Even though vampires were most active at night, and my mother had employed them to work for her, I didn’t come across a single soul on my venture down to the room where Dahlia was held captive.

I wasn’t sure why I was even doing this, and I knew for a fact that it was an immensely stupid idea. Despite that, I still cradled the bag of food in my arms as though it was gold, the revolver my mother had given me tucked in my back pocket, as I headed straight for Dahlia’s room― or to be exact, prison.

The food might be a little rancid, and if it was something even I could smell, there was no doubt Dahlia could too, but at least it would be enough to fill her belly with enough sustenance. Gus was right in that if she attempted to fight back, it would be hell to pay. However, watching her die when I was friends with her brother — someone who cared a lot for her — felt wrong.

This way, at least, I was leaving her fate in the hands of the Goddess.

The heavy silver doors weren’t guarded, and to unlock the door, I didn’t even need an additional special key. I pushed it open, silently praying that the hinges wouldn’t make a single sound as the door dragged across the floor.

Inside the room, the lights were switched off, but with a better sense of sight, I could still see Dahlia’s body sprawled over the floor, unmoving. Only when I strained my eyes could I catch her chest slowly rising and falling― faint, but there.

When I entered the room, she stirred, a groan leaving her lips as the door closed shut behind me.

Then, her eyes opened, hauntingly bright as she stared straight at me.

"You..." she hissed out, her voice hoarse and cracked, but filled with the same resentful energy she always had. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you food," I said. I didn’t dare to go too close, choosing to throw the bag over to her instead.

She stared at the bag, and even in the dark, I could see hunger written across those gleaming eyes of hers. However, she recoiled from it after one sniff, sneering.

"Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be off," I said.

I didn’t plan on staying and fraternizing with her when I should be escaping this place before Damon and Blaise were conned here. Consider this my debt paid for the injuries dealt earlier in the day. It wasn’t much, but it was the most I could do in such a scenario. Whether she lived or died after would depend on herself.

Turning on my heel, I was prepared to leave when I was stopped in my tracks by Dahlia’s words. My feet immediately rooted to the ground, shivers crawling up my spine as she spoke.

"I knew you weren’t good right from the moment I met you," she spat out. "A human, trying so desperately to mix with the werewolves, especially a pack like Fangborne. I should’ve known that the rumors were true― you’re really a hunter after all."

"I’m not a hunter," I calmly replied, then frowned. "And what rumors?"

As far as I knew, the rumors of me being a hunter came only from Fangborne. That was contained within the pack, and no one inside ventured out to spread it. It was only because of Elise, the nurse-turned-hunter whom Damon had captured, or there wouldn’t even be such an impossible theory.

But how did Dahlia, who was stuck in Thunderstrike, know about this?

She cackled, though there was no mirth in her voice, only sadistic amusement.

"You didn’t know?" she mused. "There have been rumors of Beta Blaise Valentine from Fangborne mating with a human who was thought to be a hunter. When I first met you, I didn’t think it was possible considering how weak you seemed. How I was proven wrong!"

"Where did you even hear such a thing?" I pressed, all notion of escaping this tower quickly overrode by the news Dahlia had dropped.

"Everywhere," Dahlia replied, grinning through a mouthful of blood. She painstakingly pushed herself up, using her arms to prop her body upright. They were battered and bruised, dried blood crusting her skin, but she paid no mind to it. "Werewolves communicate beyond their own packs, you know. From what I’ve heard, a warning has been given to all packs in the vicinity about your origin. If only they knew that those aren’t just mere rumors, but the cold hard truth!"

It felt as though my entire body had been drenched with a bucket of cold water. I had thought that however bad those rumors were, at least it remained within Fangborne. Eventually, all of those things would be corrected when they realized I wasn’t the sort of person they thought I was, especially since Kyle, the original spearhead of these rumors, now stood on my side.

Kyle.

I jolted straight, chewing on my bottom lip. With everything that had happened, I hadn’t even thought about him. I didn’t even know if he was alive or dead, his body left on the forest floor for the beasts to feast upon.

"I am not going to waste my breath arguing with you," I finally gritted out. "Eat if you want to, or don’t if you don’t. I’ve repaid my debt to you."

Dahlia howled in laughter as I placed my hand on the door. "Repaid your debt? Repaid your debt?!"

I pressed down on the handle as she continued.

"You’re far from having repaid your debts, Harper Gray! The only time you would be cleared of your sins against me would be when you’re dead!"

My ears pricked to attention, my eyes widening when I caught the sound of flesh tearing and bones snapping. I turned around, and to my horror, despite the amount of silver that was bound to Dahlia’s limbs and built into the room, she had shifted into her wolf.