Chapter 145
Zara
“He’ll stay chained,” Alpha Kane grumbled, and the two of us descended. Alpha Zeke was nowhere to be seen; he was most likely already in the dungeons.
“I’m not afraid of Ethan,” I snorted, knowing I could easily handle him. The thought brought a sickening joy to Nova.
“I know,” Alpha Kane chuckled, amusement flickering in his darkened eyes. “As entertaining as this fight is, if he touches you, he dies p>
“I might have to fight you for that honor,” I snorted.
“You’ve never defeated me before, Zara,” Alpha Kane purred, looking down at me with a mixture of lust and longing in his dark eyes.
“Just watch.” I winced, fighting back the irritating blush creeping up my cheeks. “There’s a first time for everything p>
I shivered as we descended into the basement. The putrid smell of the dungeons was muted here, but it was gradually growing stronger. The warehouse basement was horrific.
A large square with brick walls and towering crates. It had been old and dusty even when Marcus’s parents lived here, and it seemed unchanged since then.
A tunnel jutted out of the far wall, likely having existed here for the last fifty years. The tunnel had been man-made by someone in Marcus’s family, specifically for the dungeons. Therefore, anyone who could escape would have to pass through the warehouse.
I thanked the Moon Goddess that I wasn’t claustrophobic as we walked through the tunnel. The stone tunnel quickly gave way to smooth earth, and the stench grew stronger as we approached the stairs.
Dim lanterns set into the earthen walls illuminated the narrow tunnel, barely large enough for two people.
The corridor ended, branching into two new ones. I followed Alpha Kane down the left tunnel, inhaling shallowly the acrid odor. Rough metal cages lined the walls of the large corridor.
Each cage was rusty from long use, but it was made with silver flakes inside. Any touch of the bars burned my skin. The further we walked down the corridor, the older the cages seemed.
“I’ll talk to Kate, Marcus’s mate. She’s being held in the other wing, in the right tunnel,” Alpha Kane grumbled, nodding toward the end of the passage. “He has ten minutes p>
With one last glance at me, Alpha Kane turned and left me alone in this stinking dungeon. I walked further down the wide room, looking at the cages one by one. They were all empty except for the one at the very end.
Ethan’s cell was tall enough for him to stand, and perhaps even lie down, but that was his only range of motion. My stomach clenched at the sight of right hand of Marcus, and a sickening amusement rose in my throat at his haggard appearance.
His once-blond hair now looked brown, caked with days’ worth of accumulated dirt. His blue eyes, once reminiscent of the ocean, had become dull and flat, reminiscent of swamp water. He had lost weight, either from stress or from days spent in this cage.
The muscles in his arms had thinned, giving him the appearance of a lanky creature. The silver cuffs on his wrists pinned him to the wall, searing his skin and crushing his wolfish will.
“Zara, you look great,” Ethan chuckled, a pained grin spreading across his face.
Although I couldn’t see any open wounds on Marcus’s body, his torn and bloodied T-shirt was proof of Alpha Kane’s interrogations. While the thought of someone being tortured made me sick, Ethan had been pitted against Alpha Kane from the start.
“Better than you.” I snorted, crossing my arms.
“Not my best look,” he chuckled, but his expression immediately grew serious. “Not that it matters now, but I wasn’t lying when I told you how I felt. Everything Marcus did was a mistake; leaving you was a mistake p>
I remembered Marcus finding his mate. The sound of his name pierced my entire body, and part of me dreamed he’d say those words someday.
After meeting Alpha Kane and resisting Marcus, I felt nothing for him. That tiny sliver of longing or hope vanished, transformed into something new under Alpha Kane’s touch.
“I won’t get you out of this situation,” I chuckled darkly, shaking my head. “Your mistakes led you here. I can’t promise. You live if you speak, but I can promise you a painless death p>
Ethan was silent for a few minutes, as if genuinely considering my words. I knew Alpha Kane would never let him live after everything he’d done.
“Have you spoken to Marcus?” He asked, his voice hoarse. Even without the werewolf, his eyes were dark.
“We saved my brother.” I looked at him meaningfully. “I saw him at the club where they took Ryan p>
“Don’t listen to his lies, Zara.” He frowned, and for a split second, he actually looked sincere. “He only wants you just of his jealousy p>
“Jealousy?” I chuckled.
“You want nothing to do with it?” He chuckled darkly, his words escaping.
But I was missing something important.
“You can’t change that, Zara.” He said.
“It doesn’t matter.” I shook my head. “I refuse, plain and simple p>
“Oh, Zara.” Ethan sighed, his dull eyes gleaming with false sympathy.
“You’re lying.” I shook my head, anger building within me as I continued to stare at his irritating face.
“What did you want from me, Ethan? Either give me the information, or stop asking me questions p>
“I suppose you’ll find out everything yourself in time.” He shrugged, a smirk appearing on his haggard face. “Come tomorrow, and I’ll tell you something useful p>
“Tomorrow?” I raised an eyebrow, but hid the burning interest in my eyes. “You’re busy today, huh p>
“I wouldn’t mind your wonderful company for another day.” He grinned, and for those few seconds, he looked like his old self, until his smile faded. “Who knows how long I have left p>
“Fine.” I winced; gritting my teeth, I looked into the dull eyes of the boy. “Tomorrow, Ethan. Don’t disappoint me again p>
“I never dreamed of it.” He chuckled as I turned and walked away.
At the foot of the tunnel stairs, I met Alpha Kane. His eyes were dark, and irritation radiated from him in waves.
“Learned anything new?” I quipped, noticing his tense shoulders and stiff posture.