Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
The castle was as beautiful as Ren thought it would be.
He could almost ignore the harsh treatment he got—being shoved and finally bound—when they arrived.
The castle air nipped at Ren’s neck until small bumps appeared over his arms. The sun wasn’t able to touch this part of the valley, making the temperatures plummet even more than normal during the night, and the sun never got all the way back up during the day.
Without proper clothes, Ren trembled and he had to force his teeth from chattering.
The hallways were grand with massive ceilings high overhead and dozens of stairwells leading up into the towers.
He wanted to go explore them and grinned as he tried to absorb his surroundings even as he was shoved.
He already missed the Alpha who had brought him here, who had told him his name was ‘Mont,’ and Ren wondered if he would ever see him again.
Mont wouldn’t have tightened his cuffs to the point that they pinched and hurt his wrists—he also wouldn’t have shoved Ren so hard he fell to his knees three times while they walked down the spiraling passageway.
Wolves walked past him, curious, bundled up in thick sweaters and pants that were far warmer than the thin linen Ren wore.
They whispered, wondering what was going on.
He didn’t even mind the other Wolves’ judgments as they went down and down and down seemingly forever until they were well beneath the castle.
The temperature plummeted with every step.
The man on guard startled, scrambling to his feet from where he was resting against the wall. “A new prisoner?” he asked, gaping.
“He came from the cliffs,” One of the Warriors said in explanation. They marched straight past the guard and opened the door with a key hanging from their belt. The squeal of the cell door creaking open echoing in such a silent place.
Ren gasped as he was all but thrown forward, hitting his bare knees hard on the ground, barely able to steady himself with his hands still tied behind his back.
He groaned as his knees scraped over the stone floor, eyes squeezing shut, but quickly got to his feet to watch the men close and lock the door behind him.
The Alphas had their backs to him as he walked up to the bars. “What happens now?” he asked.
The Warriors froze in surprise at the question, as though they were surprised a prisoner would dare to speak to them. “What?” One of them asked, turning to him.
“What happens now?” Ren repeated.
The man laughed humorlessly, “You’ll stay down here until your trial.”
“Which will be when?” Ren prompted.
“Who knows?” The man shrugged. “Considering you’re here for murder, you’ll be here for a very long time.”
“That seems kind of useless,” Ren said, eyebrows pinching together. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to make prisoners work or something? I can cook pretty well and?—”
They turned on their heels and headed back up the steps, leaving Ren with the poor guard who was still acting like he had never seen a prisoner before. Ren sighed, looking through the metal bars as best he could.
He could see one other person slouched against their cage.
“Is he alive?” Ren asked, jerking his chin at the person.
The Warrior blinked at Ren’s question, gaze trailing over to the other man who was locked up, “Y…yes?”
“Have you checked?” Ren asked.
“A while ago, yeah,” the man mumbled.
“So how’d you get this awful job?” Ren asked.
The poor man was definitely not expecting such a chatty visitor. “This… is where all of the newer Warriors get put—here or up on the cliffs on patrols.”
“What’s your name?” Ren hummed, leaning his cheek on the icy metal, shivering again.
“K—Kade..?” The Alpha’s tone tipped up at the end, as though questioning his own identity.
“Okay, Kade, would you mind asking them if I can have extra clothes? I’m freezing,” Ren said, pursing his lips.
“They didn’t let me grab any clothes before they dragged me out of my house.
” Kade’s dazed stare trailed over Ren’s body, as though realizing he was half naked, but his gaze caught on the obvious dried blood on Ren’s skin and trousers. “Please?”
It was quite a while later when Kade came back, hiding behind a Wolf who was stomping down the stairs. Ren grinned at the sight, “Hello, Mont!”
“Already causing problems and making demands, huh?” Mont asked, a single eyebrow raised. “You’ve barely been here an hour.”
“Yes, but I’m very cold,” Ren said, eyeing the garments in Mont’s hand. “Can I have them, please?”
“I really should make you earn them,” Mont grumbled, glancing over at Kade whose fox-like eyes were wide as he stared at Ren. “We don’t just give things to prisoners.”
“What would you have me do?” Ren questioned, tilting his head to one side. “Do you want me to suck you off? Would you fuck me in here?”
The expression that passed over Mont’s face almost made Ren feel bad—a look of horror mixed with hurt and confusion. “What? Why would anyone ask that of you?” Mont asked, awed.
“Ah, I forget things are different down here in the castle,” Ren hummed.
Mont stepped forward, unlocking the cell door and moving over to take the cuffs off of Ren’s wrists.
Ren hissed as the blood finally flowed back into his palms. He stretched his fingers, enjoying the freedom while it lasted.
“Sorry if these are a bit big, they were all I could find,” Mont muttered. He held out the clothes he had brought.
Ren smiled in genuine thanks, tugging the dark sweater over his head.
It was far too big—he needed to roll the sleeves several times for his hands to peek out, and the hem of it went nearly to his knees.
He didn’t care though, and quickly pulled on the far warmer pair of pants as well, along with the wool socks.
He hadn’t even realized how cold his feet were—they were nearly blue at this point.
He was surprised none of his toes had turned black from the chill.
“Any other requests, Princess?” Mont asked.
“Yes, can I get a different guard?” Ren asked. “He doesn’t make for good conversation.”
Mont’s lip twitched up at that, holding back a laugh.
“Today is Kade’s last day here—the rookies transfer jobs every few months, so you will be getting a new guard tomorrow.
But…” he finally did laugh—a loud, rough sound that made Ren want to laugh as well, “I don’t think he will be very good conversation for you either. ”
“Are you not a rookie, Mr. Mont?” Ren asked, putting his hands behind his back and turning so that Mont could cuff him again. “Aren’t only rookies the ones up on the cliffs patrolling?”
Mont’s hands were gentle as they turned him back around, putting Ren’s wrists in front of him before tying him up—far looser this time.
Ren wondered if the man truly didn’t see him as a threat, or if he was just too soft.
“Yeah, a captain usually goes with the rookies on patrols—they can’t be trusted on their own. ”
“Oh, a captain?” Ren questioned.
Mont patted him on the shoulder, ignoring his words. “Don’t harass the poor kid too much, and try to get some sleep, yeah? It’s already nearly noon and I don’t think you’ve slept since the night before, have you?”
“What a perceptive Alpha,” Ren said.
“Good luck, Kade—just one more day, yeah?” Mont said, clapping Kade on the shoulder just as he had to Ren.
Kade did not look happy about being left behind with Ren, but he sank back down onto a cushion beside a blanket, and a beaten up old book.
“Does it get boring down here?” Ren asked.
His little cell was furnished with a cot so thin Ren was sure he’d be able to feel the ground beneath, and a blanket—thick enough to actually provide warmth—and a toilet in one corner.
“Oh, lovely,” Ren laughed. “You get to watch me use the bathroom? This is a wonderful job you have.”
Kade ignored him, picked up his book and flipped back to whatever page he must’ve been on before Ren’s arrival had interrupted him.
Ren flopped onto the mattress—and, yes, he could definitely feel the chill of the ground through it—and tugged the blanket over his lap. He leaned his back against the wall and said, “Read out loud for me, Kade. I’m bored too.”
Kade squinted his eyes as he buried his face deeper into the pages in front of him.
Maybe he should actually try to sleep like Mont had suggested. Ren sighed and laid down.
Even though it was uncomfortable without a pillow to lay his head upon, he had to admit the exhaustion caught up to him the moment he let his body relax.
Everything ached, his eyelids drooped heavily, and even his organs cried out in protest from the past day.
Maybe he would sleep—maybe just for a little while.
Kade was gone when he woke up.
The yellow lamp light was soft against the harsh stone walls.
His brain foggy with sleep, it took him several minutes to figure out where he even was, his tired eyes glancing around and trying to figure out why the sun wasn’t coming through the window, why his bed felt somehow harder than usual, and why he was so, so cold even under his blankets.
His teeth were chattering—maybe that’s what woke him up—and he trembled as he pulled the blanket over his head, trying to trap in the warmth.
He slowly realized what clothes he was wearing—confused at the soft and heavy material against his skin—and then finally he took in the cell he had fallen asleep in. Ren raised his head, wondering where Kade had gone.
In his place sat another Alpha. This time, he had a chair, and was leaning back in it, arms crossed over his chest, with his head tipped back and eyes shut. His chest rose and fell evenly, and Ren wondered if his new guard had already fallen asleep on the job.
Ren stared at him, staying quiet rather than calling him out like he normally would, because the man in front of him was stunning even in the lowlight illuminating him.