CHAPTER 4: DUNGEON

HAILEY

As the warriors pulled me into the thick jungle, their hands closing around me like steel chains, my legs shook. My bare feet dragged against the coarse ground as I stumbled over sharp pebbles and roots. The foreboding shadow of the huge trees behind me engulfed the reassuring light of the neon lamps of the human settlement. "Please," I prayed in a raspy voice. "You're not getting—" The taller warrior cut in, "Save it," disdainfully and in a frigid tone. "Thomas will determine what to do with you." Thomas. I was horrified at the mere mention of the word. As Alpha, Thomas represented everything the pack feared and obeyed: ruthless, adamantly traditional, and unbending but a coward and manipulator behind it. Disobedience was never tolerated by him. My actions would be betrayal. I could sense Amenia's stern but reassuring voice awakening in my mind. "Stay strong Hailey. We will get through this. I wanted to believe her, but I was too scared to answer. I felt as if I was marching to my death with every step I took toward the packhouse. The warriors were silent as they pulled me further into the jungle. My stomach clenched when the silhouette of the packhouse rose before us, towering and foreboding against the night sky's horizon. It stretched out long shadows with its poorly lit windows, as if the building itself was alive and watching. My senses were assaulted by the familiar smell of woodsmoke and pine when they pulled me in through the back door. It still smelled like home, and I despised it. The sound of their footsteps echoed down the vacant hallways. Pack members peered out of rooms, whispers bursting forth. "The human town was where she was." "Is she even aware of what she did? " "Thomas will set an example out of her." Their accusing glares sliced through my soul. My head was bowed and my face burned with shame, yet I could not help but listen to what they were saying. I was pulled into Thomas's study by the warriors as they stormed through the doors. His broad shoulders were bent over a map which was spread out over his huge wood desk. He commanded the room with an aura of sheer power. His face clouded as he looked up and saw me. "What do you mean by this? " he growled, his voice low and menacing. The tall warrior inclined his head, moving a step nearer. We discovered that she had a job in Alpha, a human settlement. She was following secretly behind the pack. Thomas looked at me with his piercing blue eyes, a mix of anger and incredulity. "Is this true? " There was nothing I could say to undo what I had done, but my mind hunted for a reply. "Yes," I whispered, hardly audible. There was a thick silence in the room. Thomas's fists clenched and his jaw set. "Do you even know what you did?" With contained fury, his voice rose. "You've put the whole pack in danger! If the humans find out—"They won't," I cut in, my voice beginning to grow desperate. "I was careful. No one suspects anything. He interrupted and spoke angrily, "You disobeyed my orders." "You broke this pack's rules. You shamed all of us. Even though his words stung, I was upset as well as feeling guilty. "I had no choice!" With a shaking voice, I shot back. "I could not stay here any longer. I— "You could not stay? " he spat venomously. He took another step closer, towering over me. Do you believe that this is a personal matter? Do you believe that endangering all of our lives is justified by your ego? My eyes burned with tears, but I fought back the tears. I whispered, "I just wanted a chance to be free." Thomas's mouth curled into a sneer as his face hardened. "Freedom? Even its importance is not known to you. He faced the warriors. Bring her to the dungeon. My heart sank. "No! " I cried in a panic. "Please—I'll do anything, Thomas!" "Silence! There was no argument as his roar rang out in the room. The warriors grabbed me by the arms once more and pulled me out of the study. The pack members in the hall looked on silently, their faces a combination of revulsion and sympathy. I tried to fight free, but it was useless; they held me firmly. I had anticipated that the dungeon would be cold and harsh. It smelled of mold and desperation, a labyrinth of wet stone walls and iron bars beneath the packhouse.

The heavy door slammed with a finality that churned my stomach, and the warriors pushed me into a cell.

One of them, as they left, said, "You'll remain here until the Alpha determines your punishment." I had my back to the chilly stone wall as I fell to the ground.

The fact that I was alone, unarmed, and completely at Thomas's mercy struck me like a tidal wave.

The deafening silence was broken by Amenia's voice. "Hailey, we'll make it through this. Don't underestimate your strength." Tears were running down my face as I hid my face in my hands. I muttered, "I don't feel strong." Darkness distorted time. I sat in the cold for hours or maybe days, my body hurting with hunger and the incessant cold. The constant drip of water and occasional scurrying of rats were the sounds that kept me sane. My heart misses a beat of hope and fear as I recognize the squeaky sound of the cell door being opened. Thomas comes in, his face as unyielding and cold as the walls that surround me. "You've had time to consider what you've done", he said in a detached manner. "Now you"ll have to endure the punishment. The ground trembled beneath me as I forced myself to stand. "Please, Thomas—" He stopped, his eyes narrowing, and went on, "You meant every step you took towards the human settlement." "And you will suffer for it." Two warriors stepped forward again and took hold of my arms. They led me from the dungeon to the grand hall, where the entire pack was assembled. Their accusing eyes bored into me, and I could feel their sentiments suffocating my chest. Thomas climbed onto the elevated platform with a commanding presence that lessened the crowd's murmuring. "Hailey has betrayed this pack," he said. She jeopardized our lives by breaking our laws. For what she has done, she deserves to be punished.

I felt a feeling of dread. Thomas turned to me and spoke strongly and commanding, "Until I determine what to do with your destiny, you will stay in the dungeon." The soldiers pulled me away, and my heart sank lower with each step, and the large door creaked behind me as I was once again led into the dark, moist cell. I dropped to the cold floor, defeated and exhausted, but within me, a flame of resistance burned fiercely despite the darkness advancing. "I will not be broken." Amenia's gentle, unwavering voice echoed in my mind, "They'll attempt it. But they're misunderstanding us. I closed my eyes and vowed this wouldn't be my fate, whatever Thomas had planned, they would not break me.".