Jace's POV
I was dragged away from the dark room like a slave. No one cared about my wounds or the pain I was going through from the infliction within me. I would groan and grunt in anguish, yelling at the guards to let me walk by myself, but it seemed they had all gone deaf.
None of them recognized me as that same man who had been certified to be the next Beta when Torian became the Alpha.
All this wasn't what made my heart bleed in deep agony. No, the guards are only following orders. My pain is that Torian has lost his entire sense and is heading to his doom. Calamity was about to befall him, but he was still blind to it.
Thinking of this makes hot tears flow down my eyes as it keeps pulling me back to the memories of the past when Torian was still normal. Everything began to go wrong the moment Sophia came into his life.
I really don't know what Sophia wants, but I know it can never be a good thing. She appears so strange to my eyes, and each time I look at her, all I see is deceit and a poisonous serpent hiding in the grass, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Do you all even know why I am treated this way? You all know I am Jace, the future Beta, right?" I bawled at the three guards pulling me forward, but got silence in response, which made me wish I wasn't weakened to the core. I won't hesitate to deal with these men.
After some minutes, we got out of the building, and there was a cart outside waiting to pick me up. They tied my hands and legs and bundled me inside the cart, shutting the door from behind.
My cheeks flushed red in shame. I couldn't hold back my tears. This was the last thing I ever thought would ever happen to me. I was a bit lucky that this place was on the outskirts and had no pack members around. If not, how would I face being pulled like a slave in front of them?
I crawled up to the corner and leaned against the wall. Taking a deep breath, I shut my eyes as a cool breeze blew over my skin and made me feel a bit better than before. Even the internal pain seemed to have been reduced.
Just then, something struck into my mind, causing me to cringe as my eyes spread open. My brows arched while I pondered on it, wondering if my ears played a prank on me when I heard it from Torian.
Back then, in that dark room, Torian had mentioned that my mate would be tortured and killed in front of me.
Was that an empty threat, or would something happen for real? My body began to tremble as sweat covered my face. The very thought of Bella dying all because of my actions was like a terror wreaking havoc inside me.
She is innocent and doesn't deserve to die. No! I can't let that!
My heart skipped a beat when the cart finally stopped, signifying that we had reached the royal palace. The door of the cart gave way a few seconds later and they gestured for me to come down, which I did with no hesitation.
My legs had chains, which restricted my pace. My hands were locked together too, and there was no difference between me and a slave bought from another pack. The peering eyes of every guard and maid in the palace made me feel ashamed.
They all looked extremely shocked to see me in that state. I had always visited the royal palace in the past, and as Torian's closest friend, everyone treated me like a prince.
It is so painful and heartbreaking, that I almost broke down in tears, but all that isn't really troubling me now. Torian's threat was a bell that kept ringing and battering my head with panic.
I will never forgive myself if I cause the death of Bella. I have no parents as they have both died. My death won't cause anyone anguish.
But Bella can't die now. Not when she is the only daughter of her parents who loved her so much. Imagine the extreme sadness and overwhelming pain they would go through if they lost their daughter at this age.
No, it can't happen. She wasn't wrong to love me. It wasn't her fault to have a miserable man like me as her mate. If anyone should die, it should be me. She can go out there and find a second chance mate while living happily.
Oh, gosh, Torian should not do this to me.
I gritted my teeth as the murmurs from everyone in the packhouse kept falling into my ears each time we passed a certain hallway or passway. They were pointing fingers at me, but my attention was straight as swear covered my face, tears brimming in my eyes as I felt the heaviness of my heart thumping hard inside my chest.
Finally, we got to the door of the palace and it was pushed open. The first thing that hit my ears was her cry. The cry of my mate, Bella,
"No!!!" I screamed and ran to stop the guard who was beating his whip on her back, but someone brushed me off my feet with a kick and I landed heavily on my butt.
But I still couldn't stop moving forward as I crawled and sprawled, ignoring the kicks landing on me from the guard.
"Alpha!! Release her! She did nothing!" I shouted in tears, lying weakly a few meters away from her.
Seeing her hands tied while her back was struck with that whip was horrific. She looked like she was losing her breath as she kept crying and convulsing. Blood splattered around her back and I could see cuts on some parts of her skin.
Blood was also dropping from her lips as she sagged her head down, her hair scattered around and flowing forward to cover her face. Her back was already injured from the whip, yet they were still hitting her.
The alpha, Luna, Torian, and Sophia were all laughing in satisfaction while watching my state. It was the most horrific sight. Bella kept crying, and her tone was becoming weak and faint. Her strength was really leaving her. She was dying. The torture was too much for a mere wolf like her, and it was shattering my heart. I feel like the world has ended as guilt befell me like an outpour of rain.
Bella had been the one to stop me each time I tried to defend her. She had advised me to set Blake up, and she always stood beside me to help me. We fell in love not long ago, but she has been like my backbone. Someone who would do anything to keep me safe.
How did I pay her back? Torture? Pains?
"Jace! Please save me! I am dying!...I...I... don't want to... die now.." I heard her weak cry burst out with another lash landing on her back as she fell weakly down to her knees.
My legs were extremely weak to carry me up and I was chained. Every muscle in my body seemed to be inactivated as I couldn't move. All I could do was lie there and watch my mate die.
"Torian, kill me!!! I made a mistake! Why bring her into this? Why are you all so cruel!" I whimpered, hitting my fist on the ground as my heart bled.
"Why did you help the same vampire Lola saved the other day? The Luna shot the question first.
"I did it. Yes... so why torture Bella?" I screeched as a wave of panic coursed through me when I couldn't hear her cries again.
"Stop!" Sophia spoke out in an order and the guard hung his hand in the air.
"Why? I thought your suggestion was to flog her to death!" The alpha frowned at her, and that sent terror rushing through me.
For real?
They planned to flog Bella to death.
"Not anymore... if we do that, he won't help us bring Lola back" Sophia replied, standing to her feet and padding forward to me with a stern face. Her face was void of every form of smile, and as I looked into her eyes, my blood ran cold in fright.
There was so much rage inside those eyes, razing like wildfire.
"Lola will be dead now. No werewolf can ever survive in the vampire clan, and once she is taken to another wolf pack, I will receive the message. Blake will take her to his clan and that will be her end. No one can't save her from those hungry bloodsucking demons!" The Alpha bellowed with a snort.
Sophia ignored him and got closer to me till her face was a few metres away.
"Bring Lola back to me and save your life and your mate's life. Even if you don't want to live anymore, you won't want her to die because of you. Am I right?" She stated, with her face stern with no trace of a smile and her voice strict and cold...
"The Alpha said she would have been killed now. What if he is saying the truth. So, how will I know? I can't be looking for a corpse" I mumbled, glancing at my mate continuously to be sure she was still breathing.
"Lola is alive. I give you one week to bring her back here, or I will kill Bella in the most torturous way ever!" She threatened, her voice sharp and colder while her eyes glinted with fury that told how extremely serious she was.
"Are you in? Or should we go on with her torture?" She sneered at me when I wasn't saying anything.
"Okay, I will try... get her" My voice kept breaking as I felt hopeless.
"She trusts you. Use that against her...." Sophia added before rising from her crouching position.
She turned to the Alpha, Luna, and Torian, who were all looking like fools.
"We will get Lola back here and kill her with our bare hands." She is a curse and needs to be killed in front of every member of this pack. That way, no one will betray us again" she explained, and bright smiles spread across their faces.
"Wow... I didn't think of that. So thoughtful of you," the Luna complimented.
"My mate is very wise and will really rule this pack perfectly as my Luna" Torian grinned, forcing me to scoff at the fool he had become.
"I need to use the restroom," Sophia said with a shrug, walking away with quick steps.
Sophia's POV
Fuck!
What the hell!
The anger boiling in me knew no bounds as I sprinted to the bathroom, puffing and huffing. Just when I thought it was all over, it all got harder.
Gosh!
Torian has asked his father about the room. His father had also leaked the secret route to him.
Only for my father to tell me that it can never be opened by anyone except Lola because she was a powerful hybrid. combination of a vampire and a wolf.
This was the most devastating news ever. All my happiness turned sour. All sense of victory had vanished, and all I had to do now was wait for Lola.
How can I be sure she will ever come back?
I just hope Jace lures her back into my palm. I must also kill her once she opens the room for me.