Chapter 4 - chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Caged and Despised**

🌙 Lia

The silver chains bite into my wrists, burning like fire against my skin. I'm slumped against the cold stone wall, my body aching, my heart heavier than the metal holding me here.

The room was a bit cosy, just a flicker of torchlight casting shadows that dance like ghosts. I stare at the wall, my mind spinning.

Why me? Why does everyone hate me? My pack, my father, and now this mate—Alpha Valor—who's more terrifying than any nightmare I've ever had. His dark eyes haunt me, cold and cruel, like he sees me as nothing but a tool.

He chained me here like an animal, his voice still echoing in my head. "You're not fit to be seen around me," he said, his smirk cutting deeper than the silver.

I close my eyes, taking a shaky breath, trying to hold back the tears that burn like acid. "I'm not at fault," I whisper to myself, my voice barely audible. "I didn't ask for this." But the blood on my hands—her blood, the kind lady's—makes my words feel like lies.

*You're useless,* my wolf growls in my head, her voice sharp and venomous. *A weak thing like you doesn't deserve me.* She's angry, pacing inside me, her claws scraping at my mind.

I flinch, the chains rattling, the silver searing my skin again. I want to scream, to lash out, to do something—anything—to stop this pain. Every move I make sends fresh agony through my wrists, the burns throbbing like a heartbeat.

"Shut up," I mutter, my voice trembling. My wolf pushes harder, her presence like a storm in my skull. *Let me take control,* she snarls. *I can break these chains. I can set us free.* I close my eyes tighter, shaking my head. "No," I say, louder now.

"You're the curse! You're why this happened! You killed her!" My voice rises, raw and desperate. "You've brought me nothing but pain. I regret ever having a wolf like you. I'd rather be wolfless than have a beast like you!"

She goes silent, and for a moment, it's just me and the pain. I take a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears, but they slip down my cheeks anyway, hot and bitter.

The mate bond twists in my chest, a cruel reminder of Valor, his cold hands, his colder words. How can he be my mate? How can the Moon Goddess pair me with someone who chains me like this?

The heavy door creaks open, and I snap my eyes up. A lady walks in, tall and sharp-featured, her dark hair pulled tight.

She carries a tray of food—stale bread and a bowl of thin soup—and her eyes lock on me, cold and filled with hate, like I've personally wronged her.

She stalks closer, dropping the tray at my feet with a clatter, the soup sloshing over the edge. "What's your problem?" I ask, my voice hoarse but defiant, though my heart's pounding.

She chuckles, a sound like breaking glass, and steps closer, her eyes narrowing. "I just wanted to see the loud dog the Alpha brought in," she says, her voice dripping with scorn. "The cursed thing everyone's talking about."

I growl, low and raw, my wolf stirring despite my fight to keep her down. "Who are you calling a loud dog?" I snap, yanking at the chains, the silver burning deeper. "I'm not a dog!"

She laughs, sharp and cruel, leaning so close I can smell her perfume, sweet and sickening.

"Oh, you're exactly what I say you are," she says. "A filthy beast. You think the Alpha will love you? You?" She sneers, looking me up and down, my bloody hands, my torn clothes. "Someone like you is meat for the dead. Nothing more."

Her words hit like a slap, and I flinch, the mate bond twisting painfully in my chest.

"You don't know me," I say, my voice shaking. "You don't know what I've been through!"

"I know enough," she says, her smile cold. "You killed one of your own. I heard the news is now everywhere. You're a monster, and everyone sees it. Even your Alpha." She kicks the tray, the bread tumbling into the dirt, the soup splashing my legs.

"Eat, dog," she says, her voice hard. "Or you might not get a chance to eat again."

I stare at the food, my stomach twisting with hunger and shame. "Why do you hate me?" I whisper, my voice breaking. "I didn't do anything to you."

She leans closer, her eyes glinting with malice. "You exist," she says. "That's enough. A cursed thing like you doesn't belong here, not with the Alpha, not with us." She straightens, her smile fading. "You're nothing but trouble."

"Then why keep me here?" I ask, my voice rising, tears spilling again. "If I'm so awful, why not just kill me? Why chain me like this?"

She laughs again, colder this time. "Oh, the Alpha has plans for you," she says. "You're his little weapon, didn't you know? A Lycan to break and use. But don't get any ideas—you'll never be his Luna."

Her words cut deep, and I look away, my chest aching. The mate bond burns, a cruel reminder of Valor's smirk, his chains. "I don't want to be his Luna," I say, my voice barely a whisper. "I just want to be free."

"Free?" She snorts, stepping back. "You'll never be free. Not with that beast inside you." She kicks the tray again, the bowl tipping over, soup soaking into the dirt. "Eat what you can, dog. You'll need your strength for what's coming."

I glare at her, my wolf growling low, *Let me out. I'll make her pay.* I shake my head, fighting her, the chains burning as I pull against them. "I'm not a dog," I say, my voice shaking but firm. "I'm not what you think."

"You keep telling yourself that," she says, turning toward the door. "But everyone knows the truth. You're a curse, and you'll destroy everything." She pauses, looking back with a smirk. "If the Alpha doesn't break you first."

The door slams shut, leaving me alone in the dark. I stare at the spilled food, my hands shaking in the chains. My wolf is quiet now, but I can feel her anger, her pain.

"I'm not useless," I whisper, tears falling onto the dirt. "I'm not a monster." But the words feel empty, and the chains burn hotter, like they're mocking me.

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