PENELOPE'S POV
His hand clamped around my ankle like a vice and yanked me backward with inhuman force.
I screamed, more from shock than pain, my body colliding with the fence before I tumbled.
Wind rushed past me as I fell, and the next second, I slammed against the hard earth. My back screamed in protest, dirt grinding against my skin.
Before I could scramble away, his weight pinned me in.
I am dead.
He would kill me.
So this was how I would die.
His knee pinned down my thigh, his hand trapped both of mine above my head, and his face, stone-hard and terrifying, hovered inches from mine.
Thin lines of thick veins pulsed on his forehead, making him look more of the evil figure he was.
A strikingly handsome evil figure. His breathing was even.
Too even.
His expression wasn't twisted in rage.
It was blank.
That was what made it worse. My chest rose and fell like a trapped rabbit's as I expected the worst.
"Please…" He didn't let me speak.
"Please?" he echoed, like it was a foul taste in his mouth. "You were going to flee." He said it like he still couldn't believe it.
He leaned closer.
I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. His lips were near my ear when he spoke next; soft, silken, like a knife wrapped in velvet. "If you weren't carrying my pups, your blood would be all over these stones right now."
I froze.
The coldness in his words was enough to freeze anyone. He meant it. It was easy for him to do.
"I should have gutted you right here," he continued, still in that unbearable whisper. "I should have snapped your spine the moment you tried to leave me." His grip on my wrists tightened, not enough to bruise, but enough to show me that he could break me. Easily. In a second.
Even though five of his men were around us, Alpha Klaus didn't care. Shameless and brutal. "You don't deserve the air you're breathing, Penelope." He pulled back slowly, letting my wrists go with a disgusted flick of his fingers.
"But you'll stay alive. For now. Because of what's growing inside your belly." He rose.
I didn't dare move. My limbs trembled, but I stayed still. My instincts screamed at me to bolt, but I knew better now. There was no escape.
Klaus signaled to the guards with a flick of his wrist. "Bring her." I tried to walk, but they dragged me instead, and my knees scraped against the gravel as I was pulled through the courtyard like an animal.
Well, aren't we all? I didn't cry. I wouldn't give him that. But my heart pounded so violently I could swear it was bruising my ribs.
The path we took was unfamiliar. We went deeper, past the living quarters, past the hallway that led to my room. The air changed as we walked deeper. It felt colder. They finally shoved me inside, and the door slammed behind me with finality.
I looked around the tiny room I was in. It was made of stone walls. No window. No bed. I could only see a single corner with a bucket. That was all.
And it was freezing in here. I wouldn't have tried to run if I had any idea it would end like this. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering.
My clothes were still damp from sweat and dew. My shoes were gone, and so was my dignity.
I knew that being in this tiny freezing room was punishment enough, but I refused to believe it was the only punishment Klaus had in store for me.
It wasn't before my body weakened on its own and sleep surprisingly took me in on the cold hard floor.
I didn't know for how long I had slept, but when I finally woke up, I had no idea what part of the day it was. But the harsh hunger I felt made me realize that it had been hours.
How was I supposed to freshen up when there was no bathroom in here? For the next few hours, nobody came in, not even to bring food. Had he left me here to die?
I shivered at the thought, clasping my knees to myself. I would rather have him kill me once and for all than die like this. It would be so slow and painful.
My eyes fell on my stomach that I hadn't paid much attention to since the doctor informed me in the morning that I was pregnant.
My hand moved to touch it, and to my amazement, I felt a stir, then…stirs. Despite my current situation, a chuckle fell from my lips. My pups were right there, just right here with me.
I wasn't alone.
I had no idea how many hours had passed, but now I was curled up on the cold ground, hugging my knees, trying to suppress the hunger clawing at my insides. It was intense and almost unbearable. They left me here to rot.
There was no clock. No sunlight. Only silence and cold. And the only reason I was holding up right now was because of my babies inside me that I was starting to connect with and love. The ache in my bones was now overshadowed by the sharp claw of hunger twisting in my gut.
I curled tighter into myself, every breath shallow and slow, trying not to feel the tremble in my limbs or the hollow in my belly. My wolf stirred inside me, feeling weak, unsettled, and confused.
I had waited to feel my wolf for years, only to have it under Alpha Klaus' lair. I didn't even feel happy like I thought I would when I felt it. Not when I would spend the most important moments of my youth under him.
I was craving food.
I had a feeling I would collapse soon. I heard the sound of footsteps. My head jerked up. There was the sound of keys, a scrape of metal, and the thick door creaked open. The light that flooded in stung my eyes, and I flinched.
I couldn't believe it wasn't even night yet. I had felt so. A tall male guard stepped in that I recognized as one of the twin guards that worked for Alpha Klaus. He was flanked by a maid holding a tray. The food scent hit me before the sight did. I swallowed hard.
I couldn't wait to start devouring. Klaus hadn't abandoned me here after all. Of course, he didn't want his babies to die.
The maid opened the food to reveal warm bread, seasoned meat, and some dessert. My stomach growled loudly at the sight, but I was far from being ashamed.
I only wanted to eat. The guard didn't speak. He walked to me, stooped, and unlocked the cuffs chafing my wrists. I barely registered the weight being lifted before the tray was set before me on the floor.
The maid avoided my gaze. She bowed and backed away. I started to devour the food like an animal with no shame. I dipped my fingers first, stuffing the bread into my mouth, chewing fast, swallowing too quickly.
My stomach howled in protest, but I didn't stop. I licked the meat juices from my fingers, tore into the fruit like it might disappear. By the time I looked up, the guard had returned with someone else.
An older woman with a kind-looking face. She extended her hand, but I didn't move.
"I've been ordered to prepare you for the Alpha," she said softly.
My muscles stiffened.
Prepare me for what?