Aria’s POV
I sat on the edge of the small, stiff bed in the dim room, feeling like a prisoner in my own life. My heart was heavy with misery.
How did I end up here? A mate I never wanted, a life of constant fear. My heart ached for Edward, wondering where he was and if he was safe. And yet, all I could do was sit here, staring blankly at the walls, waiting for something-anything-to happen.
Then I heard it.
Voices, muffled at first, but growing louder, angrier. My heart leaped in my chest as I rushed to the door, pressing my ear against the cold wood. The voices outside were frantic, guards marching past my door in a rush. I could hear Logan’s voice, louder and angrier than the rest, barking orders at them. He was furious, though I couldn’t make out why.
My heart began to thunder in my chest, and my throat tightened with fear. What was happening?
I peered through the small peephole in the door, and my breath hitched when I saw Logan stop just outside. His face was twisted with rage as he screamed at one of the guards.
I barely had time to back away from the door before he slammed it open with such force that it flew off its hinges, the door crashing against the wall. The sheer Alpha power of the blow sent me flying across the room, slamming into the far wall with a sickening thud.
The pain shot through my body instantly, a sharp, blinding ache that knocked the wind out of me. I crumpled to the floor, curling into a ball, clutching my ribs as I gasped for breath. Every inch of my body throbbed, my head spinning from the impact. My arms instinctively wrapped around my stomach, as if to protect myself from any further blows, but Logan didn’t stop to notice.
I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the tears threatening to spill down my face. The pain was unbearable, radiating from my side and spreading through my chest. My breaths came in short, ragged bursts, the air feeling thick and hard to swallow. Every time I tried to move, it was like needles were stabbing into my ribs.
I wanted to scream, to beg for mercy, but I knew it wouldn’t matter. Logan wasn’t the kind of man to show mercy. He was cruel and twisted, and he took pleasure in the pain of others.
“Get up!” he growled.
Before I could even try to move, he grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet with a force that made me cry out in pain.
I stood there, trembling, my knees threatening to give way beneath me. “What… what’s going on?” I whispered.
Logan didn’t answer right away. He just stared at me, his cold eyes burning with fury. “You’re going underground,” he finally said.
“Underground?” I repeated. “Why? What’s happening? Where’s my son?” The words tumbled out of my mouth.
Logan didn’t respond. Instead, he yanked me toward the door, dragging me along as if I were nothing more than a rag doll. My feet stumbled over the floor as I struggled to keep up, my body still weak from the pain.
I kept asking, over and over again, “Logan, where’s Edward? Where is my son?” but Logan never answered. He just kept walking, pulling me along as if I didn’t exist.
We made our way down the stairs, the guards following closely behind. Logan’s grip on my arm was iron-tight. I couldn’t stop the panic that was rising inside me. I couldn’t understand what was happening. Why was he taking me underground? Why wouldn’t he tell me where Edward was?
“Logan, please!” I pleaded as we reached the bottom of the stairs. “Where is my son? I need to know if he’s safe!”
Logan’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Your son will join you shortly,” he said, his voice so cold it sent chills down my spine. “Don’t worry about him.”
His words didn’t bring me any comfort. If anything, they filled me with dread. I couldn’t tell if I should be relieved or terrified. Was he going to bring Edward to me? Or was he planning something far worse?
We continued down a narrow hallway, the sound of my labored breathing filling my ears. The walls seemed to close in around us as Logan took me outside and led me to a large iron latch in the ground, hidden at the back of the estate. I looked down at it, my stomach twisting with fear.
Of course. I should’ve known. Logan always liked putting people in holes, keeping them below him, literally and figuratively. I guess it made him feel powerful, like he was always above everyone else, always in control. That was why he kept those women in a pit for months.
I swallowed hard as Logan pulled the latch open, revealing a dark, gaping hole in the ground. My heart sank into my stomach as I stared at the narrow pit.
“No…” I whispered, stepping back, but Logan’s grip on me tightened.
“You’re going in,” he said, his voice as hard as steel. “And you’ll stay there until I say otherwise.”
He shoved me forward, and I stumbled, my knees buckling as I was forced down into the pit. The cold, damp air hit me like a slap in the face as I landed on the hard dirt floor, and my body ached from the fall. I looked up, my heart pounding, and saw Logan standing above me, his expression unreadable.
“Where’s Edward?” I demanded, my voice breaking. “You said he would join me. Where is he?!”
Logan turned to one of the maids standing nearby and nodded. She hurried off, returning moments later with Edward in her arms. My heart leaped into my throat as I saw my son, his tiny body squirming in her grip as he wailed uncontrollably.
“Edward!” I cried, reaching up, desperate to hold him. The maid handed him over to Logan, and for a brief moment, I feared the worst.
Logan looked down at Edward, then at me. “Keep quiet!” He bellowed. “Or I’ll make sure you never see him again.”
He tossed Edward down into the pit with me, and I barely caught him in time, clutching him tightly to my chest. Tears filled my eyes as I held my son, pressing his small body against mine.
The last thing I saw was Logan’s cold, menacing face before he slammed the iron bars shut, locking us both underground.
The darkness swallowed us whole.