2

Sheila's point of view

I was trembling hard. My fear and confusion were imprinted on my face. I looked around at the warriors surrounding me, my fearful eyes meeting my mate's. His stony expression weakens me the more.

At Killian's command, the warriors grabbed me roughly on both arms. My broken gaze refused to look away from Killian's. "What is the meaning of this?" My voice came out as a whisper, my voice totally betraying my emotions. "I am your mate." The words left my lips, and I watched them shatter before Killian's frosty gaze. But he didn't seem to care. That didn't matter to him.

"This will teach you exactly how to behave in my pack." He regarded me with icy stares. "Take her! " His cold words pierced me deeply where it hurt the most, while he had his arms around the other woman, his lover.

I was dragged into the Castle, down the corridors, and thrown into a dark dungeon, and the wooden door slammed behind me.

I crashed on the harsh, cold floors with darkness circling around me. Frozen on the spot, I still couldn't move past that moment, the icy stare of my mate. His hatred and anger for me couldn't be hidden. I didn't know when my eyes gathered with tears, and they rolled carelessly from my eyes.

He hated me!

My own mate hated me!

I brought my hands to my face, sobbing profusely. The last time I felt this hurt and broken with tears in my eyes was when I was only twelve and was tortured by my father for speaking to the servants.

I was tortured a lot worse than this, but that didn't even hurt this much.

I curled against the cold walls, bawling my eyes out in the darkness.

I had no idea when I fell asleep in the darkness. I woke up to the deafening silence that echoed through the walls. There was no way of knowing how long I'd been down here. It was cold, and whatever I was sitting on hurt my body.

The floor was hard and humid. The cold air around me was making me tremble. All I could do was wait in the darkness for a long time.

At that same moment, the big wooden door made a loud squeak, and a very strong gleam illuminated the place. I had to pull my hand up to protect my eyes from the light, and when I had adjusted to the environment, I looked up and saw Killian.

My breath hitched, getting stuck in my throat. His tall and dominating figure moved closer to me as I forced my legs to stand. He had a towering height that I had to force my gaze up to. He bore down on me with flickers of raw emotions that I recognized as hatred and disgust. I clutched the silken fabric of my dress, fighting back the urge to cry.

"Let's get one thing straight. I have only one woman in my life, and that is Thea and no one else. " His voice was more brutal than the winter's gravest wind and sharper than any sword to my chest. "You mean nothing to me, Sheila Callaso. Absolutely nothing!" He made sure to enunciate every word, which echoed within the walls of my head, murdering me. "I have a few rules on how I run my pack. Everyone must abide by them, and that includes you. If you abide by these rules, your stay in my pack will be bearable, comfortable, and livable enough." His voice was so deep and so smooth, with a faint accent. Even though he sounds so ruthlessly cold, I could easily listen to it all day.

I didn't speak. I couldn't trust my own voice not to betray me. Instead, I listened to him like an obedient little wolf.

"Firstly," he began, "you speak only when spoken to.

Secondly, you are not allowed to step out of your chambers without my permission.

Thirdly, you are only allowed in my office when called upon and never allowed in my chambers, ever.

Fourthly, you are not allowed to step out of the Castle without my permission either.

And lastly, stay out of Thea's way. That's a warning, Sheila. " He hissed with so much hatred that I winced at the intensity.

"Flouting these rules will only earn you excruciating punishment." He concluded without any emotion.

I could only stare in utter disbelief at his words. Without hesitation, he turned his back to me, heading to the door.

"W-Why?" I asked breathlessly, in pain and tears. "Why Killian? I am your mate." No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't think of a plausible reason why he despised me so much. He stopped moving for a minute and turned to face me. In a flash, Killian was before me, his large hand on me, but not the way I would have wanted it. His firm grip squeezed my neck, slamming my back against the hard wall.

"K-Killian?" I choked, unable to breathe, while my hands fell on his.

"I warned you; it's Alpha to you." His hold tightened, and I was gasping for air.

"Please... you are hurting me," I could barely hear my voice, staring into his eyes, which were glowing a streak of bright yellow or golden. But he didn't let go.

My hands clung to his tightly, pleadingly. I could feel the tingling sparks that erupted at the mere contact. "Please, Alpha," I whispered, a tear rolling down my eyes.

Reluctantly, he let go, dropping me on the floor. I clutched onto my neck, swallowing as much air as I could in tears.

"You will spend the rest of the night here, serving your punishment." He stared down at me like I meant absolutely nothing. Casting one last glance at me, Killian stormed out of the dungeon, leaving me again in a dark and cold space.

I curled up on the floor, shedding tears. After a while, the wooden door squeaked open, and a plate of food was tossed inside. I finished my food, waiting in silence. These were the worst hours of my life, being locked up by my own mate. I slept for some time, even though my body seemed very much alive the whole time. It was a sleep full of my usual nightmares, which always made me wake up scared.

The wooden door opened again, allowing a ray of sunlight into the room, accompanied by a familiar face. The young woman I met outside the Castle.

"Hello, do you remember me? I am---"

"Brielle," I said, recalling her name. She gave a small smile.

"The Alpha asked me to take you to your chamber."

I stood up on my feet quietly, without saying a word. Brielle led me out of the dungeon.

I was finally escorted to what looked like my own chamber. Brielle locked the door, looking at me thoughtfully. "Oh, my lady, why did you pick a fight with Thea? Didn't the Alpha tell you?"

"About his lover? No." I shook my head truthfully.

She sent me a pitiful look. "Well, that's it. Thea is like the Alpha's most favorite person in the Castle,"

I felt a pain in my chest.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I just wanted you to know that he cares deeply about her."

I could barely form a word.

"I'll run you a warm bath, my lady, and then send someone to fetch some food for you. Meanwhile, if you need anything, just let me know, my lady. " She hurried past me, but I stopped her, holding her hand.

"Thank you. And please, call me Sheila."

She smiled. "Alright, Sheila."

She went to the lavatory, and in a few minutes, she was out. She was about to say something when a knock came at the door.

A young lady strutted in. She looked younger than me, with black hair that framed her heart-shaped face perfectly.

"Ah, this is Riannon, and she'll be serving you," Brielle informed me.

The young girl smiled, bowing her head in respect. "At your service, my lady."

"Please just call me Sheila," I said, feeling uncomfortable with formalities.

She smiled, glancing at Brielle. "If that's okay, my lad-" She paused. "Sheila,"

"And I'm going to call you Ria."

"By the way, the Elders are here," Ria said in haste, turning to Brielle.

The Elders? As in the Council of Elders? Every Alpha in the North was a part of the Council, including the Alpha of the Crescent North Pack, Killian, my mate. The Council was a circle that consisted of several supernatural kinds, each having a representative within the Council. The Council Elders are the oldest wolves and represent our kind in the Council.

I looked at Brielle, whose frightened eyes held mine, then at Ria.

Why are the Council Elders here?