Chapter 79: Three Hours Earlier
Adrian is also thinking the same thing as he wipes more blood trickling from his nose.
"Something happened to Nyra, I’m sure of it. And whatever it is... it’s definitely not good.
--
Nyra is standing at the bottom of some stairs. The tiles are completely white, almost as white as snow.
And with every step she takes, her entire body seems to melt into a strange kind of calm, as though the stairs take away her pain every time she climbs.
She keeps climbing, one step. Then five more.
The staircase stretches endlessly into white clouds, where the sunlight spills, warm and inviting. Peaceful.
She smiles as she continues to climb the stairs. Maybe I’ll just rest up there... when I get there.
"Nyra..." A voice calls from behind her. She pauses but doesn’t turn as the voice continues. "Nyra, please."
Wait, she knows that voice. It’s Adrian’s. His voice is distant and breaking with desperation, but it’s definitely his.
And it’s coming from the bottom of the stairs.
She closes her eyes as the voice keeps trying to call her back. "I’m tired, Adrian," she whispers. "Just let me rest up there."
This time, a soft sigh answers her, but it’s not Adrian’s. The voice sounds like it’s coming from her own chest.
’Our mate is calling us,’ the voice comments, making her freeze. The voice is her wolf’s.
But she hasn’t heard it so clearly since the Awakening Rite, so how...
’Follow his voice,’ the voice continues softly. ’Go to our mate. He knows what’s best for you.’
Our? Nyra’s expression hardens, and she clenches her fists.
"What right do you have to tell me what to do!?" Nyra’s anger echoes through the endless staircase. "You abandoned me! You let them bully me for years! You let them call me wolfless, broken... defective." Tears sting her eyes. "Why didn’t you tell me what to do then?"
The wolf doesn’t answer immediately, but she can feel its immense sadness from inside her as it sighs.
’You’ll understand one day.’
Nyra scoffs, feeling tears roll down her chin. "I don’t want to understand you anymore. Just leave me alone like you’ve always done!"
To anyone else, Nyra would look crazy, arguing with a voice in her head.
She hears it one last time. It sounds very exhausted. ’If you won’t listen to me,’ it says, ’then at least listen to your mate.’
Below her, Adrian is still begging her to come downstairs, not to continue up the stairs. His voice sounds raw and broken, and it makes her heart ache.
Now the staircase suddenly doesn’t feel as peaceful anymore.
She slowly turns around. Though the light at the top still calls to her, she prefers the light from down below.
It’s warm and real.
She lets out a long, defeated sigh. "Adrian, you’re so stubborn." A tiny smile touches her lips. "But fine, I’m coming to you."
She begins walking back down, following Adrian’s voice. Step by step until she reaches the last step.
Then her...
...then her eyes snap open, but everything is completely dark. Something is over her head, most likely a brown paper bag.
She jerks instinctively, only to realize both wrists are tied tightly behind a cold metal chair, and every time she tries to move, the tight rope cuts into her skin, so she stops.
But it’s not just the pain in her hands. Her chest still feels like it’s on fire, and her throat is painfully dry.
Water, she needs water.
The back of her skull throbs painfully, and her memories seem to be blurred together.
She forces herself to breathe, trying not to panic. Step one, she has to at least try to find out where she is.
The room is eerily quiet, except for the sound of water dripping slowly around the corner, like a tap that wasn’t properly turned off.
There’s also the faint sound of metal creaking in the distance, but it’s not close enough for her to understand what is causing the sound.
The main thing, however, is that there are no voices. No footsteps, no street noise. No sign of human life at all.
Her stomach twists painfully where Claire had kicked her earlier. It’s still hurting, especially from the way her hands are tied up.
"Mia...?" Her voice sounds completely weak. "Hello... is... anyone there...?"
There is no response, just her eyes covered by the paper bag and the sound of water dripping.
---
THREE HOURS EARLIER.
Nyra shifted uncomfortably on the infirmary bed. The painkillers hadn’t set in yet. But that wasn’t why she was uneasy. It was just that something about Mia felt... off.
At first, she had asked if she was comfortable on the bed, if she needed water, if she wanted to be covered properly.
It sounded caring at first, and though she was in pain, she kept assuring Mia it would pass soon.
But then the questions started to escalate, and she sounded too persistent.
She asked if she and Adrian now slept in the same room, or whether Adrian left her alone often. Whether he always knew where she was.
It was awkward for a new friend to ask, especially because of the look in her eyes.
Even Julian never asked those sorts of personal questions.
And no matter how many times Nyra tried to change the topic, Mia kept asking weird questions. Personal ones.
"Mia..." Nyra frowned at some point. "Why are you asking me all this?"
Mia blinked innocently. "I-I’m just worried about you. After everything with Anna, I just want to be sure he’s treating you well."
Nyra smiled politely. "I appreciate it, but some of those questions are a little strange. I feel uncomfortable."
Mia’s face immediately crumpled. "I was only trying to be nice. Why are you talking to me like this?"
"I know you are. I just meant-"
"That I’m weird? You think I’m weird?"
"I didn’t say that."
"It’s okay, it’s fine." Tiny tears welled in Mia’s eyes. "I know I always ruin everything."
And before Nyra could even explain herself properly, Mia turned and hurried out of the infirmary.
"Mia?" Nyra sighed. "You know I didn’t mean-"
But the door had already shut before she could finish her sentence. Nyra rubbed her forehead, feeling guilty. Great, now I made her cry.
Pulling out her phone, she opened Julian’s contact, hoping to call him to come faster since she was all alone now. She hadn’t even pressed dial when the infirmary door creaked open again.
"Mia?" Nyra smiled apologetically, placing the phone back on the bed. "I’m sorry about earlier. I really didn’t mean to make you upse-"
A sharp crack exploded across the back of her head, and pain erupted through her skull.
Her vision blurred instantly. "M-Mia...?"
She tried to move away from the edge of the bed. Instead, she collapsed onto her back, staring up at Mia with tears in her eyes.
The timid, tearful girl was gone. Standing above her was someone else entirely. Her eyes were completely cold and expressionless, and in her hands was a wooden bat.
Nyra stared in disbelief. "What...are... you."
"Shut up," Mia snapped, slamming the bat against the side of her head again, knocking the last of her strength away.
Fuck.
Julian should’ve been here by now...
Nyra blinked the tears away, her entire body feeling like lead. She wanted to move, to at least put up a fight, but her body wasn’t responding.
With no other option left, she closed her eyes tightly, trying to reach Adrian through the bond. They often left it open these days.
She called out to him through the bond, sending the pain to him so he would know something serious was happening.
Mia above her seemed to notice, and it only made her angrier. "Trying to reach out to your mate?" she snarled, dropping the bat and reaching into her bag.
She produced a small bottle filled with a dark herbal liquid, smiling viciously.
"Let’s see if your mate can find you now."
Nyra weakly turned her face away. "N-No, please stop."
Her pleading was useless. Mia grabbed her jaw with surprising strength. "You should’ve just stayed away from Adrian. Don’t act innocent now, you whore."
Nyra was confused. What the hell was she talking about?
Mia forced Nyra’s mouth open and poured the bitter, dark liquid down her throat.
It burned so much, like swallowing fire.
Nyra coughed violently, trying to spit it out, but Mia clamped a hand over her mouth until every drop was gone.
Her chest hurt so much, it felt like she couldn’t breathe. She sent the pain to Adrian again, calling for him, but something felt wrong.
The bond was still open, but it felt like it wasn’t. Like Adrian was far, far away and wouldn’t be able to hear her.
Just what on earth did Mia give her?
Using the last of her strength, she called out to him one last time, just as her vision began darkening.
The last thing she saw before everything faded was Mia calmly wiping the bottle clean with a handkerchief.
Then everything went dark.
---
Nyra doesn’t know how long she’s been sitting there. It feels like hours, and the bag over her head makes her breathing much heavier.
She has almost given up hope when she hears the rattle of keys out front.
Her eyes snap back open. Someone’s there!
Despite the burning in her throat and chest, she forces her vocal cords to work. "Hello? Is anyone there!? Help!! Please help me!!!"
No one responds, but the keys keep jiggling. Finally, she hears the front door open, heavy boots--probably belonging to two different men--slamming against the concrete floor until they stop right in front of her.
"Hello? Who are you? Please let me go!!!" She struggles against the ropes, ignoring the blinding pain in her wrists.
One of the figures chuckles. It sounds deep and wicked. "She’s a feisty one," he tells his companion. "I think we’re going to have lots of fun with her tonight."