Let's Play A Game, Alpha

27 - Broken Love

There are certain moments in life that you just need to ignore because it is way too strange to make sense of.

Waking up in a catacomb surrounded by bones of the dead is one of those moments.

Unfortunately, I could not ignore it.

I stared around in shock. My mouth was dry, my skin was bleeding, and my arms were tied up by metal shackles attached to the ancient dirt walls. Confusion curled in my brain like one of those fungus vines that wrap around a tree until it is choked from life. The black dress I had worn to Vaughn's sepulchre had been replaced with a white gown and I was barefoot. It was lacy and sheer, reaching down to my ankles. I felt nausea rise up in my throat.

The room I was locked inside was some sort of catacomb. I recognized the Roman structure from Draycott's crappy education system. Carvings and strange hieroglyphs decorated the ancient dirt walls. One of the walls, might I add, was a solid block of decayed human skulls. Some were deformed and twisted until the deceased face looked nothing more than a disfigured rock. Other unrecognizable trash filled the corners, and the smell of staleness and flesh was heavy in the warm air.

The last thing I remembered was embracing my Mother and they way her eyes seemed to darken. I could not understand why though. It was in one's nature, human of course, to panic in seemly dark situations. Humans were built to feel fear but dumb courage in the face of danger. And that's exactly what I was feeling. Fear. Gut-wrenching, heart-going-wild fear.

Slowly, it began to make sense. I felt stupid for not listening to Lucian. The real monster was not him, it was my mother. Or at least, the person who took form of her body. In my overwhelming relief, I had not thought about what was real and what wasn't. I had not been acting with my brain. Our real mother was too drugged up and gone to even remember Flora and I. I should have known that.

The door clapped and rubbed against the hard dirt floor as someone entered the room. My heart felt like it was choked on my throat. I glanced up, shaking with fear as Viktor's cold face came into view. Of course, I had already guessed that this was his doing. But it was still a shock to see those livid red eyes that made me feel only disgust and hate. Lucian had warned me how much his enemies wanted me to bleed. I just didn't think it would ever happen.

"Victoria." he said my name with a dark smile. Viktor was a special kind of twisted. I realized how indecent I looked in the sheer gown he had probably dressed me in. Lucian's bond started blossoming in my chest with a soft, growing pain. I hoped against hope that he could feel it too, and would come before Viktor's demented mind could think of more ideas.

But fear made people vulnerable. And I was not that. At least, I must not show it.

"Kidnapping the Alpha's mate?" I couldn't keep the bitterness out of my tone even though I knew it was best if I did not anger him. Viktor's eyes flashed dark as he slowly sauntered towards where I sat curled up in the corner. "You're either extremely desperate or just super dumb. I give you five minutes until Lucian walks through that door and rips your bones out." It was false confidence I was high on, but Viktor didn't know that.

Viktor merely grinned at my empty threat. I realized the reality of the situation. Lucian was strong but Viktor was stronger. He had existed before Lucian was even born. What guaranteed that he would even walk through that door? And even if he did, what chances did he have to take down Viktor? Our bond was physical, but I didn't know how strong it was to be felt through the 100 foot of rock above me.

"I admire your courage, little one." Viktor drawled, kneeling towards me. "Tell me something, Victoria. Did Lucian ever tell you how easy it is to break a werewolf mating? Even the Alpha's? Or was he too big of a coward, knowing that you would leave the second it was done? I know you wanted to break it, Victoria. Let me grant you the wish." He flicked out a silver pocketknife.

"No!" The strangled cry left my lips. I knew without the bond, Lucian did not have a chance in hell ever finding me. Viktor was a bastard, but he was clever. He smiled, showing yellow fangs. The stench of his skin smelled like decayed flesh and mold. "Please, Viktor! Why are you doing this?" I screamed as he grabbed my neck. His fingers sent a prickling shock through my body, like being stabbed by a thousand needles at the same time.

Viktor pushed back my matted hair, exposing Lucian's mark. His grip was like an iron bar. No matter how desperate I felt, I couldn't move an inch. He bought the tip of the knife closer until I felt it right against the bitemark.

"You wanted this, little one." He snarled. The pain was excruciatingly blind as Viktor moved the tip of the knife through my flesh. I could have merely been whispering instead of ripping out my vocal cords from the look on Viktor's dull face. I screamed and kicked and clawed, but Viktor did not stop until he had carved some sort of strange symbol into my flesh over the exact area of Lucian's mark. Only then did he let go. I felt exhausted as Viktor moved away. My throat burned with my excessive yelling and the tears would not stop falling.

"There." He cocked his head and examined me with his bright red eyes. The tip of his knife was dripping with my blood. Slowly, the pain in my chest began dying away, along with my hope. It was true I had wanted to be free from Lucian's dominance. But that was before this all happened. "Now that your bond is broken, let's have some fun, shall we?"

Oh God, it was over.

Lucian and I were done. The werewolf bond was severed, meaning I was finally free from his grasp. If that were done three weeks ago, I would have jumped for joy and called out to the world of my happiness. Now, it broke me more than anything. It was only when it was gone that I wanted it back the most. Funny how that works. Lucian was free of me, and I, of him. All those lovely words, those sweet kisses...would they mean nothing now that he had no obligation to be with me? Lucian had once said if he had the choice, he would not have picked me as a mate.

Was that really true? Or just false words said in a moment of rushed anger? Now that it came down to pure desire and the grit of what had been true, would Lucian leave me? After how horrible I had treated him, after I threw his love back into his face so many times, after I cursed and abused and annoyed the man, it would come as no surprise if he did.

Wow, I had really fucked this up. It only took Viktor for me to realize that. It was over. When Lucian found me, if he ever found me...it was his choice now. Something in the wolf society that was so coveted and rare. I loved the Alpha but it would not be returned. Not after everything I put Lucian through. Perhaps it was for the best.