The world spun as we tumbled through the portal, the weightless sensation almost unbearable. Darkness folded over itself, warping and stretching until we landed with a sickening jolt in a dim, cavernous chamber. The air was thick with the stench of damp stone and magic gone stale. Runes flickered on the walls, pulsing faintly, casting eerie shadows that writhed like living things.
I gasped, trying to steady myself, but the dark chains around me didn’t loosen. They pulled tight, binding my arms at my sides and forcing me to kneel on the cold, uneven floor. The orb, now dim and lifeless, slipped from my hand, rolling across the room before coming to rest against an altar covered in twisted carvings.
Warwick stood tall before me, his golden-green eyes glinting with triumph. “Welcome to my sanctuary, Audrey. You’re quite the guest of honor.”
“Let me go, Warwick,” I snapped, though my voice wavered under the oppressive weight of his magic. “This isn’t going to end the way you think it will.”
He chuckled, the sound low and menacing as he crouched to meet my gaze. “I admire your defiance, truly. It’s part of what drew me to you in the first place.” His hand brushed a strand of hair from my face, the touch sending a chill down my spine. “But defiance without power is meaningless.”
I jerked away, glaring at him. “You’re pathetic. All of this-for what? Because I didn’t pick you? Because I saw through your lies?”
His jaw tightened, the smirk slipping for just a moment before he regained his composure. “Don’t simplify this, Audrey. This is about much more than a choice. You and I-we’re connected. You can feel it, even if you won’t admit it.”
“There’s no connection,” I spat. “Not between you and me.”
His expression darkened, the shadows on the walls deepening as his magic flared. “You really shouldn’t lie, Audrey,” he said, his voice dangerously quiet. “It’s unbecoming.”
Warwick stepped closer, and I felt his presence like a vice squeezing around my chest. The magic binding me shimmered faintly, reinforcing itself as if feeding off my growing unease.
“You could’ve been my equal,” he continued, his tone almost wistful. “We could’ve reshaped everything together. But you let Logan blind you. He doesn’t see you-not like I do.”
I clenched my jaw, refusing to let his words sink in. “Logan sees me for who I am. Not some tool. Not some prize to be won.”
Something in Warwick’s gaze twisted, his smirk hardening into a sneer. “Is that what you think this is? A game? You don’t understand your worth, Audrey. But I’ll show you.”
The air grew heavier, Warwick’s presence closing in like a storm. My muscles tensed as his hand reached out again, this time trailing along my jaw. A shiver ran through me, anger and fear coiling tight in my chest.
And then, he leaned in.
“Warwick, don’t,” I growled, my voice low and warning. But he didn’t listen. His smirk returned, sharp and predatory.
“Don’t fight it, Audrey,” he murmured, his lips inches from my ear. “You were meant to-”
In a burst of adrenaline, I slammed my knee upward, aiming for the softest, most vulnerable target. The impact landed perfectly, and Warwick doubled over with a pained grunt, his hands instinctively flying to shield himself. His magic wavered for just a second, the chains around me loosening.
I didn’t waste the opportunity. With a roar of determination, I lunged forward, trying to summon the wolf inside me. The familiar heat began to rise, my vision sharpening, my limbs trembling with the promise of transformation.
But just as I felt the shift begin, Warwick hissed, his voice filled with venom. “Nice try, Audrey.”
He flicked his wrist, and a wave of magic slammed into me like a wall of ice. The rising power inside me was snuffed out instantly, leaving me gasping as a cold, empty sensation filled the void.
“What… did you do?” I rasped, struggling to stay upright as the weight of his spell pressed down on me.
Warwick straightened slowly, his smirk replaced with a grim look of satisfaction. “You didn’t think I came unprepared, did you? You’re not the only one with tricks, Audrey. That spell will keep your little wolf locked away, no matter how hard you try.”
I glared at him, my body trembling with fury and frustration. “You coward.”
He laughed, though it was harsh and devoid of humor this time. “Call me what you want. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re powerless here. And as long as I hold the key to the Nexus, that won’t change.”
He turned away briefly, retrieving the orb from the altar. Its light was faint now, but it pulsed weakly in his hands, as though protesting his touch.
“You’ll come to see things my way,” he said, almost absently as he examined the orb. “Maybe not today, but soon. You’ll see there’s no escaping destiny.”
I ground my teeth, silently vowing that I wouldn’t let him win. One way or another, I would find a way to stop him-and to break free.
He turned back to me, the orb glowing brighter now, a smug confidence settling over his face once more. “Rest while you can, Audrey. The real fun is only just beginning.”
I forced my breath to steady, refusing to let Warwick see how much he’d rattled me. My arms ached against the magic binding me, but I focused on the thought of Logan and Mal. They would find me-they had to. And when they did, Warwick would regret ever laying a hand on me.
“You’re a fool if you think this ends with me,” I said, my voice sharper than I felt. “Logan will find you. So will Mal. You can’t hide behind your magic forever.”
Warwick’s smirk faltered for just a second, but it was enough for me to sense that, despite all his bravado, he wasn’t as untouchable as he liked to pretend. “You put far too much faith in others,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Logan can’t reach you here. None of them can. This chamber exists outside the barriers of the Nexus-untouchable, untraceable. It’s just you and me, Audrey.”
I shook my head, biting back the wave of fear that threatened to overwhelm me. “You don’t know them like I do,” I said, leaning into the defiance burning in my chest. “Logan will tear through every barrier you’ve built to get here. And Mal? She’ll burn this whole place to the ground if it means getting to me.”
Warwick’s eyes flickered with something-an unease he couldn’t quite hide. I smiled bitterly at the sight of it, even as I fought against the weight of the spell holding me down. He was confident, but not as much as he wanted me to believe. He was afraid of Logan, of Mal, and of what the two of them could do when pushed too far.
“Still clinging to the idea that your friends will save you,” Warwick muttered, pacing the chamber as though trying to shake off my words. “But they don’t know you like I do. Logan sees you as something fragile, something to protect. But I see your strength, Audrey. Your potential. You don’t need him.”
“You don’t see me at all,” I shot back, lifting my chin despite the spell weighing me down. “You see what you want to see. But you’re wrong. I’m not fragile. And I don’t need you.”
Warwick whirled on me, his expression stormy, but he didn’t respond. He just stared at me, his fists clenching at his sides. The runes on the walls flared brighter, reacting to his swirling emotions, and the dark energy in the room pressed down on me even harder.
But I didn’t break. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“Say what you want,” I continued, my voice steady, unwavering. “Spin this however you like. But the truth is, you’re scared. You know Logan and Mal will find you. And when they do, there’s not a single spell in that twisted mind of yours that will save you.”
Warwick took a step closer, his boots echoing on the stone floor. “You talk too much,” he said coldly, though his voice lacked the usual edge of confidence. “It’s funny-how even powerless, you still think you’re in control.”
I narrowed my eyes, forcing myself not to flinch as he knelt in front of me again. His golden-green eyes bore into mine, searching for something, though I couldn’t tell what.
“You think Logan will save you,” he said softly, almost to himself. “But he’s just as blind as the rest of them. He can’t save you from me. Not now. Not ever.”
I held his gaze, unyielding. “Keep telling yourself that, Warwick. Maybe if you repeat it enough times, you’ll start to believe it.”
For the first time, Warwick didn’t respond. Instead, he rose to his feet, gripping the orb tightly. The flickering green light of the runes reflected in his eyes as he stared at it, his brow furrowed in thought.
The silence stretched between us, heavy and tense. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a reminder that time was running out. Logan and Mal would come for me-I believed that with every fiber of my being. But I had to hold on until they did. I had to outlast Warwick’s twisted plans.
Because one way or another, he would fall. Whether by Logan’s hands, Mal’s flames, or my own.
He wouldn’t win. I wouldn’t let him.