Emma tried to run away she stood no chance. Axel caught her immediately and dragged her back to the warehouse before pushing her onto a chair. She tried to get up but he raised his hand.
“No use,” he said. “You won’t get any far even if you try.”
Emma sighed. Unfortunately, he was right. Going up against him would only create more problems for her. She was already in enough trouble as it was.
“Did you really think you could escape?” he asked.
“Well, I was hoping I could. That b! tch tricked me. Where is Kylie?”
“Who is that?”
“Another slave,” Emma said. “She is the one who told me about the tunnels. She sent that guard to free me.”
“Guard? Are you talking about Spencer who I sent to bring you to me?”
“What?”
“You’re quite an actress. I can’t believe I was about to change my mind and accept you as my mate despite you being a rogue. I thought you were capable of change but clearly I was wrong. You will never be a member of a community. I feel less pain now that I know I made the right decision.”
“I don’t understand. You asked that guard to take me to you? Why did he take me to the tunnel then?”
“Even after being caught, you won’t admit it.” Axel said. “You’re something else, Emma Greenfield. You hit Spencer on the head and ran to the store. He was found passed out near the barn. That’s how we knew something was wrong. When we found the other guards passed out in the store, we knew you had gone into the tunnels. That’s how I knew you were here.”
Emma couldn’t believe what she was hearing. That damned Kylie had tricked her. The worst part was that she had fallen for all of it without thinking twice. She realised she should have listened to Richard. Things had been too easy for them to be real. She should have known better.
“I swear I’m telling the truth,” Emma insisted. “Kylie was helping me.”
Axel sighed. “Lying to the alpha is a crime. Not only did you try to escape but you’re now disrespecting the alpha of this pack. I don’t understand why the moon goddess would choose you as my mate but it was a stupid decision. Howard!”
The door to their right opened and a large man with long hair walked in.
“She’s annoying,” he said. “Take her and put her on solitary confinement for twenty-four hours. No food, no water. She needs to learn a lesson on respect.”
“Please, I’m so sorry for trying to escape.” Emma said, falling on her knees. Being locked up in an enclosed place alone sounded like a nightmare and she was trying to do whatever possible not to end up there.
Axel laughed at her and walked out.
“Let’s go,” Howard said. “We’ll take the tunnel.”
“Aren’t you afraid that I might kill you while we’re in there?”
Howard chuckled. “You should be afraid of me little girl.”
Thankfully, Howard didn’t try anything as they made their way back to the pack through the tunnel. When they came out of the trap door, two of the guards that had been lying in the store were waiting for them. The three guards took Emma back to the building where the slaves were kept. Instead of taking her where her friends were, she was taken to another room in the dungeon, two rooms down from the one with her friends. Emma could smell their scents as she passed by. The door was closed so they didn’t see her. She was glad for that.
The place she was taken to was drab and cold. It was a bare room with chains buried into the walls. There was a small window with metal bars. This brought in some faint light to the room.
“What’s this? This room is so small I can barely fit in here.”
Emma was already feeling claustrophobic as she looked at the tiny dark room. She glanced at the metallic door and felt her heartbeat rising. “I can stay here. I’ll run mad for sure.”
“That’s why it’s called a punishment,” Howard said. “You shouldn’t have disrespected the alpha. He has treated your group of rogues very well, I must say. Not most slaves get treated like you have. I think he cared a bit because you were his mate. People don’t reject mates so easily. I’m sure he must have been thinking of undoing the rejection, but you gave him good reason to move on tonight. Now it’s over for you and your friends.”
“Please don’t leave me here,” Emma said.
“We can’t do anything. You shouldn’t have tried to escape from the pack. Give me your hand.”
Emma just stared at him. One of the men who had been standing behind them stepped forward and grabbed her hand. Howard stepped into the tiny room and pulled the chain. He then cuffed and chained her then pushed her back into the room. The room was so small that it looked like it could barely fit her whole body if she lay down straight.
Emma cried out as they closed the door. She screamed and screamed until her throat was parched and her voice was gone. Realising that it was useless to continue screaming for help, she slumped down the wall on to the floor.
Now she was really trapped and it looked like she would never be able to leave Venom pack. This was the worst nightmare. She was sure that it had been only about ten minutes. She had to stay 24 hours locked up and alone. Although there was air coming from the tiny window, Emma felt that the oxygen in the room was not enough. She was struggling to breathe because of the anxiety. It felt like the room was closing up on her.
Tired of sitting and crying, she stood up and started knocking on the door. Sitting idly and thinking was driving her crazy, and she didn’t how long she could take it without passing out.