Chapter 215: They all hate each other

The first person to stir was Augustus.

A sharp groan escaped his lips as he slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing painfully. For a moment, he couldn’t remember what had happened or why his body felt so heavy. Then he tried to move his arms and felt something cold biting into his wrists.

His eyes flew open, and he saw himself sitting on a stone chair, his arms restrained by thick Mooniron bands that were fastened to the armrests.

Similar restraints held his ankles in place, and when he tried to summon his wolf, a sudden painful pressure forced a strangled gasp from him instead.

“What the…” His voice came out hoarse.

The room was enormous, its high ceiling disappearing into darkness. Blue flames flickered inside iron bowls attached to the walls, casting strange shadows over the damp stone. The air was cold and smelled of stagnant water, and rust.

He turned his head, only to realize he wasn’t alone.

Evangeline sat a few feet away, slumped in another stone chair. Her head hung forward, her hair covering most of her face. Beyond her, Jaime was beginning to stir, groaning as he struggled against his restraints. Beatrice was the last to awaken, her eyes snapping open as she jerked violently in her seat.

They all tried to move, but the restraints held them firmly in place. Their chairs were bolted to the floor, and the strange markings engraved around their wrists glowed whenever they attempted to summon their wolves.

Augustus looked around again, his expression hardening as he took in the empty chamber, the unfamiliar symbols carved into the pillars, and the thick Mooniron door on the opposite wall.

The room seemed to have no windows, and no indication of how they had been brought there. There was only darkness, cold and the distant sound of water lapping against the fortress below.

“How the hell did I get here?!” Jaime broke the silence again, lifting his head as he looked around the look. Then, he turned to his side and saw his sister staring back at him with the same horror and confusion.

Evangeline slowly raised her head and also glanced around. She looked a tad bit more horrible than the rest of them, having been tied to that godforsaken pole for weeks and having to endure the shame, the horror, laughter and the stones from her own people.

Her own pack.

“Mother!” Beatrice cried, a shot of relief in her eyes. It’s been long since she saw her, and word had reached her ears about the unfortunate predicament that had befallen the Luna of IronRidge weeks ago.

Maids of Riverrock gossiped a lot.

Evangeline could barely turn her head. Her muscles were incredibly sore. It felt like her bones had been exchanged for glass, “Beatrice…,” She groaned.

“Mother!” Beatrice cried even harder, a tear rolling down her eyes, “What happened to you? Are you okay? I’m so sorry, Mother. I’m so—”

“Enough of your nonsense!” Augustus snapped angrily as he tried to free himself once again, but Mooniron burned his flesh with every struggle and his wolf was still unreachable.

Beatrice looked up and glared at her father, hard. She’d always sought his approval, his love, but after everything he did to her, after leaving her at Riverrock to suffer in the hands of a man who used her body every single night and left her broken every morning, and after sentencing her mother to a fate no wolf would ever wish upon themselves…

She now hated him. She hated her father!!

If she had a knife right now and could move, she would be shoving it down his wretched throat.

All he cared about was the Pack.

Family was a liability.

“Father, how could you?!” She whispered.

Augustus turned to her, and he gave her the same look he always gave her. Cold. Disdain. Disappointment. “You had one job, Beatrice. You simply had to spread your legs for Conan to secure the future of the pack. But you planned with your brother to kill Conan. You and your brother deserved everything that happened afterwards,”

Beatrice gasped, more tears gathering in her eyes. One eye was twitching again, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold back the twisted side of hers.

“After everything you did to us,” Jaime said, glaring coldly at his father, “IronRidge fell in the hands of Moonfire and Rogues, along with every other Pack. Alliance would never have saved you. If I could undo these straps, I’ll make sure I kill you!”

“You stole from the pack. You orchestrated it all with your Mother and you made me look incompetent as an Alpha. We couldn’t even strike a simple deal with neighbouring Packs anymore because you two were connivng thieves.”

“Augustus!!!” Jaime flared angrily, his fingers curling into tight fists, “You fucking bastard!! I’ll make you pay for what you did to me. For what you did to Mother. You’ll fucking pay!!”

“I did nothing to you, or your mother. I simply gave you traitors what you deserved.”

“They didn’t deserve anything!” Beatrice yelled too, venom dripping from her eyes, “They were framed and you made them suffer for it. Once I get out of this goddamn chair, I’ll fucking gouge out your eyes and shove it deep into your ass!”

“How dare you?!” Augustus roared, “I’ll rip out your throat before you can even breathe!”

“Then we’ll make sure you don’t go unscarred, either,” Evangeline said, her voice low with a dangerous edge,

“Jaime, are you ok?” Beatrice whispered to her brother next to her.

But his gaze shifted from his father to her, and the glare didn’t leave his eyes. She quickly looked away and cleared her throat, “It’s not my fault you and Leo couldn’t kill Conan before the guards arrived. What did you expect me to do afterwards? I had to try and save myself,”

“Yeah?” Jaime smirked, “And where did that get you?”

Beatrice snapped her gaze back at him, the venom returning instantly, “You have no fucking idea what I went through!!”

“And do you know what I went through?!” He fired back, “I lost everything, Beatrice. Everything!! The framing got worse and I was stripped off my title and handed to Conan like a cheap slave. I was ridiculed afterwards and the bastard treated me like I was less than the dirt under his shoes. I endured all that for weeks!!”

“If you’d killed Conan and escaped beforehand, you wouldn’t have got caught. You got caught because you were weak!” She spat back, “And why are you getting mad at me? I’m not the one who’s been framing your sorry, pathetic ass. You should be glad you didn’t have to endure being haunted by a fucking doll, and r*ped every single night like a cheap, street whore!”

“Well, now that Conan is dead you can go and fuck yourself instead!”

“You bastard!!” Beatrice almost lunged for him, but her body was not going to move under those straps, “I’ll fucking kill you too. I’ll kill you!!”

Meanwhile, Evangeline and Augustus were also arguing. Evangeline was telling him how much she loathed him for everything, and Augustus in return kept telling her that it’s her fault she ever believed she could replace Elena in his heart.

Soon enough, laughter that sounded like something monstrous ripped across the room.

Everyone immediately went silence, hearts started to pound.

They could feel something cold, something inhumane and nothing like they’d ever felt coming from the darkness in front of them and none of them could tell what was there.

They could only hear the laughter.

It was Beatrice who… managed to recognise whose laughter it was. It might have changed considerably into something vicious, cold and dark… but the voice was unmistakable.

Her eyes slowly widened.

It can’t be.

It just… can’t be.

She was dead, wasn’t she?

Oh, dear Moon Goddess.

“Come-on, don’t stop,” Della said, as she finally stepped into the light coming from one of the blue flames, “I’m really enjoying the sight of how much I have fed your hatred and turned you all against each other,”