~ ROSELLE ~

Darkness.

That’s all there is. A darkness so complete, so suffocating, that I can’t see beyond a few feet in any direction. I glance around but there’s nothing — only an eerie, pressing stillness that makes my chest tight.

Where am I? The question echoes uselessly through my mind.

Have I died? Has the Moon Goddess finally given up on me and decided this is where it all ends — trapped in an endless void with nothing but silence and shadow? The silence is so profound it feels alive, like if I made a single sound it would reverberate endlessly, bouncing off walls I can’t see.

All I can remember is the two men. The injection. The cold liquid entering my veins. The world tilting and going black.

There’s a light at the far end of the darkness, a faint glow cutting through the endless black. Without thinking, I find my feet carrying me toward it. Maybe if I reach it, I’ll finally find my bearings and escape this strange, forsaken place.

The space is vast. There are no walls, no gates, no chains to suggest I’m trapped in some kind of prison—or anything else, for that matter. Just darkness stretching endlessly around me.

I keep walking until a sudden growl tears through the silence.

I freeze. The sound is familiar. Too familiar.

Slowly, I turn my head, trying to figure out where it came from. Another growl echoes through the darkness. This time, it’s behind me, from the exact place I’d just walked away from.

I spin around. The darkness is too thick for me to see much, but I don’t miss the two glowing red eyes staring back at me.

My blood turns to ice. A second later, heavy, sluggish footsteps begin thudding toward me.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Each step shakes the silence, growing louder as whatever is lurking in the darkness closes the distance between us.

"Fuck." The curse barely leaves my lips before I turn and bolt.

My feet pound against the ground as I sprint toward the light. Behind me, the footsteps quicken, their thunderous rhythm echoing through the darkness as they chase after me.

I reach the source of the light, my lungs burning and my legs screaming in protest as I force myself forward. The heavy footsteps continue thundering behind me, I find myself wanting to look at the beast that’s been chasing me.

Big mistake, I spun and the sight almost rips a scream from my throat.

The creature is so close that I can see its glowing red eyes clearly now. They burn through the darkness, locked onto me with a terrifying intensity as it closes the remaining distance between us. Fear crashes through me, freezing the blood in my veins and stealing the breath from my lungs.

The beast lunges toward me, and I instinctively squeeze my eyes shut as a scream tears from my throat.

I bolt upright in bed. My head pounds violently as consciousness returns in fragmented pieces, each one crashing into me harder than the last. It’s a dream, another terrifying strange dream I don’t understand.

Pain is the first thing I recognize. A dull, throbbing ache settles deep beneath my skin, spreading through every inch of my body until I can no longer tell where one injury ends and another begins.

My head aches. My wrists burn. My ribs protest with every breath I take, and my thighs feel sore in a way that makes nausea twist through my stomach.

Every part of me that was touched by hands that weren’t mine announces itself with a particular kind of pain, one that leaves me feeling violated all over again.

I draw in a shaky breath and stare at the ceiling above me, trying to separate the nightmare from reality while my heart continues to hammer wildly against my ribs.

Finally, I take a glance around the room, my heart seizing in my chest as I do. I pinch myself once, then twice, just to make sure this isn’t another dream playing tricks on me. The familiar bed, the windows, the door, and the IV connected to my arm tell me everything I need to know. Somehow, I’m back in my room at Ronan’s pack.

How did I get back here? How did I escape those monsters? The questions race through my mind faster than I can process them. If I’m being honest, I expected to wake up somewhere far worse, or not wake up at all. I expected to be left behind as whatever broken, ruined version of myself they decided wasn’t worth keeping.

The memories begin flooding back in jagged, fragmented pieces that refuse to fit together properly.

I remember the vehicle. I remember the endless drive that seemed to stretch on for hours. I remember the woods, so dark and dense that I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of me. Most of all, I remember the two men and the way they spoke about me. Their voices still echo in my head, along with the smiles they wore while discussing me as though I wasn’t a person, but an object to be used and discarded. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"We’re going to have a little fun with you."

My chest tightens painfully at the memory.

I try to sit up and instantly regret it. Every muscle in my body screams in protest, sending fresh waves of pain through me. My wrists are the worst. They’re wrapped in thick gauze and secured carefully at my sides, probably to stop me from reopening whatever injuries lie hidden beneath the bandages.

What happened after they grabbed me? What happened in those woods?

I remember running. I remember the injection. I remember the icy liquid entering my veins and spreading through my bloodstream like frozen poison. I remember my vision blurring around the edges and my legs growing weaker with every step.

Most of all, I remember my final thought before everything went dark. I should have stayed.

The realization hits me like a physical blow.

I should have stayed with Ronan. I should have trusted him. Instead, I ran straight into the hands of two predators who had been waiting for someone exactly like me.

Where is he? The question rises through my panic-ridden thoughts and refuses to leave.

Where is Ronan? Was he the one who found me?

The door to the room suddenly opens, and every muscle in my body locks instantly.

I go rigid despite the pain that immediately follows the movement. My heart rate skyrockets so fast that I can hear it pounding in my ears. Panic rushes through me, and for one horrifying moment, I expect the two men to burst through the doorway and drag me back into those woods. My breath catches in my throat as every instinct screams at me to run, to hide, to do anything that will keep their hands off me.

Dr. Elias strides inside, his expression the usual strict, calm and professional look. He’s carrying a medical tray, and when he sees that I’m awake his expression shifts into something that might be relief.

"Roselle," he says, setting the tray down on the table beside my bed. "Good. You’re awake. How are you feeling?"

I try to sign but my hands won’t cooperate. They’re shaking too badly. I settle for just staring at him, trying to process the question, trying to understand how I’m supposed to quantify what I’m feeling right now.

Terrified. Confused. Traumatized. Guilty. Ashamed. All of it at once, layered on top of each other until I can’t separate one feeling from another.

"You’re safe," Elias says, soothingly. "Can you understand me?" He asks, hus eyes narrowing to mine.

I nod. The motion makes my head spin but I hold on to it, use it to ground myself in the present moment instead of letting my mind drift back to the woods, to the hands, to the...

No! I force the memory away.

"The drug they gave you was a sedative," Elias explains, moving around the bed. "It’s designed to incapacitate quickly and keep you unconscious. It’s common among rogues — easier to transport an unconscious victim than a fighting one." He checks the IV in my arm without asking permission, adjusting the drip slightly. "You’re lucky they used a standard formulation. Anything stronger and—"

He stops. I look at him.

"Anything stronger and you might not have woken up," he finishes quietly. "But you did. And you’re going to recover. Physically, you’re going to be completely fine."

The word sits heavy between us because we both know what it implies. Physically is one thing. Everything else is something different entirely.

"Where—" I sign, carefully. "Where is—"

The name catches in my throat. I can’t seem to push it out past the lump that’s formed there.

Ronan. Where is Ronan?

Elias seems to understand anyway.

"He’s resting," Elias says. "He had... an incident earlier. Nothing for you to worry about, but he needed medical attention and he’s currently sleeping it off. He’ll want to see you when he wakes."

An incident? Did something happen to him because of me? The thought sends a fresh wave of dread crashing through my chest. Guilt coils around my throat, making it difficult to breathe.

I’m a fool. A fucking stupid fool.