Chapter 295
295
295
Riley’s POV
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The scalding water hit me like molten steel. Pain flared across my skin, white-hot and consuming. I screamed, guttural and raw, the sound tearing from my throat as I curled into myself on the cold floor. My body, already weakened from surgery, could barely withstand the onslaught. Blisters erupted instantly, the scent of burnt flesh mixing with iron from the cuts and scrapes I already bore.
Selene Ashford didn’t even flinch. She laughed-high-pitched, cruel, like a wolf teasing prey. Her eyes glittered with that familiar malice, sharp and predatory.
Maddox stood nearby, his face twisted with conflicting emotions-rage, regret, helplessness. “Riley… this isn’t necessary,” he muttered, voice low and almost strangled. “Just obey her, don’t fight… you’ll spare yourself the worst of it.”
I glared at him, teeth gritted. Maddox, you fool. You don’t get to lecture me. Not now. Not ever. You caused your own ruin. My wolf growled low in my chest, a warning I didn’t bother hiding. My body ached, skin on fire, but I refused to give in.
Selene circled me like a huntress, eyes calculating, lips curled. “Oh, look at you, squirming like some pathetic little pup. Is that all you’ve got, Riley Vale? I thought you’d be stronger. I thought you’d fight back, but here you are, helpless and weak.”
Her words cut deeper than any knife. My wolf surged, coiling within me, claws itching to rend, teeth bared. But my body refused my will. The transformation— the shift—was far from complete. I was too weak.
Selene knelt beside me, tipping my head back roughly by the chin. “I’ve got to admit, it’s almost disappointing,” she whispered, almost tenderly, before slapping me across the face. Pain exploded in my jaw, a sharp, stinging fire. “But don’t worry… I have plenty more fun planned for you.”
Maddox flinched at the slap, jaw tight, fists clenching. He hated seeing me like this. He hated himself even more. “Selene… stop,” he said, voice strained. “You’re pushing too far…”
“You? Silence!” Selene snapped at him, standing tall, eyes burning like twin moons of wrath. “You’ve lost the right to speak for her. You brought her to me, Maddox. You’ve given me every reason to punish her. Every. Single. One.”
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295
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Her words hung in the air like a curse. My wolf growled, my senses sharpening. I could smell her pulse, her fear of nothing, the calm madness in her blood. She wanted control. She wanted me broken. And she would have it if I let her.
Selene didn’t give me a chance to recover. She yanked a length of coarse rope from the corner and pressed it to my shoulders. The iron bars of the cage kept me pinned, exposed. She tugged and pulled, forcing me to kneel awkwardly, skin tearing in protest. Every movement sent shockwaves of pain across my body.
Maddox’s protests grew louder, his frustration and helplessness blending into a low growl of his own wolf instincts. But Selene ignored him, whispering threats, calling me worthless, a pup unworthy of surviving in the wild. Her hands were merciless, precise-never careless, always calculated to maximize suffering.
I tried to focus, centering myself. My wolf clawed at the edges of the pain, pushing it back, letting rage fill the cracks. I could hear the distant howls of my pack in my mind, feel their presence through the bond Lucien had tied to me-warning me, feeding me, promising me vengeance.
Selene’s lips twisted in satisfaction. She paused, crouching before me, and drew something from her pocket-a small, glowing communication stone. She held it up like a talisman. Her eyes gleamed.
‘Let’s see if our friends are ready for the fun,” she murmured. Her fingers tapped the surface. The stone glowed brighter, sending a sharp pulse through the air.
I felt a cold thrill run down my spine, not of fear, but anticipation. Whatever Selene was summoning, whatever hand she was calling in… my wolf wanted it. Wanted the hunt, wanted the blood, wanted the reckoning that was coming.
Pain, fury, and instinct mingled inside me. I was trapped. I was vulnerable. But I was not defeated. Not yet.
Selene’s laugh echoed in the empty room as the stone buzzed to life.
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