Chapter 4: The Captive Omega

The grand hall was a blur of lights, laughter, and music, but none of it reached Selene. Her world had narrowed to a tight, suffocating space, where the venomous words of Lilith and the burning rejection of Darius echoed in her mind. The humiliation still stung, but there was something deeper, something more insidious that gnawed at her—a gnawing hunger for justice. For the truth to be known. For everything stolen from her to be returned.

But that desire was short-lived.

As she made her way toward the exit, determined to escape the suffocating crowd, a pair of strong hands gripped her roughly from behind.

“Where do you think you’re going, Omega?”

Selene’s body tensed as she was yanked back toward the center of the hall. It was one of the pack’s enforcers, a wolf loyal to Darius and Lilith, his presence an unmistakable sign that something was terribly wrong.

"I’m leaving," Selene said, trying to maintain her composure, but her voice wavered slightly. She knew what was coming, and the weight of it felt like a storm gathering in her chest.

“You don’t get to leave,” the enforcer growled, his grip tightening painfully on her arm. “Not after the way you disrespected the Alpha and his mate.”

Selene’s breath caught. “Disrespected?” she repeated, confusion lacing her voice. “I haven’t disrespected anyone.”

His eyes narrowed, and in an instant, his expression hardened into something colder, more dangerous. "You’ve dishonored them both, and I’m not letting you walk out of here scot-free. You’re going to pay for your insolence, Omega."

Before she could protest, his hands tightened like iron shackles around her wrists, dragging her away from the light of the great hall. The walls of the castle seemed to close in around her as they descended into the dark corridors of the dungeons below.

With every step, Selene's stomach twisted tighter, and her heart pounded painfully in her chest. She tried to resist, tried to break free, but the enforcer was too strong. Fear gnawed at her insides, but she refused to let it show.

She wouldn’t let them break her.

The dungeons smelled of damp stone, of decay, and something far more sinister. The further they went, the darker and colder it became, and Selene shuddered as they finally reached the thick, iron door that separated the rest of the pack from the punishment she was about to endure.

The enforcer threw her into the stone cell with a harsh shove. She hit the cold floor with a sharp gasp, pain radiating through her body as she tried to scramble to her feet. The door slammed shut behind her, and the sound of the heavy lock turning sent a chill through her spine.

"Enjoy your stay," the enforcer sneered, before walking away.

Selene pressed her palm to the cold floor, her breathing ragged as she gathered herself. She could feel the weight of the chains on her wrists before she even saw them. Silver chains.

Her heart stuttered in her chest.

The chains, forged with silver, would burn her skin every time she moved, every time she tried to fight. The silver was toxic to werewolves, and it would weaken her over time, draining her strength until she could barely hold her head up. But worse than the silver was the wolfsbane that hung thick in the air, seeping through the cracks in the walls.

She could already feel the toxic plant’s effects, her wolf stirring restlessly inside her, its strength slowly siphoning away as the poison infiltrated her system. Her skin burned where the chains touched her, and her vision blurred, but she forced herself to stay awake.

She couldn’t afford to pass out—not yet.

Forcing herself to focus, Selene’s eyes darted around the cell, scanning for any way to escape. Her heart pounded, and the iron taste of fear clung to her tongue. Escape—how could she escape when her very body was betraying her?

But as the pain from the silver chains intensified, something inside her clicked into place. She wasn’t just a prisoner here. She wasn’t just some discarded Omega.

No.

She was more.

Selene’s breath steadied, her resolve solidifying. She wouldn’t just let this happen to her. Not after everything she had already suffered. She had spent too long hiding in the shadows, too long pretending that she didn’t belong.

The bond with Darius hadn’t been completely severed. She could still feel it deep inside her, even if it was clouded by the deception of Lilith’s stolen scent. He might have chosen her false mate, but he hadn’t truly rejected her. Not in his heart.

But even as that knowledge brought her some comfort, a new realization hit her harder than the burning chains that bound her.

The rejection, the pain—it wasn’t complete. Not yet.

The bond was still there.

Selene’s gaze dropped to her hands, her fingers trembling as they curled into fists.

She wasn’t ready to give up. She wasn’t ready to surrender to the torment they wanted to inflict on her.

She would fight.

Her wolf, though weak from the wolfsbane, stirred inside her. Even the poison couldn’t smother it completely. There was a strength within her that had been buried, forgotten. But it wasn’t gone.

Slowly, deliberately, Selene began to work the silver chains off her wrists, using the metal floor for leverage. Every movement was agonizing—pain shot through her with each twist and pull—but her focus remained sharp. She couldn’t stop.

With a final, desperate pull, the chains snapped, the sound echoing in the empty cell. Selene gasped in relief, though her arms burned where the chains had been. Her wolf growled softly inside her, the bond still pulsing faintly in her veins.

But as she struggled to her feet, the reality of her situation settled over her like a heavy cloak. The wolfsbane was still weakening her. Her body was weak, her energy slowly draining away with every breath she took.

But she had to escape.

She could feel the anger bubbling up, the injustice of it all fueling the fire within her. It wasn’t just the chains that bound her—it was the lies. The deception. Lilith had stolen everything from her, and now Darius—her Alpha—was complicit in it. He didn’t know the truth. He didn’t know how much his choices were hurting her.

But she would make him see.

She would escape the dungeons, and she would make him see the truth.

And maybe, just maybe, she would take back what was hers.

The rejection wasn’t complete—not yet. Not if she had anything to say about it.

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