fault that he was a silver wolf.
"His name was Sergei," Lucius responded nonchalantly, as if we were talking about the weather, and not the death of a poor man. "Do you want to know what my father loved when he killed the last silver wolf?
I shook my head, wanting to go down into the basement. I didn't want to hear about anything about the man's murder. Of course, Lucius thought otherwise.
"Do you know the saying, that with great power comes great responsibility?" Lucius asked, removing my hands away from my face. He played with my fingers as his face became thoughtful.
"With Sergei, it was a bit different. Great power for him came with grave... consequences. And Sergei learnt it the hard way."
"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling a pit of dread build in my gut. I had a feeling I knew where this was going.
"He became...crazy," Lucius said, shaking his head a second later. "Crazy is putting the matter lightly, actually. I heard that after his first kill, his wolf took complete control over his mind, forcing him to kill more and more. Some say, he even killed his own mate."
My mouth fell open in shock, as I whimpered. "Why are you telling me this?"
Lucius ignored me, and smiled cruelly at the image on the screen. "The last silver wolf held extraordinary powers, using it to kill so many of us Shards. However with time, he self-detonated." Lucius closed his eyes, a smile curving his lips. "My father's favorite moment when he killed him was that Sergei actually begged my father to end him."
He looked at me, giving me a grin.
"He was his own demise. Sergei couldn't control the madness surrounding him anymore," he told me, giving me a cruel wink. "And do you want to know what started it all?"
I cringed, shaking my head in distress.
Please don't say what I think it is.
"A voice," Lucius smoothly said, ignoring the panic rising within me. He smiled, and tapped a finger to the side of my head. "You used to always call me crazy, princess. But the truth is Ariel, you're just as crazy as me."
I shook my head, not wanting to believe it. Was what Lucius saying true. Will I be as crazy as Sergei one day? Hurting people that I care about? Killing people I love?
"And that's perfect, isn't it beautiful?" Lucius said, pushing me off his lap and on to the floor.
I landed ungracefully on the ground, trying to catch my breath while desperately controlling my panic. "A crazy princess for an equally crazy king."
He gazed down at me with a malicious expression on his face. I sobbed, knowing what that look in his eyes meant.
"Don't look so afraid, princess. I'll always be there for you. Now, take your dress off."
***
"Ariel, what are you thinking about so much?" A voice penetrated my thoughts, and I looked up at Scott and Leon, seeing the pity in their expression.
I shook my head, not wanting them to know the dirty secrets surrounding me. I didn't want them to know that the girl they once knew changed in more ways than one.
"I don't want to talk about it," I said quietly, as Lucius' words from that night echoed through my mind. Sergei went crazy and he might've killed his own mate. How long will it be until I become as crazy as him?
And will I really hurt the ones I love? I looked around the dainty room, seeing all their defeated expression. They came to mean so much to me in such a short while.
Leon, Orion, Scott, Cameron, Arlo and even Trenton. Will I one day go so crazy that I will harm them? All because of one small voice in my head. The thought brought chills down my spine.
Spine? The word made me pause before I remembered what I needed to tell them about.
"The book," I gasped, totally forgetting about that detail. With so much going through my mind, I forgot about the black book in his office.
"What book?" Scott asked confused, staring at me weirdly. "What are you talking about?"
"There's a book in Lucius' office," I gasped out, clasping on to Leon's hand. "I saw it a few times now. It had chains all over it and I felt it calling for me."
Seeing Leon's worried look, I realized that maybe I sounded a bit crazy.
"You need to believe me," I pleaded out in a calmer manner, not knowing how to explain the power in the book.
"We do believe you, never doubt that. Just slow down for a sec," Leon said, rubbing his jaw. "You're saying that the book is calling for you. Calling for you how?"
"I felt its power and I think, oh I don't know what to think. But that book can help us," I said, putting a hand to my chest. "I have to get it away from him. I need to see for myself what's in there."
"Absolutely not," Leon was shaking his head before I even finished my sentence. "Don't even think about it. If what you're saying is true and you feel like the book can help us, don't you think Lucius will know if it suddenly went missing?"
"I know, but we have to try something." And fast. I might be running out of time and I don't even understand what's happening to me.
"Leon's right," Scott said, giving him a disgruntled look. "As much as I hate the bloodsucker, he has a valid point. It's not safe and besides, you don't even know what you're dealing with, Ariel. The book can be a trap."
"I know, but what else is there for me to lose," I said, looking at them seriously. "I'm going to take it when I have the chance. Lucius sometimes leaves me in the office while he has meetings in the other room. I can do it." At least, I think I can.
Leon let out an irritated sigh. “This is the devil you’re playing with it.”
"I know," I said, giving him a sad smile. "I think out of everyone here, I see the devil in him the most."
"What do you mean by that?" Scott curiously asked, but I didn't get the chance to answer him. Someone at that moment spoke out a word, which left me utterly breathless to the core.
"Mate."
One small word that I didn't expect to ever hear in my life. Or surely, at least in this basement.
This couldn't be happening to me. Especially at this time, when so many bad things were already piling up on my head.
I turned around suddenly and involuntarily gasped, when my eyes connected with his. His eyes were completely black, meaning his wolf was somehow giving him control again.
"You don't mean that," Leon whispered, staring at the boy who claimed that I was his mate. "Don't fucking joke about something this serious. This is no laughing matter."
"Mine," my mate rasped, completely ignoring Leon's words. My eyes widened, seeing him getting up from his spot and moving closer to mine.
It looked like he was possessed as he knocked the other startled-looking wolves out of his way and made his way straight to me.
I didn't even let a word out, before he crushed his body to mine, running his nose from the base of my jaw to my neck.
He took a deep whiff of my scent, before licking my neck desperately.
"W-what are you doing?" I asked hoarsely, when his canines scraped harshly against my skin.
"Mine," he whispered again into my ear, before biting down hard into my neck, ignoring the shouts in the room.
Tears immediately filled my eyes, feeling the sting on my neck. It felt a hundred times worse than the times Leon bit into my wrist, whenever he was hungry.
This bite was a claim, and I felt his mark imprinting me all the way to my soul.
He ignored my scream as he sucked hard on my neck, before licking the mark that he left.
This couldn't be happening to me. Especially with him of all people.
I watched in shock as he finally lifted his head off my neck and stared at me with his wolf-like eyes.
I stared back at him, utterly captivated by his dark gaze and the blood on his lips.
My blood.
So many questions were going through my head, and I didn't know how to break the silence.
I wanted to ask him why he did what he did and if he knew what the consequences of his actions were going to be, but my lips felt frozen.
I couldn't voice out any of those words or questions, other than his name.
"Trenton?"
---
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