Chapter 7
Seph
The ring box sat on my nightstand, a mocking little prison in the quiet of my room. Moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting pale shadows that danced along the walls, but I felt no comfort from it. My heart pounded in my chest, loud and chaotic, drowning out the stillness.
I couldn't sleep. Not with Hades' words replaying in my mind like a demonic lullaby. Are you ready to get married, Persephone? The very thought twisted something sharp inside me. The ring wasn’t a promise; it was a sentence—a declaration of ownership I refused to accept.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a moment, letting anger pulse through me like fire. No chains would hold me quietly.
With purpose, I moved through the darkness of my room, slipping into boots and pulling on a jacket that smelled faintly of lavender and something darker—my own defiance.
I fumbled through drawers, searching for something sharp—anything that could serve as a weapon against the nightmare I found myself in.
I could grab a knife from the kitchen on the way out. Perfect.
The house was silent around me. My heart raced as I crept past the kitchen grabbing a knife, past his office where secrets lay coiled like snakes among papers. He could be anywhere—or nowhere—but that didn’t matter anymore.
I paced the dimly lit hallway, my heart racing with a mix of fear and fury. My phone felt heavy in my hand, a lifeline I almost didn’t want to use. But I had to try—had to reach out to Callista one last time. What happened to her? Why did she run? I needed answers.
With trembling fingers, I tapped her name and pressed call. The ring echoed in the silence, each tone a reminder of the distance that had grown between us. When voicemail kicked in, frustration bubbled up inside me.
“Callista, it’s me,” I said, fighting back the sting of tears. “Please call me back. I need to know what’s going on.”
I shoved my phone into my pocket and clenched my fists. No way was I going to be a prisoner here—not when Callista had escaped. Determination surged through me as I slipped out of Hades' house, my breath hitching in my throat at the sight of the sprawling night outside.
The chill nipped at my skin as I stepped onto the driveway, glancing around for any sign of life beyond those walls. My mind raced with possibilities; should I call an Uber? The thought made sense, but as soon as I opened the app, frustration struck again—the screen froze.
I swiped it repeatedly, desperate for it to work, but nothing happened. It felt like Hades had wrapped his control around me like a chokehold, even from afar. It was infuriating.
“Damn it!” I shouted into the empty night. No cars passed by on the street; no friendly lights blinked in the distance.
What was he doing? Had he blocked everything—cut off my access just like that? Panic flared beneath my skin as I tried again, only to find myself staring at that same frozen screen.
Fury coursed through me like wildfire now. He thought he could trap me? This wasn’t just about physical walls; it was about control—and he had no idea how stubborn I could be.
I took a deep breath and scanned the neighborhood once more, looking for another way out. If Hades thought he could keep me caged with technology and fear... he was about to find out how wrong he was.
The cold hit me harder than I’d anticipated.
Each breath turned into a cloud, a ghost of warmth escaping my lips as I moved away from Hades’ house.
The trees loomed around me, tall and menacing, their branches clawing at the night sky like skeletal fingers.
This path was unfamiliar—disorienting. I stumbled a little, but I didn’t stop.
Every step crunched against the frost-tipped ground, the sound swallowed by the stillness of the night. The air bit at my skin, creeping beneath my jacket and chilling me to the bone, but freedom was worth it. It propelled me forward, igniting something fierce inside.
I pushed through, even as my fingers grew numb. The biting wind seemed intent on dragging me back, whispering that I would never escape this nightmare. But I shook off that voice. I wasn’t going to let fear anchor me in place; I was done being someone’s pawn.
In my mind, I replayed every second of the engagement party—the way Hades had watched me with those calculating eyes and how his presence suffocated every breath of hope I had left.
My sister’s absence gnawed at me too. Callista was gone, but she’d chosen to run; maybe there was still a chance for me to find help out here in the dark.
The trees thinned slightly as I pressed on, and my heart raced with anticipation of what lay ahead. Would there be someone out there? Someone who could help me escape? My thoughts swirled with possibilities—a friendly face who might give me a ride or point me in the right direction.
But doubt tugged at my resolve like a weight dragging me down. What if no one came? What if this wilderness swallowed me whole?
I shook my head, pushing those thoughts aside with each laborious step. Pain shot through my legs as they protested against the chill and exertion, but I gritted my teeth against it all.
I would find someone.
I pushed deeper into the woods, heart racing with every step. The cold nipped at my skin, but the adrenaline coursing through me felt like fire. I focused on each footfall, listening for anything beyond the rustle of leaves and the distant hum of my own heartbeat.
But then—
A sound.
I froze, senses sharpening as I strained to hear. Something moved in the underbrush, branches snapping with a distinct crunch that sent a shiver down my spine. I glanced over my shoulder, instinct screaming at me to run.
But where?
Low growls rumbled through the trees, vibrating in my bones. They weren’t far away—too close for comfort.
With every ounce of courage I could muster, I turned slowly, my breath hitching in my throat as shadows flickered between the trees. Shapes moved stealthily through the darkness, low and predatory. My heart pounded in sync with the instinctual terror gripping me.
Wolves.
Their glowing eyes pierced the night like shards of ice, watching me with an intelligence that sent a jolt of fear spiraling through me.
They were beautiful and terrifying all at once—sleek bodies gliding effortlessly over the forest floor, muscles coiling beneath their fur like springs ready to unleash power.
I held my breath, trying not to make a sound as they drew closer. There were three of them; their sleek forms glided through the moonlit shadows, low growls rumbling from deep within their chests as they stalked toward me.
I could feel panic rising inside me like bile as I weighed my options: turn and run or stay frozen where I stood? The instinct to flee surged within me but also threatened to paralyze me.
As they edged closer, one wolf stepped forward—the Alpha perhaps—with fur darker than night itself and eyes that glowed like molten gold. It stopped just outside the reach of light spilling from the moon above us, surveying me with an intensity that made it hard to breathe.
The other two flanked it closely, equally poised and predatory, their low growls reverberating around us like an ominous echo in this deserted stretch of woods.
I backed up a step instinctively, but that only drew their attention further.
I ran. Blind. Heart pounding. Adrenaline roared in my ears like a wild beast, drowning out everything else as I sprinted deeper into the woods. Branches whipped at my face, sharp and stinging, tearing at my skin like angry claws.
I stumbled once, my foot catching on a gnarled root that jutted from the earth. The ground rushed up to meet me, but I scrambled back to my feet before I could register the pain shooting through my knees. No time for that; the snarls were closer now—louder, more feral.
Panic twisted in my gut as I pushed myself harder, legs burning with exertion, lungs screaming for air. My mind raced with desperate thoughts of escape, but the forest blurred around me—a chaotic swirl of shadows and movement.
Then, suddenly, one of them darted into my path—a wolf, sleek and menacing with its teeth bared in a snarl that sent a jolt of terror through me. My breath caught in my throat as I froze in place, shaking uncontrollably.
“No, no, no,” I whispered to myself like a prayer as I backed against the rough bark of a tree, desperately seeking some kind of shelter from the nightmare unfolding before me. The wolf's eyes glinted in the dim light—sharp and calculating—and every instinct screamed at me to run again.
But there was nowhere to go.
The other two wolves flanked it now, surrounding me with predatory grace, muscles coiled and ready to pounce at any moment. My heart thudded violently against my ribs; each beat echoed louder than the last.
They moved closer—tauntingly slow—every growl a reminder that I was trapped in their territory. I felt the cool wood behind me and wished for it to swallow me whole.
With trembling hands pressed against the tree trunk, I swallowed hard and tried to steady my breath, but all rational thought slipped away under their gaze. This was it—the culmination of all my fear and helplessness coming to a head.
And yet there was still one desperate flicker of defiance within me.
I would not be prey.
I glanced around frantically, my heart hammering against my ribs.
I needed something—anything—that could serve as a weapon.
My eyes darted over the forest floor, searching for a stick or a rock.
I spotted a long branch, half-buried beneath leaves and debris.
I lunged for it, gripping it tightly in my hands just as the first wolf lunged toward me.