3. Brinley
Chapter 3
Brinley
W rapping her arms around her knees, Brinley shivered against the cold stone wall. Each shaky breath sent spikes of pain shooting through her ribs. Her tears had long since dried, but she knew that wicked DeLoup would return soon. And the goddess only knew what kind of torment he would inflict next.
A door slammed in the distance, and she flinched. She braced herself for his cruelty.
Footsteps marched closer, but it wasn’t her torturer. Instead, it was the alpha who’d brought her here. The one who caused all of this, who attacked her people and took her captive.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he growled under his breath, jamming a key into the lock and twisting. He yanked the door open and stormed into her cell. When she curled up more, he paused. Slowly, he moved toward her, hands splayed before him, holding only the iron key. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
His tone was soft, but she didn’t believe him. He knelt, reaching for her ankle, and she pulled it in closer to her body, ignoring the agony.
“Do you want the chains off or not?”
She was sure this was a trap, but she pushed her foot out toward him again. He slid the key into the manacle and removed it from around her ankle, then the other, completely freeing her.
“Where are you hurt?” he asked, his low voice rumbling in the small space.
Everywhere , she didn’t say. The other one had taken his time, punching her, slicing her skin. Her dress was a muddled mess of dirt and blood stains. But she wasn’t about to admit to this wolf how broken and weak she felt.
Though, she supposed cowering in the corner, curled up in a ball, wasn’t exactly an image of strength.
“What’s your name?” he tried again, but she still didn’t respond, which seemed to frustrate him more.
Good .
Raking his fingers through his inky black hair, he sighed. “I’m trying to help here.”
At that, she couldn’t help but scoff.
He raised a brow, bringing attention to his bright blue gaze boring into hers. His eyes were almost mesmerizing, distracting.
“I never told him to torture you. He wasn’t even supposed to be here. He’s being dealt with, I promise.” Standing, he held out a hand in offering. “Can you walk?”
She honestly wasn’t sure. She was exhausted, and her entire body ached. There was a good chance that if she tried to stand, she would end up falling right back down to the hard floor.
“All right, witchling, would you rather stay here? Or do you want to come with me to get cleaned up and rest?” His tone had hardened, reminding her of his power as the alpha. When she didn’t immediately answer, he growled again. “Fine. Stay here.”
He turned to leave, and her heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t want to go anywhere with him, but she definitely didn’t want to remain in this prison cell to freeze or starve to death. Or worse. So, she whispered, “Brinley.”
The alpha stopped in the barred doorway. Pivoting around, he looked surprised. “What?”
“My name is Brinley.” She tried to get to her feet, but just as she’d suspected, her legs wobbled beneath her, and she had to lean against the wall to stay upright. Pain exploded through her shoulder at the impact.
“Fucking Torin,” the man muttered, moving toward her once more. Only then did she realize how much taller he was than her. She had been so caught up in the mayhem and fear last night that she hadn’t noticed.
Before she could protest, he scooped her into his arms. She winced as he cradled her against his chest.
“Sorry,” he said, to her disbelief. “I’ll give you something for the pain as soon as we get there. Is it your ribs or shoulder?”
“Both.” She didn’t argue when he carried her out of the cell and into the hall. She didn’t have the energy to, even if his touch revolted her. This man had led an attack on that village full of innocent people and kidnapped her; the last thing she wanted was to be close enough to smell the scent of pine and something minty coming from him.
But getting this close, letting him think she was weak, may work to her advantage later. If she could get her hands on a weapon, she just might be able to get her vengeance.
“What’s your name?” she asked, playing into that angle.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Gabriel.”
She tried to think of the different pack leaders she’d been taught about through the years, but she didn’t recall one named Gabriel . Which meant she had no idea which pack this was or where they were located.
Gabriel carried her out of the building, and she turned her face into his chest on instinct, the sun too bright after spending so many hours in that dim cell. She also didn’t want to see more of the DeLoup who’d taken everything from her.
It surprised her how short the walk was. Within no time, he was ascending a couple steps, and she peeked around to find them entering a large dark home with its arched windows, steeped roofs, and intricate woodwork around the porch.
Shutting the door behind him, the alpha paused and looked around, almost like he wasn’t sure where to take her. They were in a wide entryway with marble floors and dark woodwork. A door propped open on the right showed an empty dining room. The opposite door was shut, as were the couple of others she saw down the hall beyond the grand staircase. It was breathtaking. Everything was well-kept and elegant. The home was clearly lived in, but someone took great care of it.
She wondered briefly who lived here. Because it was far too beautiful to belong to one of these monsters.
After a moment, Gabriel headed up the staircase to the second floor. His breathing remained even, like carrying her all this distance and then up a bunch of stairs wasn’t difficult at all. It was infuriating.
Then again, he had carried her through the woods for hours. They hadn’t reached this village—wherever it was—until nearly sunrise. The full moon had been setting when they arrived, sinking behind the towering walls that encircled the town.
She focused on the present, wanting to know her way around to escape at her first chance. The second-floor hall wasn’t nearly as wide, and half a dozen doors remained closed. The hardwood floor was a rich brown, making the light gray walls seem brighter, along with the help of gas lanterns spaced out evenly the entire way. It contrasted with the dark-colored foyer below, feeling airy and homey.
About halfway down the hall, the man pushed into the first door on the left. She looked around what appeared to be study in confusion. A wide desk sat before tall, paned windows. The whole right wall was made up of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and the sitting area in front of the desk seemed almost… cozy, with its dark red settee, high-backed armchairs, and coffee table. All of which sat atop a rug with a swirling pattern of grays, reds, and off-white—the same colors as the rest of the room.
Lowering Brinley to the settee, Gabriel went into an adjoining room that appeared to be a bedroom. She heard the sound of drawers opening and slamming shut, along with his muttering and running water. When he returned, he had a wet cloth in one hand and a bundle of clothes in the other.
“I’ll find you a dress, but for now, you can change into these.” He put the pants and tunic on the cushion next to her and handed her the cloth. “To clean up. There’s a bathroom through there, which you’re free to use. We have running water when the electricity decides to work. I’m going to go get a healer to come look at your ribs and such, then you can use the tub.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“No?”
“I don’t want one of your healers coming in to poke and prod at me.” There was no way she would trust any of his people near her. She didn’t care if he called them a healer; they were all cruel. “Please, just let me go.”
He crossed his arms. “You can’t even stand on your own.”
Gritting her teeth, she straightened… then immediately regretted the movement as searing pain radiated through her abdomen. She sucked in a breath and winced. The alpha gave her a pointed look.
“Just… sit there.” He went toward the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Brinley stared after him in bewilderment as he left her alone. Completely alone. Without chains or even locking the door.
Was he that confident she wasn’t able to escape? She counted to five in her head before pushing to her feet. It took every single bit of energy she possessed, but she managed to get up. Now, if she could just make it more than a couple of steps.
The first one was shaky. She almost fell to her knees. Gritting her teeth, she ignored her throbbing ribs and hip and walked toward the door. With each breath, each movement, it felt as if blades were piercing her.
Again.
That vile wolf who’d tortured her had just started with the sharp tools before taking a break. He’d pricked her fingers with the end of a dagger then moved on to slice along the top of one forearm. The bleeding had stopped since it hadn’t been too deep, but it still stung.
She wasn’t sure where the first man watching her had disappeared to. Never would she admit to missing a wolf, but at least he hadn’t touched her. He’d sat quietly in the hall—reading, of all things.
Brinley all but collapsed against the cool wood of the door and let out a sob. She hadn’t thought there were any tears left, but she’d been wrong, apparently. Crying, she shook her head. The alpha was right; there was no way she was making it out of this house, let alone the village. She didn’t even know where she was, so it wasn’t as if she would know how to get home.
Turning, she sank to the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest, resting her head on them.
She could still hear the screams of her people, the thump of André hitting the floor above the cellar. When the alpha carried her away, she hadn’t seen her friend’s body, but she knew there could have only been one outcome to that fight. Otherwise, he would’ve returned for her. He would’ve fought for her.
Which meant her one and only friend was dead. She assumed her grandmother was as well. Her last remaining family was gone.
And it was all her fault. If she hadn’t begged to stop for the celebration, they would still be alive and Brinley wouldn’t be imprisoned by her enemy. She didn’t know if the wolves had already planned to attack that village or if they’d caught wind of the royal guests among them. If the latter, then all of the villagers’ deaths were on her conscience too.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Brinley knew what it meant if her grandmother had perished, but she couldn’t think about that right now. Not with the grief and guilt already consuming her.
Brinley was left utterly alone in this world.
The door opened—or rather, tried to but bumped into her back instead. She sucked in a breath as it jostled her, then she slid over, knowing she wouldn’t be able to stop someone from entering anyway. When Gabriel pushed it again and came inside, she didn’t look up. She already knew it was him, could feel his presence beside her. She did, however, manage to stifle her crying. That, she counted as a small victory. She didn’t need to appear even weaker than she had before.
With a deep sigh, the alpha squatted and lifted her into his arms once more.