Chapter Seventeen

Tori’s POV

My eyes were fixated on the ceiling as the memories came rushing back all at once, flooding my mind so heavily that for a moment, it felt like I was drowning in them.

Every second replayed itself vividly, every detail sharper than I wanted it to be, and I hadn’t even noticed that there were people in the room with me until much later.

My body felt heavy.

I tried to move, but the moment I shifted even slightly, a sharp, subtle pain spread through my belly, forcing a quiet breath out of me as my fingers curled weakly against the bed.

Elora.

Her face appeared in my mind so suddenly that my chest tightened, my brows pulling together as confusion and disbelief settled in again.

Why would she do something like that to me?

What exactly had I done to deserve it?

She didn’t look like someone who would try to kill me without a reason.

There had to be something behind it, something I wasn’t seeing, because nothing about that moment made sense no matter how many times I replayed it in my head.

What came over her?

My lips pressed together tightly as frustration rose slowly in my chest, mixing with something deeper, something that felt dangerously close to disappointment.

I shouldn’t have trusted her..The thought came quietly, but it stayed..Stupid me, thinking humans could change. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

My fingers tightened slightly against the bed sheets as my breathing slowed, uneven at first before I forced it to steady.

I should have learned my lesson already. My past life had taught me that much.

The moment that thought crossed my mind..My past life..Kieran.

My heart skipped, just once, but it was enough.

I had seen him the other day and I was very sure about it. I was sure of it.

My gaze shifted quickly to the old man standing beside me, my eyes searching his face as if he somehow held the answer I needed, as if he could confirm that I wasn’t losing my mind.

I needed to see him again.

I needed to be sure.

"Please," I said, my voice coming out softer than I expected as I reached for the old man’s hand, holding onto it like it was the only thing grounding me. "I need to see Alpha Kael as soon as possible. I have a lot of questions I need to ask him."

My eyes stayed on him, wide with urgency, my grip tightening slightly without realizing it.

"You have to rest first, and you are still recovering—"

Before he could finish, I pushed myself up, ignoring the way my body protested immediately, the pain in my abdomen flaring as I shifted.

My legs trembled slightly as I tried to move, as if standing was the only thing that mattered in that moment.

"Where do you think you are going?" Kael’s voice cut through the room, firm and controlled, and I froze for a second before turning toward him.

"I need to ask you about someone," I said quickly, the words rushing out as desperation filled my chest, making it hard to breathe properly. "I really need to know who he is. Please."

My eyes burned slightly, tears threatening to spill as I held onto his gaze, hoping he would understand the urgency behind my words.

"There was a guy I saw with you two," I continued, my voice softer now but still strained. "It was on the day of the competition. He seemed different. Like he had some sort of power, considering the way you all greeted each other."

I watched his face carefully, hoping for recognition, for anything that would tell me I wasn’t imagining things.

But he looked confused.

"There were a lot of people I greeted that way," he replied. "Several people in power too."

My shoulders dropped slightly, frustration settling in as I exhaled quietly..We weren’t going to get anywhere like this. I needed to be more specific.

"Okay... his hair was slicked back..." I continued, describing Kieran as best as I could remember, every detail I could hold onto slipping out of me as I spoke, but the more I talked, the more his expression remained unchanged.

Lost.

Like he had no idea what I was talking about.

"Are you referring to Nicholas?"

The voice came from behind, interrupting the moment, and I turned quickly to see Riven walking in.

"What? Nicholas?" The name felt unfamiliar on my tongue, confusion settling deeper in my chest.

"You just described Nicholas," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Don’t you even know the person you’re trying to describe?"

My fingers rubbed against each other anxiously, my mind racing. What if he had changed his name? What if I had been right all along?

"Yes... please," I said quickly, nodding as my hands moved restlessly. "I want to see him."

"Nicholas has only been here twice," Riven explained. "The first time was the day he got appointed. I wasn’t here, but he had to come here."

"How do I not know him?" Kael muttered, confusion evident in his voice.

I let out a quiet sigh, the tension in my chest refusing to ease.

"I’m sorry to break this to you," Riven continued, his tone more final now, "but you won’t be meeting Nicholas anytime soon."

The words settled heavily, but something in me refused to give up. I knew I would see him again. It didn’t feel like a coincidence.

It felt like something that was meant to happen.

"I’m wondering why you woke up and the first thing you asked about was a guy you’ve only seen once," Kael said suddenly, his voice shifting the focus back to me. "You don’t even know his name."

His gaze moved briefly to the physician standing beside me, and I followed it without thinking, noticing his attire more clearly now.

"I’m sorry about that," I murmured, though my mind was already drifting again.

"Do you think the stab injury could have affected her brain?"My brows furrowed slightly at his words, but I didn’t respond.

This wasn’t the time for that. My thoughts returned to Elora immediately.

"If I can’t meet Nicholas right now... could I meet Elora instead?" I asked, my voice quieter but steady. "I need to ask her a few things. Please."

My fingers tightened slightly against the sheets as I looked between them, hope and tension mixing uneasily in my chest.

I just needed answers.

Kael and Riven exchanged a glance, and I held my breath without realizing it, silently hoping they would agree.

She was locked in a dungeon.

The realization settled heavily in my chest as I walked through the narrow paths, the air growing colder with each step.

This was my first time in a place like this, and it felt suffocating, the walls closing in slightly as I followed the turns one after the other.

It didn’t feel like a place anyone could escape from, not easily.

By the time I reached her, my steps had slowed.

I stood in front of the cell, my eyes adjusting to the dim light as I tried to make out her figure. It wasn’t bright, but I could still see her silhouette clearly enough.

She was sitting on the floor, her back pressed against the wall, her head buried in her knees.

"I’d like to have a few words with you," I said, my voice steady despite the tension in my chest.

She didn’t move, not even slightly.

For a moment, I wondered if she would ignore me completely, but then she lifted her head briefly, just enough for me to know she had heard me, before burying it back into her knees again.

"I don’t want to talk to you."Her voice was muffled, distant.

"I know you must have had a reason," I said softly, lowering myself into a squat so I was closer to her level. "I just want to know why. What made you do it?"

I kept my voice calm, even though my chest felt tight, even though a part of me wasn’t sure I was ready to hear the answer.

Silence stretched between us, heavy and uncomfortable, and for a moment, I thought she wouldn’t respond.

Then she moved, slowly

Her head lifted again, and when she finally looked at me, her eyes were filled with tears.

"I’m sorry," she said, her voice breaking as the words left her.

The sound of it made something in my chest twist.

"I was told to do it... and I would be freed."

My brows pulled together slightly, confusion and realization clashing all at once.

She didn’t seem like someone desperate to escape or maybe I had been wrong about her all along.

She crawled closer to the gate, her movements slow, her hands trembling slightly as she reached out and grabbed mine.

"It seems like someone is targeting you," she said, her grip tightening around my hand. "They might keep coming for you. You have to be careful."

Her eyes were swollen, her face streaked with tears, and as she spoke, I could see the fear in her clearly.

She told me everything she knew, every detail she could remember, her voice shaking, her grip on my hand never loosening.

And as I stood there, listening to her, I realized one thing. She wasn’t lying.

Her fingers tightened suddenly around mine, her eyes widening for a brief second as if she had remembered something she wasn’t supposed to say, and before I could react, her body jerked forward slightly as her teeth sank into her own tongue.

A sharp, wet sound filled the silence.

Blood spilled instantly, thick and sudden, slipping past her lips as her grip on my hand trembled violently.

"Elora—!

My voice broke out before I could stop it, my body moving closer to the bars as her form collapsed forward, her forehead hitting the cold floor as the blood continued to pool beneath her.

She bit her tongue.