Aria’s POV
I was helpless.
The cold stone of the dungeon pressed against my back as I struggled to free myself from the leather straps binding me to the chair. My throat was raw from screaming, but it didn’t matter. Alpha Logan wasn’t listening. No one was.
My eyes were fixed on the woman before me, the one strapped to the table. Her legs were spread wide, her body shaking with fear and pain as Logan’s guard moved in with the instruments-a crude, syringe-like instrument with milky liquid inside it, designed for one thing: to ensure her impregnation.
“No! Please, stop! Stop this!” I screamed.
But Logan didn’t even flinch. He stood by the table, arms folded, watching with a sickening, detached interest as if this was nothing more than routine. My chest heaved as panic gripped me.
The guard stepped forward, a long syringe in his gloved hand, filled with the vile milky liquid that would forever change the woman’s life. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. I could only watch as he positioned it between her legs.
“No!” I screamed again, thrashing against the restraints. “You can’t do this! You’re a monster!”
Logan finally turned toward me, his expression calm and cold. “Monster?” he repeated. “No, Aria. I am an Alpha. And Alphas do what is necessary for securing their future and their lineage.”
The woman on the table let out a gut-wrenching sob as the syringe was inserted. Her body convulsed with pain, her eyes wide with terror. I couldn’t tear my gaze away, couldn’t stop the nausea that rose in my throat. Tears streamed down my face, and I cried out, begging, pleading for him to stop.
“Please, Logan, stop! I’ll do anything, just stop!”
But he wasn’t even listening. His eyes flicked briefly to me before settling back on the guard as if my screams were no more than background noise.
I turned to Erinne, desperation clawing at my chest. “Erinne, please! Tell him to stop this! You can’t let this happen!”
Erinne stood in the shadows, her face blank, emotionless, with my baby in her arms. She watched me with a cold detachment. There wasn’t an ounce of sympathy in her eyes.
“Erinne!” I screamed, my voice raw and pleading. “Please, do something!”
Her lips curled into a small, cruel smile. “Why should I, Aria? You made your choices. Now you live with them.”
Her words cut deeper than I could have imagined. I had been foolish to ever think she was different. Foolish to believe that, despite everything, she had some shred of humanity left in her. Foolish to even think that Aria was my friend, anyway.
She was not my friend. She never had been.
Logan chuckled lowly, turning back to me as the woman’s sobs grew weaker. “See, Aria? You’re alone here. No one’s coming to save you. Not Erinne, not anyone. You cannot escape this, and neither can these women.”
My stomach twisted as his gaze flicked toward Edward, who had gone silent in Erinne’s arms. His tiny chest rose and fell in peaceful slumber, completely unaware of the nightmare unfolding around us.
Logan’s smile widened as he took a step toward me. “You want me to stop?” he asked, his voice dripping with malice. “Then behave. Do as I say, and maybe I won’t take him from you.”
His words sent a chill down my spine. I wanted to clutch Edward tighter.
“No…” I whispered, shaking my head. “Please, Logan, not him. He’s innocent.”
“Then you know what to do,” Logan said, his eyes locking onto mine with a cold finality. “Obey, or I’ll make sure he suffers.”
My entire world narrowed in on that moment. I had no choice. Not when Edward was involved. My mind screamed for me to fight, to resist, but every instinct I had as a mother told me to protect my son at all costs.
I nodded slowly, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll do whatever you want… Just don’t hurt him.”
Logan’s smile returned, satisfied, as he stepped away from me. “Good. I knew you’d come around. But don’t think this changes anything, Aria. You’re still mine. You’ll always be mine.”
I bit my lip, fighting the urge to scream again, but before I could even process his words, he moved toward the table, waving his hand for the guard to step aside. The woman on the table had gone limp, her sobs reduced to quiet, pitiful whimpers. She was broken, and Logan had done it without even blinking.
He turned to me, his eyes darkening with malicious intent. “And now it’s time for your punishment.”
My heart dropped as Logan reached for the whip hanging on the wall. The long, leather weapon unfurled with a snap, and my blood ran cold.
“Logan, please, no-” I started, but he was already walking toward me, his eyes filled with cruel satisfaction.
“You betrayed me, Aria,” he said softly, his voice low and menacing. “You ran away. You thought you could escape me, but you were wrong. No one escapes Alpha Logan.”
I braced myself as he lifted the whip high, the leather glistening in the dim light. The first strike came hard and fast, cutting across my skin with a sharp, stinging pain that ripped through me. I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
But he didn’t stop. The whip lashed against me again and again, each strike more vicious than the last. My body ached, burning with the pain of each blow. My mind was swimming, but through it all, I clung to one thing: Edward.
“I’ll never let you break me,” I gasped through gritted teeth, even as my body screamed in agony.
Logan paused, his breath heavy as he loomed over me. “We’ll see about that.”
He raised the whip once more, his eyes blazing with fury. This time, I saw the intent in his eyes, the desire to inflict true, lasting pain. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the final blow.
The whip cracked through the air, and everything went black.