Hazel’s POV
I had no idea how long was I locked in that cell. It could have been hours. It could have been days. I lost the track of time and I simply didn’t know how long was I in there.
All I knew was pain. Soul-wrenching, gut-twisting, heart-breaking pain. It never ended and it never lessened. It was getting worse and I was praying to the Goddess to take me.
I was done living. I wanted to die.
“Hazel,” a soft voice called my name.
I recognized it. He was here a couple of times and he tried to get me to drink and eat. I didn’t want to. I would die faster if I didn’t eat or drink.
He sighed and I heard the cell door open.
“You have to eat, Hazel,” he said as he walked closer to me. “You have to drink. You can’t go on like this.”
That was the whole point.
I opened my eyes and saw him kneeling next to me. He reached out and caressed my cheek.
“Fuck,” he mumbled. “You are burning.”
Good. I was dying. That was the best news I heard in a while.
“Please, Hazel,” he said softly. “Just one sip of water and a small piece of bread.”
I tried to shake my head, but I couldn't move. I just closed my eyes and tried to ignore him.
“Fuck,” he mumbled. “I have to get them down here. You are going to leave us if I don’t.”
That was the plan. I was leaving. I was abandoning the pain. I was abandoning the sorrow. I was abandoning my tortured body and my broken heart.
“Hazel,” he called me after a few moments. “Open your eyes, please.”
The pain in his voice made my heart hurt. I listened to him and I opened my eyes. He smiled a little.
“I am trying to find someone who would tell them the truth,” he said. “I know that Jessica lied. I know that members of your pack know the truth. You weren’t a whore, were you?”
I wasn’t. No one ever touched me. Peter tried to, but I somehow managed to fight him off every time. I was a virgin.
But that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. I was going to die soon.
“They will come to their senses, Hazel,” he said as he caressed my cheek. “They are hurt and broken, but they will see the mistake they made. I promise, Hazel. They will let you out and they will embrace you as theirs. They will keep you safe and love you. You will be at peace soon, Hazel.”
I closed my eyes again. It would never happen. I would find peace only in death.
“What the fuck do you want?” an angry voice made my heart skip a beat.
One of them was here.
“Aiden,” the man sighed worriedly. “She is burning up. She is refusing to eat and drink. She is dying.”
I could hear him growl quietly.
“Where is Elijah?” the man next to me asked.
“He isn’t in the mood to watch the whore die,” my mate said. “He is with Jessica.”
Just at that moment, a jolt of pain made me flinch and groan. It felt like someone stabbed a million knives into my chest. He was with her again.
“Fuck,” the man next to me mumbled and cupped my cheeks. “Breathe, Hazel. It’s okay. It will pass.”
It would pass when I was dead.
I groaned again and my eyes shot open. The jolt of pain that hit me left me breathless.
“Fuck, Aiden, what the hell is wrong with you?!” the man screamed. “She is in pain! She is hurting! She is your mate!”
My mate growled. “I don’t fucking care. She deserved it. Get the fuck out of there, Ian.”
The man who was holding me looked down at me. My eyes were wide and I was trying to find a way to breathe through the pain. It was getting worse by the second.
“Just get in here and help her, Aiden,” the man said, keeping his eyes on me. “She needs to get through this. She needs to eat and drink.”
“Ian…,” my mate spoke, but the man interrupted him.
“She is dying!” he screamed as he looked at my mate. “She is fucking dying, Aiden!”
My mate was silent. The man was staring at him with a pissed-off look on his face. I groaned when another wave of pain washed over me.
My mate sighed and I heard the cell door open. His presence helped. The pain lessened the moment he came closer to me. I didn’t like it, though. I didn’t want it. I wanted to die. I wanted the pain to kill me.
“Move,” my mate said and the man moved his hands from my face immediately.
I was breathing heavily and trying to figure a way out of this. I didn’t want him to help me. I wanted to die. I wanted to leave this place.
He leaned over me and my eyes landed on his angry face.
“Give me the glass,” he said, clenching his fists.
My whole body shivered when he grabbed me and pulled me up. He made me sit and lean against the wall. I saw his jaw clench repeatedly.
“Drink,” he said as he brought the glass closer to my lips.
I turned my head around. I didn’t want to drink. I didn’t want anything.
“Hazel,” he growled as he grabbed my chin with his fingers and turned my head back around.
His touch did things to my body. It lessened the pain. It made me shiver. It made me feel safe. I didn’t want it. I wanted him to stop touching me.
“Open your mouth and drink,” he ordered, narrowing his eyes at me.
He used his thumb to pry my mouth open and I could feel water filling up my mouth. He closed my mouth and tightened his jaw.
“Swallow,” he ordered and I shook my head.
“Hazel, please,” the other man said. “Just drink.”
My mate growled and his hold on my chin tightened.
“Swallow,” he ordered again and the anger in his voice made me do it.
I didn’t want to, but I had no other choice.
“Again,” he said as he opened my mouth.
I felt the coldness of water on my tongue and my mate closed my mouth. He ordered me to swallow again and I did.
“Oh, thank you, Goddess,” the man sighed quietly.
My mate kept pouring water into my mouth until he was satisfied with the amount I drank.
“Do we have to do the same fucking thing with food or are you going to do it by yourself?” he asked angrily.
I shook my head.
“Words, Hazel,” he growled in my face.
“I will do it by myself,” I somehow managed to mumble.
“Good,” he said as he let me go and stood up.
The pain intensified, but it wasn’t as bad as before. My other mate was done with Jessica. I breathed out in relief and closed my eyes.
“Don’t ask me to do this again,” my mate said and I heard him walking out of the cell.
My heart clenched and I regretted every sip of water I took. I closed my eyes and let the fatigue take over my body. The man in my cell tried to wake me up, but I was too tired to even try to open my eyes.
I kept falling in and out of consciousness. I managed to open my eyes for a few seconds only and I would fall back asleep again.
But even in my unconscious state, I was aware of someone watching me. I was aware of his presence. I was aware of his scent and I was aware of his quiet growls.
Aiden’s POVI couldn’t stay away.I couldn’t fucking forget how her skin felt under my fingertips. I couldn’t forget the tingles. I couldn’t forget the pleasurable shivers that ran up and down my body as I held her.Elijah would have fucking killed me if he knew I was sneaking into the dungeons to see her every night since I held her... He would have lost it if he knew I was thinking about walking into that cell and touching her again.But she was mine just as she was his and I could go to her if I wanted to I could hold her if I wanted to. I could touch her if I wanted to.She was mine. Fucking mine.I tightened my hold on the bars separating us. She was whimpering in her sleep and the sound made my heart clench. She sounded afraid.“Please,” she mumbled in her sleep. “Please, don’t.”Please don’t what?She turned her head toward me and I saw little beads of sweat on her forehead. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was mumbling something I couldn’t hear.“It hurts,” she mumbled a lit
Elijah’s POVI was fucking burning on the inside. I wanted to scream. I wanted to destroy the fucking world around me. I wanted to burn the fucking house down. I wanted to…My bedroom door opened and Aiden walked inside.“What the fuck do you want?” I muttered angrily as I continued pacing around my bedroom.Aiden closed the door and leaned against it.“I was just checking to see if you went to the dungeons or not,” he said, making me glare at him.“Why would I go there?” I muttered angrily. “I don’t want to see her. I don’t want to be near her.”Aiden raised an eyebrow and sighed.“I am your brother,” he said calmly. “I know you.”“Apparently not,” I said, clenching my fists. “I don’t want to go there.”Aiden took a deep breath and released it slowly. He narrowed his eyes slightly and crossed his arms over his chest.“We have to talk about Jackson,” Aiden said calmly. “We need to come up with a plan.”I was thankful that he changed the subject, but talking about that fucker pissed me
Hazel’s POV I groaned when I heard multiple footsteps rushing toward my cell. “Fuck no, Elijah!” someone screamed. “I am not letting you make that mistake!” “Move, Ian!” one of my mates yelled. “Don’t make me punch you!” I tried to open my eyes, but I felt like something was on my eyelids. I tried so hard, but they wouldn’t open. They weren’t listening to me. A throbbing pain in my forehead wasn’t making it easy on me either. It felt like my entire head was on fire and I all I wanted to do was sleep and never wake up again. “I said no!” the other man yelled again. “I can’t let you do this. I can’t let you make this mistake, Elijah. I am protecting you both.” One of my mates growled loudly. I heard the door to my cell open and fear made my stomach turn. “Hazel,” my other mate called me quietly. “Wake up.” I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to open my eyes again. A stabbing pain in my temples made me groan. “Wake her up!” my other mate screamed. “Right the fuck now!” “She is sick
Elijah’s POV I was so fucking confused. I was so fucking angry. I wanted to destroy everything around me, including myself. “Is she dying?” I asked, my voice trembling. The pack doctor looked at me and shook his head. I breathe out in relief. “She is weak and she will need some time to rest, Alpha,” he said calmly. “She will be fine when she wakes up.” I tightened my jaw and nodded. “Please call me if there is anything else you need,” he said as he stood up. “I will come back to check up on her in a few hours.” I kept my eyes on her. She would be okay, right? She had to be okay. “Thank you, Jim,” Aiden said quietly. “We will see you in a few hours.” I heard him walk away. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t move my eyes away from her. “What the fuck were you thinking, Elijah?” Aiden mumbled angrily. “If you touched her…” “I would never do that,” I said, looking at him and tightening my jaw. “I wanted to scare her, nothing else.” I looked back at her and gulped. “I wanted to s
Hazel’s POVI was dead. How did I know?I was lying on the softest surface my hands ever touched. I was the warmest I had ever been. I was the comfiest I had ever been. My body felt like it was wrapped in a soft, warm cloud. I felt like I was floating.It had to be death. There was no other explanation for it. But I was confused about one thing. Why was I so comfortable? Why was I so warm? What did I do to deserve this? Was I really reunited with the Goddess? “Hazel,” I heard someone’s soft voice calling my name. Who was that? Was it the Goddess herself?No. No way. I would never get to see her. I would never get to meet her.“Hazel,” the voice said again and I felt someone’s soft fingers on my forehead. I gulped and turned my head toward the voice. I wanted to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt heavy.“Come on,” the voice said quietly. “Wake up.”I sighed and furrowed my eyebrows a little. The fingers caressed my cheek gently. I really wanted to know who was talking to me so I g
Hazel’s POV My heart wasn’t beating when the door opened. I wasn’t breathing when they walked inside the room. Their scents reached me and I wanted to whimper. Their scents were both comforting me and scaring me. I really didn’t want them here. I didn’t want to be here. “How are you, Hazel?” one of them asked as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. My eyes fell on his huge arms and I felt fear burning a hole in my stomach. He could kill me just by squeezing me tightly. I shivered as I looked into his eyes. “Aiden asked you a question,” the other one said angrily. I looked at him and I lost all the feeling in my legs. He was the one who wanted to touch me. He was the one who wanted to… “She still has a fever, but she is doing much better,” the man next to me said and placed a hand on my back. My angry mate growled at him. “Don’t touch her,” he said, narrowing his eyes and tightening his jaw. The man next to me sighed and moved his hand away. “You are
Aiden’s POVI wasn’t sure if I was more shocked, angry, or hurt.Did she really just suggest that we let her go? Did she really just say that we would never see her again?Elijah’s back was turned toward me so I couldn’t see his face, but I could see how tense he became. I could feel the anger and the fear rolling off him in waves.Hazel was looking at him wide-eyed. It looked like she was surprised by her own question.“What?” Elijah mumbled after a few moments of silence.I still couldn’t speak. A huge lump was stuck in my throat. I couldn’t imagine not having her here. I couldn’t imagine not being able to breathe in her scent. I couldn’t imagine not being able to touch her again. I couldn’t imagine not seeing her beautiful brown eyes every single day for the rest of my life.No. She couldn’t fucking go. She had to stay here. She belonged here.Hazel gulped and glanced at me. I tightened my jaw and forced myself to take a deep breath.“What the fuck did you just say, Hazel?” Elijah
Ian’s POVI opened my bedroom door and smiled. My beautiful girl was waiting for me in our bed. She was reading a book and she looked up at me as soon as I walked in.“Hi,” she said softly, closing the book and placing it on the nightstand. “How did it go?”I sighed as I approached her. I had to hug her and kiss her before I did anything else.“Not so good,” I mumbled, leaning in and placing a kiss on her soft lips. “Hazel asked if she could leave.”Katie’s eyes widened.“Oh, Goddess,” she mumbled quietly. “How did they take it?”I sighed again and sat on the bed next to her. I took her hand in mine, lifted it, and kissed her knuckles.“Not so good,” I said. “They just don’t want to admit how much they actually need her and want her.”I simply couldn’t understand them. I couldn’t imagine my life without Katie in it. I couldn’t imagine being away from her. I couldn’t imagine not being able to kiss her, hold her, and tell her how much I loved her. My life changed completely ever since I