LUCY’S POV
The cold, damp air of the dungeon wrapped around me like a suffocating shroud, but I didn’t care. Not anymore. Alenjro was shackled to the stone wall, his once-proud figure reduced to a trembling heap. His screams had dulled into a low, guttural groan after hours of torment. I pressed the hot silver bar into his back once more, and the satisfying sizzle of his skin made me smile bitterly.
“No matter how much torment you give me, you will never get your wolf back,” he spat out, though his voice shook.
I chuckled darkly, crouching down to meet his bloodshot eyes. “I would have left you,” I said calmly, “but your mouth wouldn’t allow it. You’re not in the position to torment anyone right now.”
He glared at me, but the fire in his eyes had long since burned out. Good. He deserved every ounce of pain I gave him. Every scar. Every burn.
Anika stirred faintly in the back of my mind. My wolf, my constant companion, had been silent for far too long. Alenjro’s betrayal had shattered her spirit, breaking something in me that I feared would never heal. Yet here she was now, a flicker of life where there had only been silence before.
**”I’m here, Anika,”** I whispered silently. **”I’ll make him pay for what he did to us. To you. And when you’re ready, I promise he’s yours to end.”**
Her response was faint, a ghost of a growl, but it was there. Hope surged in my chest.
The dungeon smelled of blood, sweat, and despair. My despair. His despair. But I found peace in the chaos of it. This was justice. Alenjro had trafficked me like cattle, stripped me of my dignity, and left me broken in every sense of the word.
I stood and paced the narrow room, the iron door behind me groaning softly as it swayed. My fingers brushed against the scar on my collarbone-one of many he’d given me-and I felt my resolve harden.
“You think this will bring your wolf back?” Alenjro rasped. “You’re pathetic.”
I whirled around, fury coursing through me like wildfire. “You don’t get to speak to me about pathetic, Alenjro. You’re the one who sold your mate, your Luna, for power. You’re the one who broke our bond, not me!”
His laughter was hollow, mocking. “You’ll never be whole again, Lucy. You’ll never be strong.”
I knelt before him, close enough to see the sweat beading on his brow. “Oh, I’ll show you strength,” I murmured. Then I pressed the silver bar to his chest, his screams echoing through the dungeon like a symphony of justice.
That night, I lay in bed, exhaustion tugging at every muscle in my body. The memories of my torment played behind my eyelids, threatening to drag me under, but I clung to the faint spark of hope Anika’s presence gave me.
“I’ll make it right,” I whispered to the darkness.
When I woke, something was different. The air around me felt charged, electric. My limbs tingled as though my blood had been replaced with pure energy. I sat up abruptly, my breath hitching.
“Anika?” I called hesitantly.
“I’m here,” came the reply, strong and clear. My heart swelled.
Without thinking, I leaped out of bed and made my way to the dungeon, my steps purposeful. The guards flanking the iron door stepped aside without a word. They must have seen the determination in my eyes.
Alenjro was slumped against the wall, his breaths shallow and labored. He looked up weakly as I entered, and for the first time, fear flickered across his face.
“Anika wants a word,” I said simply.
His eyes widened. “No… Lucy, don’t-”
But it was too late. I felt the shift ripple through me as Anika surged forward, taking control. My vision sharpened, my senses heightened, and the raw power of my wolf filled me completely.
Anika didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Alenjro by the throat, her claws digging into his flesh. He struggled weakly, his pleas falling on deaf ears.
“You broke us,” Anika growled, her voice a deep, guttural snarl. “You thought you could strip us of everything and walk away unscathed? You were wrong.”
She threw the im to the wall and clawed him vigorously as I hadn’t seen her do in the past several years. He screamed through the dungeon and throughout it, but this cry only enraged her.
When this was done Alenjro lay still, his face flat against the wall like a man dead.
Anika stepped back, breathing heavily, her fur bristling.
“He’s dead,” she said loudly.
“You’re free now,” I whispered to her.
I turned to a blurry glass in the dungeon, her golden eyes stared back at me, and for the first time, I saw peace in them. I stepped forward, her form shimmering as I shifted fully into my wolf form.
I gasped I saw my wolf in the glass. Anika was no longer the mix of white and black I had known all my life. She was now pure black, her fur sleek and shimmering like obsidian. She was breathtaking.
I bolted out of the dungeon with my paws barely touching the ground as I ran into the field, where I howled to the moon it was a sound of triumph and liberation.
I ran across the field with my movements graceful and powerful. This was freedom. This was strength.
When I finally shifted back to my human Iorm, I was surprised to still have my clothes on. This is very magical. It has only been done by just one person the history and right now me. I could see the moon goddess decided to bless me with a new ability.
“We’re whole again,” she said softly in my mind.
I nodded, my heart swelling with emotion. “And we’ll never let anyone take that from us again.”
The morning sun bathed the field in golden light, and for the first time in years, I felt hope. Real, tangible hope.
I returned to my room with lighter steps than they had been in years. I was ready to start over. To protect my son, to protect myself, and to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
Never again would I let anyone break me. Never again would I be a victim.
This was my promise to myself, to Anika, and to my son. And I intended to keep it.