Chapter 105

Chapter 105: Chapter 105

Selena

I was on my knees in the parlour when Lord Hawthorne finally walked in.

The room had changed completely.

When I had first been brought inside, Lady Hawthorne had been the one trying to intimidate me. She had carried herself with the confidence of a woman who believed her name could protect her from anything.

But now, she looked tense and so did the guards... Even the servants standing near the walls seemed to have become quieter.

I noticed it immediately.

Whatever Lord Hawthorne was like, he clearly wasn’t a man people took lightly.

The two guards who had brought me into the parlour straightened the moment he entered.

"My Lord," they greeted respectfully.

Lord Hawthorne didn’t smile. His gaze moved across the room before settling on me.

For several seconds, he simply stared, then he looked at his wife. "Who is she?"

Lady Hawthorne stepped forward. "She’s a spy."

I opened my mouth but before I could say anything, Lord Hawthorne raised a hand. "Take her away. We have something more important to discuss."

His voice was firm.

The guards immediately grabbed me while I twisted around as they pulled me toward the door.

"What could possibly be more important than this?" I demanded.

Neither of them answered as I was dragged back down the corridor and toward the cell.

My mind raced. What had just happened?

Lord Hawthorne hadn’t even questioned me. He hadn’t demanded to know who sent me. He hadn’t threatened me.

Instead, he had dismissed me as though I were some minor inconvenience that could wait.

That frightened me more than if he had screamed.

Because it meant whatever he considered important was serious enough to occupy his attention completely.

The cell door slammed behind me. I sat down against the cold wall and pulled my knees toward myself.

My thoughts immediately returned to the girl. Sophia.

Or rather, the innocent girl who had been forced to become Sophia.

I couldn’t stop thinking about her frightened expression.

She had been lied to for so long that she didn’t even understand the danger surrounding her.

How was I supposed to convince her to leave? And even if I managed to convince her, could she actually leave?

The Hawthornes clearly had no intention of letting her walk away.

I lowered my head. I had come here because I wanted to expose them.

Now I was trapped inside their manor, and the girl I wanted to save was trapped even deeper within it.

I didn’t know how long I sat there before the cell door opened again. "Get up."

I looked at the guard. "Already?" I asked and he grabbed my arm.

I stood reluctantly and followed him.

When we returned to the parlour, Lord and Lady Hawthorne were already waiting.

I was forced onto my knees again.

Lord Hawthorne sat comfortably in his chair, watching me. "Who are you?"

I said nothing, making his eyes narrowed. "Who sent you?"

Lady Hawthorne’s patience disappeared. "Speak!" She snapped at me.

I didn’t even look at her.

Lord Hawthorne raised one hand. "Don’t worry."

He stood and he began walking slowly around me. "You aren’t the first spy to infiltrate this house."

I kept my eyes forward without flinching. I wouldn’t want them to see my fears.

"And you certainly won’t be the last." He continued walking. "Over the years, we’ve had servants who thought they could gather information for rival houses. We’ve had workers who believed they could sell our secrets. We’ve even had people who thought they could enter this manor disguised as nobles."

He stopped behind me. "They all made the same mistake."

I remained silent.

"They underestimated us." He walked around me again. "I’ve learned how spies think. I’ve learned how they behave when they’re frightened. I’ve learned how long they can maintain their silence before desperation forces them to speak."

I almost sighed. His history lesson was becoming painfully boring.

He continued anyway. "Some confessed immediately. Others tried to bargain. One man refused to speak for three days."

I raised an eyebrow in disgust.

"Eventually, he told us everything."

I wondered whether he realized that none of this was making me nervous.

Perhaps he did because after another few moments, his expression changed. "Bring her."

A guard disappeared through another doorway and the false Sophia was led into the parlour.

She looked frightened as her eyes immediately found mine. I wanted to reassure her, but I couldn’t.

Lord Hawthorne looked at me. "Is this who you came for?"

I stared blankly at him as he gestured toward her. "Is this the girl you want?"

I remained silent while he looked at a guard. "Bring me a dagger."

Lady Hawthorne’s eyes widened slightly. "My Lord..."

"Bring me the dagger!" He snapped.

The guard returned moments later with a dagger and Lord Hawthorne took it.

He walked toward the girl and she immediately stepped backward. "No..."

Lord Hawthorne raised the blade. "If you want her so badly, perhaps we should see how much you’re willing to reveal to save her."

My heart slammed against my ribs as he moved closer to her. The dagger came dangerously near her and I clenched my fists.

For one second, I thought he was going to actually stab her. Even Lady Hawthorne looked convinced he might.

I reached inside my garment, pulled out the torn page then held it up. "I know what you’re doing."

Lord Hawthorne’s eyes dropped to the paper. "What is that?"

"Your family’s illegal business."

His face changed and I continued before he could interrupt.

"I know how you get your workers. I know how you suppress their wages and then force them into servant positions because they have nowhere else to go."

Lady Hawthorne’s face paled. "You don’t know anything."

"I know enough." I held up the torn page. "This came from your own archives."

Lord Hawthorne stared at me. "How did you get that?"

I smiled. "Your son."

His jaw tightened. "Henry?"

"Your stupid, big-mouthed son." I uttered with a smirk.

Lady Hawthorne stepped forward. "Watch your tongue."

I laughed softly. "You should be more worried about what else your son has said."

Lord Hawthorne’s eyes hardened. "You think you’re clever, huh?"

"I don’t think so." I looked directly at him. "I know so."

I lowered the page. "And don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m the only person who knows about this."

His expression shifted. "Does anyone else know?"

"By now, your little illegal business must already be undergoing a thorough investigation."

His face went completely still. "Bring Henry." The command was immediate and a guard hurried away.

I watched Lady Hawthorne glance nervously at her husband.

A few minutes later, Henry was brought into the room and he looked confused. "Father?"

Lord Hawthorne stood. "Who did you tell?"

Henry’s face drained of color. "Tell what?"

"About the business."

"I..."

"Who did you tell?"

Henry began stuttering. "I didn’t mean..."

Lord Hawthorne grabbed him. "Who?"

"I told someone."

"Who?"

"I don’t know!"

The next moment, Lord Hawthorne struck him and Henry stumbled.

I stared as another blow followed. "Tell me!"

"I don’t remember everything!"

Lord Hawthorne raised his hand again but Lady Hawthorne rushed forward. "Enough!"

She grabbed her husband’s arm. "You’re going to kill your own son."

He shoved him away and Henry collapsed against the chair, breathing heavily.

I couldn’t help laughing and they all looked at me. "You people are pathetic."

Lady Hawthorne glared at me while I looked at the false Sophia. "Let her go."

Lord Hawthorne turned toward me. "You think this is over?"

"No." I shook my head.

"I think you’re running out of options." I pointed toward the girl. "Give her to me, and perhaps you can still avoid the wrath of pack law."

His eyes narrowed. "You think we haven’t prepared for situations like this?"

Before I could answer, his hand struck my face and my head snapped sideways as pain spread across my cheek.

I slowly turned back while he stared down at me. "You know nothing about this family."

Then he turned to the guards. "Pack her up." The guards immediately grabbed me. "Take her to one of the slaughterhouses."

My eyes widened. "What?"

He looked at me coldly. "My son has caused enough trouble." His gaze hardened. "Now I’ll have to clean up his mess."

I fought. I kicked against the guards, twisted my arms and tried to break their grip. "Let me go!"

They dragged me through the manor while I struggled harder when we reached the entrance.

One guard nearly lost his grip so I seized the opportunity and twisted free.

I ran but I barely made it several steps before they caught me again.

I kicked backward. "Get off me!"

One of them cursed as they forced my arms behind me and tied them tightly.

I continued fighting but one of them brought a container. I smelled it before I saw it. Wolfsbane!

My eyes widened. "No."

The liquid was poured over me and pain exploded through my body.

I screamed as my knees buckled immediately. Every muscle seemed to seize at once.

My wolf recoiled from the poison as though it had been burned. I couldn’t breathe properly.

The guards dragged me outside while I struggled to remain conscious.

They threw me into a carriage then the door slammed shut.

I collapsed against the wooden wall as my entire body burned.

The wolfsbane had weakened me so severely that even lifting my head felt like an impossible task.

I forced myself to stay awake. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t.

If I lost consciousness, I didn’t know where I would wake up.

The carriage moved while I listened to the wheels rolling beneath me.

Every bump sent another wave of pain through my body.

I clenched my teeth and focused on breathing. One breath then another. I had to remain conscious.

Eventually, the carriage stopped and the doors opened, making cold air hit my face.

Then the smell of blood and rot reached me. The stench was so strong that my stomach turned immediately and I almost blacked out.

"No..." I forced my eyes open.

Workers approached the carriage. Several of them grabbed me and dragged me out.

As we moved through the slaughterhouse, I noticed a wide entrance ahead.

A group of workers stood there talking. "Another batch?"

"Yes."

"They were bought as free laborers."

I froze. Free laborers? I looked at the people being brought inside.

They didn’t look free. Instead, they looked terrified. Their clothes were worn while their faces were exhausted.

Some were young while others were older. All of them had the same defeated look in their eyes.

My heart tightened. This was the Hawthorne scheme.

They weren’t just exploiting people. They were bringing unfortunate people here and using them as laborers who had no real choice.

I wanted to help them. I wanted to scream but the wolfsbane had taken almost all my strength.

The workers dragging me continued deeper into the slaughterhouse and the noise around me became louder.

The smell became unbearable and I squeezed my eyes shut.

Finally, they stopped. A door was opened and they threw me inside. I landed hard against the greasy floor.

The cell was cold additionally with the smell of blood, oil and something rotten.

The door slammed shut and I tried to move but my body refused.

My vision blurred as I reached weakly toward the bars. "Help..." My voice barely came out.

I swallowed and tried again. "Please..."

My eyes grew heavier. I fought to keep them open but the darkness was already closing in.

"Someone... help me..."

Then everything went blank.