I gasped as I stepped out of the cold, dark cell into the bright hallway. I felt weak to my bones, like a fragile leaf in a storm. My legs weren't responding, so I tried to pause for a bit, placing my hands on my knees to steady myself and catch my breath.
"What are you trying to do?" the guard yelled with a booming voice that cut through me. He sounded irritated and pissed.
I jolted upright, my heart already beating fast, hammering against my chest. "I'm... I'm trying to catch my breath," I whispered, rubbing my hands up my arms to get a little heat. "I feel weak."
The guard's face didn't soften; instead, he glared at me. He looked bigger than a mountain, with tattoos on his arms and neck, and eyes that were hard and cold. He stepped forward, grabbed my arm, and pulled me up forcefully. Pain shot through me, and I felt tears gather in my eyes, but I held them back.
"Weak?" He scoffed. "Do you hear how silly you sound? You should have thought of your weak state before trespassing into the Silverblade pack." He snarled, spitting a little as he spoke. "Hurry up, I don't have all day, rogue."
That word, "rogue," I hated it so much. "I'm not a rogue," I shot back, my voice shaking but trying to remain firm.
The guard's expression turned icy. "Did you just raise your voice at me?" he asked, with a voice full of hate. Why did he hate me? I'd never seen him before, never had any encounter with him, so why was he so hard on me?
He came forward and grabbed my neck, pulling me off the ground like I weighed nothing, which was apparently true compared to our sizes. For a moment, we stood like that, two wills clashing. Then, suddenly, his mouth curved into a sneer, and he threw me to the ground. I landed hard on my butt, my vision blurring for a moment. Looking up at him from my position, fear and anger swirled inside me.
Who was this monster, and why did he think he could treat me this way? I wondered. I struggled to my feet, my legs still shaking. "I'm not a rogue," I repeated again, defiantly. "My name is Elvira!"
He laughed as if I'd made a funny joke. "I don't need to know your name. You're nothing, stray. Just a weak trespasser. You'll see the punishment Alpha Gabriel has for you. Maybe he'll hand you over to the warriors so we can have a good time with you," he sneered.
I clutched the edge of my tank top, suddenly feeling exposed, steadying myself as best I could. The words he spoke felt dirty and crawled under my skin, but I pushed them back. "You will never do that to me. I promise you, I will not allow anyone to treat me like a whore. I may be a prisoner, but I won't be a victim," I retorted.
The words sounded small, but they felt like a spark I could hold onto for strength. "Then why did you trespass into the Silverblade territory without a proper permit? You indirectly asked for this!" He barked, folding his large arms around his chest.
"What you call a trespass was my attempt to find safety. I'm not here to start a fight, but I won't hide or beg or be belittled," I said.
"Move! before I lose my patience," he bellowed.
"If you want to move me, you'll have to drag me," I said, tilting my head to match his glare.
I watched the guard's jaw tighten, the muscles in his neck standing out like cords. I could see the moment where anger tangled in him—the moment he realized I wasn't going to crumble. He didn't expect me to react this way.
For a heartbeat, the hallway fell silent like a graveyard. My heart hammered, but I didn't look away. I met his eyes, searching for any hint of mercy but finding none.
I remembered why I'd left—why I'd run from the nightmare of my stepfather and chosen the uncertain path of the Silverblade pack. I remembered the feel of the night air when I stood on the border, the way hope had fluttered inside my chest like a bird trying to break free.
Val's presence wasn't loud, but it was there—a whisper at the back of my mind, a quiet, unspoken strength. I let a breath out slowly and evenly.
The guard's stance loosened just a fraction, eyeing me with a measure of wary caution that hadn't been there before. Maybe he saw the tremor in my hands, the way I steadied myself not by arrogance but by sheer stubbornness. Maybe he recognized a different kind of threat I posed—a person who wouldn't break simply because the world pressed in.
My breath came a little easier now, the weight of the moment settling into my bones. I wasn't a hero yet. I was a woman trying to survive, one step at a time, one choice that kept me from breaking.
Seeing he didn't get to me, he turned and walked ahead. I hobbled after him quickly. Why had I come here? I felt foolish for trusting things would go a different way than they are. I should have known better.
I replayed the last few days, fleeing my stepfather's abuse, hoping to find safety with the Silverblade pack, feeling hope when I first saw the pack's lands. A small voice whispered that I had no choice. I had to escape. I couldn't go back, no matter how they treated me.
In the quiet between steps, I whispered a vow to Val and to myself: no more letting fear steer my life. I would learn to walk through the storm, even if it meant paying a price I hadn't anticipated.
The guard's laughter earlier still jabbed at me. I would show him I wasn't weak. I would prove I wasn't a stray. Though I felt a little confident now, my heart was still heavy with worry. Truth be told, I was scared of the guard, of Gabriel, of the unknown of this pack. What lay ahead? I would find out whatever Gabriel had for me.