CHAPTER 5: Don't come back!

Nyxia's POV:

How many days have passed?

I leaned against the cold stonewall of the cell, the dampness soaking through my clothes. The small room—no, holding cell—was far from the grandeur of the Hunter mansion. A flickering bulb overhead was the only light, casting long, dancing shadows. The metal door before me remained sealed shut.

Even though I was supposed to meet the Lombardi's like Seraphina had said, I actually ended up shoved into this cell. Maybe they were afraid I would mess up their plans. And I would have if I had gotten the chance however I didn't.

I was trapped.

It wasn't new. I'd been trapped since the day my parents died, since Desmond twisted everything I'd known into something ugly. But this was different. This wasn't just another insult, a slap or a punishment. This was serious.

This was where the Hunter pack did its dirty work. If my parents had been alive, I might have been on the other side of this door, running the pack's business. But the Evangeline Pack was long gone. Desmond had stripped it bare, replaced it with something dark and cruel. Now, I was nothing but a pawn in his twisted game.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the cold stone. How many times had I imagined a different life? If the fire hadn't taken them? I saw it all so clearly—the pride in my mother's eyes, my father's guidance. But those dreams were long gone, replaced by this reality where I was stuck with no way out.

I pushed off the wall and started pacing. The room was small, barely ten paces across, but it was better than standing still, drowning in the panic creeping in. I had to escape. I couldn't let this be the end.

I checked the door even though I knew it was pointless. Solid steel. No handle. Just a cold, flat surface mocking me. "Let me out!" I yelled, pounding my fists against it.

Silence.

Frustration welled inside me as I stepped back. Why was I here? Why was I trapped like this, forced into a marriage with the enforcer of the most dangerous pack on the continent? Everyone knew him. Ruthless. Feared. A monster.

Ezra wasn't wrong, Dominico was huge, he could snap me like a twig in two seconds flat. He was probably six feet, something where I barely grew over five feet after my parents passed away four years ago, leaving me in this nightmarish world.

And I was supposed to marry him.

I shuddered at the thought. I knew the stories, the rumors of what he did to those who crossed him.

I thought for a long time, knocking my head against the disgusting wall. It just didn't make any sense.

Why would he want me? A Beta. Scarred and incapable of giving him the kind of mate or children he wanted. None of it made sense.

Unless… Desmond had lied, was there another reason he was selling me off? But even thinking that terrified me.

The more I thought about it, the more the dread sank in. Nothing added up. How was I supposed to survive this? To call him husband? What if…what if he was marrying me for some other reason?

I sank to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees. Even if I escaped this cell, there was nowhere to go. No one to help me. My parents were dead, my pack despised me, and Ethan—sweet, innocent Ethan—had no idea what was happening to me. Oh and fucking Nikolai was awol.

I bit my lip, forcing back tears. I couldn't cry. Crying wouldn't change anything. But the panic was building, and it was getting harder to keep it at bay.

The door creaked open, and I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding in my chest. A shadowy figure stood in the doorway. Was this it? Was this how it was going to end?

"Come with me," the figure said, his voice low and unfamiliar.

I froze. A trick? My breath hitched as the figure stepped forward, the glint of something metallic catching the dim light—a weapon? My pulse thundered in my ears.

"Now," the figure insisted, his voice more forceful.

What was happening?

Before I could even process what was happening, the man stepped into the cell and grabbed my arm, pulling me out with a force that left no room for protest.

The darkness in the cell had masked his features, but now, standing in the dimly lit corridor, I could see him more clearly. My heart skipped a beat, and my voice cracked as I whispered, "Nikolai?"

Before I could say another word, his hand clamped over my mouth, his touch both urgent and gentle. I nodded quickly, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. His presence was a small comfort in this nightmare.