y
see if Cally is breathing, my heart thumping with relief when I discover she is. This morning, it's la
ustomed to the stench, I hardly notice it anymore, but the air itself
lung capacity that lets them thrive in this hell hole. It seems strange since wolves have such a stro
n... about us, sometimes. I can tell they're drinking because their rank breath chokes me when they bring us food or come by just to g
his bride. Maybe this i
s a child, so this existence is likely killing her. Each time they b
deeper in my ve
I hurry over to pat her back gently. She waves me off, looking up through p
ls me, though I kno
gh her matted hair, but it's impossible. Normally a lovely butt
en hold you here, the bride of the king! There is no
usly. "No. I'm going t
nd a way out toget
be the one to extinguish it. "Okay," I
he guarded hallway to hint that there is any life outside this cage, though in my state, weak from what must be mont
is no
ughts from Cally. "Let's
torch, I can see her eyes bri
few choices, with nothing but our fingers tracing the filthy d
its frame deep from so many weeks-months?-of play. I add my O far away from her turn. Time pas
me win," she com
nd regret boils through me. "Y
l and sits in the hard dirt. I join her, wrapping my
oblemen parties with a glass of bright pink punch. Then, I tried to ignore the endless conversations around me, thinking them silly and pointless.
ons hit har
g again," Cally
know the men by voice, some by sight. "His wife i
nt. We'd been refused food for at least a full day-it was h
s in the hallway. Cally and I stand quickly, trying to inhale a fragme
rongly commanding. "Is this how the Alpha King
lows, the familiar guards gr
them, Lazareth, of
down here, as long as the prisoners stay put," t
s, and Cally's frail
rth hall," Lazaret
ew man insists. "We're orde
nd I turn to Cally to meet
of here!" she whi
re to do as they say so th
biting her
ke their way down the hall, and I nearly squea
h disgust, but I don't blame him. He's clearly not used to the st
ead," a g
g's guard spits out. "They both look dis
f the guards, Henry,
g's guard says, and
t, but my heart slumps into my che
y nerves screaming at me to go back
u, and you only," he grunts. He turns around and walks away despite my continued pleas.
y drags me down the ha
ls after me, her voice hoarse and
Henry is already p
ody slinks to the cold hard floor, her hand
down. I don't deserve the fresh air I'm forced to bre
/1/115797/coverbig.jpg?v=cbb4675118f8dfb598684c44c51fbfa3&imageMogr2/format/webp)