3rd person’s POV
The dungeon was a place where hope went to wither and died especially for a werewolf and that was where Sarah was right now.
The cold, damp floor meant she was always cold, and with the thick stench of mildew, it was barely a room and not a comfortable one at that.
The chains on her hands and feet clinked softly in the dark, a constant reminder that she was bound to this place a prisoner here.
Sarah leaned against the rough stone wall, she glanced at her wrists that were chafed and raw from the iron chains that had held them.
She had been a captive for months, and in all that time she had been chained here.
Her once-vibrant hair was now tangled and matted, her skin pale from lack of sunlight but it was her wolf that worried her. She had not been allowed to shift in weeks and the beast prowled restless.
She was close to being crushed by the captivity of this place and she would have no say in any of it.
She had been stripped of everything-her pride, her status, her dignity all because she had been caught in the act of framing that omega runt Kate.
The fact that Dimitri had abandoned her for that nothing irked her almost as much as the fact she was stuck here.
When Dimitri had started to abandon her framing, Kate had seemed like the best idea it had been a desperate attempt, born out of jealousy and rage.
Sarah had always been the favored one, the one who was protected until Kate had shown up as Dimitri’s mate and slowly she had been put in her shadow, left to feel less, and unworthy.
So when the opportunity to bring Kate down had been presented to her, she had seized it without thinking.
But she had been a bit too careless, and now she was paying the price.
Sarah felt like she had been here for what felt like an eternity, days came and went, days blended into nights, and nights into days until the passing of time became almost meaningless.
The only visitors she had were the guards who brought her meager rations of food and water, and even they avoided looking or talking to her, it was as if she were already dead.
But she wasn’t dead!
Not yet , and if did die it would be on her on terms.
She still had one thing left that they would not be able to take from her -her will to survive.
She wouldn’t stay in this place forever. She would get out, she had to get out, to escape, no matter the cost.
For weeks, Sarah had been planning, watching, waiting. She had observed the guards, memorizing their routines, noting the moments when they were most distracted.
She had bid her time, waiting for the perfect moment to make her move. And she knew tonight, was that moment.
There was one guard in particular, a young man named Lukas, who had become enamored with her, he had looked her a little too long when she had been brought in and given her extra food and water.
The best way to get a man was with sex, and while she may not have looked her best, Sarah had utilized her asset , cultivated that sympathy he had for her.
Her roof leaked when it rained so she had water to clean up a bit.
She had carefully started speaking to him in quiet tones whenever he brought her meals, of her family, her sister’s and anything else to tug at his heartstrings.
And since she had no sisters each of them had died tragic sickly deaths. As for her imprisonment she wove a take of a cheated mate, left to languish while the mistress to her home. He seemed to believe her, at least enough to be conflicted about her imprisonment.
She did not want to rush it or leave it too long before she started planting the idea of escape in his mind, suggesting that he could help her, that he could be her savior. And naive Lukas really wanted to be her knight in shining armor, so tonight, she would take advantage of that doubt.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the stone corridor, and Sarah’s heart began to race, the time was here moment for so long, a surge of adrenaline course through her veins making her almost lightheaded.
She stood slowly, her legs tingling from disuse, but she leaned against the wall waiting for blood to rush back into her legs, her resolve stronger than ever.
The door to her cell creaked open, and Lukas stepped inside, his face brightened by the dim light from the torch he carried. His eyes met her’s, and she saw the hesitation there,
” Hi” she whispered, and he flinched.
He wasn’t cut out for this, and that was what would make him easy to manipulate.
“Lukas,” Sarah whispered, her voice hoarse and a bit dry
“Please… you have to help me. I can’t stay here any longer. I’ll die if I do”
Lukas shifted uncomfortably, his gaze flickering to the chains around her wrists.
“I… I don’t know, Sarah. If anyone finds out-”
“No one will find out,” Sarah interrupted, taking a step closer to him.
“We’ll be careful. We’ll be smart. ”
She took his face into her hand,
” We have this all planned out ” he nodded
“We won’t get caught,” Sarah insisted, her voice firm.
Lukas hesitated for a moment longer, but she could see in his eyes that he would do it. Finally, he sighed, setting the torch down on the floor.
“Alright,” he said quietly
“I’ll help you.”
Relief flooded through Sarah, powerful enough that it nearly brought her to her knees. But there was no time for weakness now, she needed to focus, and stay sharp.
“Thank you, Lukas,” she whispered, making her voice tremble with as much emotion as she could
“You’re saving my life.”
He nodded, pulling a key from his belt and moving to unlock her shackles. The metal clanged loudly as the chains fell away, and they both stiffened, once they were sure on one was watching them or coming to check what was happening , Sarah rubbed her sore wrists, savoring the feeling of freedom.
Dimitri would regret locking her up like this, one day.
“We need to move quickly,” Lukas said, his voice low and urgent.
“I’ll take you through the servant’s passage. It’s the least guarded part of the prison.”
Sarah nodded, following him out of the cell and into the dark corridor. Her heart was pounding in her chest, the reality of what she was doing sinking in.
She was escaping!
But as exhilarating as the thought was, there was also -fear of what lay ahead, fear of being caught, fear of what she would have to do to survive.
They moved swiftly through the prison corridors, her legs aching with every movement the good thing was they had shadows concealing their movements.
Lukas led the way, his small torch casting flickering light on the stone walls it wasn’t too bright to call attention just enough to keep. tgem from bumping into wall.
Sarah kept close to him, her eyes darting nervously around them, she half-expected a guard to appear at any moment and stop them from leaving but nothing of the sort happened. The dungeon was silent, the guards either absent or too complacent to notice anything was wrong.
They reached the servant’s passage without incident, and Lukas pushed open the heavy door, revealing a narrow, older staircase that led up to the surface.
“This way,” he whispered, motioning for her to follow.
The staircase was steep, the steps worn smooth by years of use.
Sarah’s legs burned with the effort of climbing, weak from months of inactivity, but she pushed herself forward, refusing to let exhaustion slow her down. She was close enough that she could taste the freedom.
As they finally emerged from the passage, she glanced around her trying to get a sense of where they were in a secluded area of the prison grounds, which was far away from pack grounds and hidden from view by tall hedges and overgrown trees. The night air was warm to her compared to the freezing dampness in those cells warm and fresh. Sarah breathed it in, savoring the sensation of fresh air as it filling her lungs.
“We have to keep moving,” Lukas urged, patting his voice tense.
“We’re not safe yet.”
He led her through the gardens, still keeping to the shadows, avoiding paths where they might be seen.
Sarah’s heart was pounding in her ears, she knew better than to let her guard down. They were still deep within the castle’s grounds, and the risk of being discovered completely real.
As they neared the outer walls, Sarah’s hope began to swell with the just ahead, guarded by only a single man who appeared half-asleep at his post. If they got past him, they would be free.
“Stay here,” Lukas whispered, motioning for her to crouch behind a large bush.
“I’ll take care of the guard.” he offered handing her the torch, she grasped it in her hand
Sarah nodded, watching as he crept toward the man, his movements silent and calculated. Her heart lodged in her throat, this was it.
Lukas reached the guard, and for a moment, Sarah thought they might actually make it. But then the sentry stirred, his eyes snapping open as though he realized something was wrong.
He snarled his fur filling his face as he moved to shift his mouth opening in a warning growl , but Lukas was faster. He lunged forward, striking the guard across the head and pushing him into the floor, slamming his face into the floor twice.
Sarah held her breath, trying not to panic, she heard footsteps that drew closer and shifted her fingers to claws
“It’s done,” Lukas said, returning to her side and she breathed a sigh of relief .
“Come on, we need to go now.”
Sarah didn’t need to be told twice. She rose from her hiding place and followed him to the gate, Lukas pushed the gate open just enough for them to slip through, and they ran.
The cool night breeze kept whipping through her hair, she felt more alive than she had just thirty minutes ago. She didn’t know what she was going to do or where she was going, but it didn’t matter.
She was free.