My hands are in the air, lights shining in my face. People are surrounding me, their thick boots crunching against by gravel. Guards... Royal Guards. Landon's Royal Guards for that matter. My heart sinks as I realise I'm in big trouble now.

"Back off," I snap, as someone shoves the muzzle of their gun against my cheek. I want to push the dangerously fatal weapon away from blowing my face in, but doing that will increase the chances. Everything is suddenly quiet, as they assess me. I feel myself shift like a true criminal under their scrutiny.

"Accessing Royal property is punishable by law," someone stated from under their mask, their muffled sounding less intimidating. I could feel Landon's note pressing against my hip. I had tucked it into the waistband of my pants as I left, and now I wanted to grab it and shove it into their faces as proof.

"I've come with an... invitation of sought," I reason. Someone lowers their gun so I can use my hands to grab the slip of paper. Not that one lowering the gun made much of a difference, considering everyone was still tense, fingers posed over the hammer of the gun. I unfold the paper, and splay it on the palm of my hand, so the Guard can see.

It's dark, but he still grabs the paper, and assesses it quietly.

"Obviously forgery. Take her back to the Villa and see what the Alpha wants done with her." My heart skips for a moment, thinking the Alpha remained Landon's Dad, but I was tossed back into the crisp pool of reality too quickly. Landon is going to be shocked when he sees me.

With worded protest, handcuffs binding my hands behind my back, and I'm kicked in the back of the knee to get moving. My leg briefly collapses, but I straighten up. Landon is going to get it when I see him.

Only half a dozen Guards from the many that were there actually accompany me. The walk doesn’t seem to be long, but one of them keeps prodding the awkwardly sensitive small of my back, sending shooting pain up my spine, and straight into the back of my neck.

Once close enough, I could see the glittering lights surrounding the estate. It really is marvellous, although rather flamboyant for my tastes. The guards waste no time hurrying me along the back. The front door was for guests only.

My blatant reasoning was going unnoticed, so I decide to give up. I want to scream, but the authority these men have over me, or the whole Pack for that matter outweigh everything.

Dragged by my arms, we enter the metal door that is installed into the outside of the building. Inside, it is barely lit at all, but I can make out metal bars along the wall. This is nothing like what I've seen before.

The smell was putrid, and groaning resonated off the walls. Were there people in here? Or were those noises from contained animals?

The ground under me clatters and rumbles, as the men push me violently. Landon had to know about this part of the estate, he can't have just been completely oblivious to it.

A hand suddenly swipes out, like it had merged through the wall. It grabbed my hand, frantically clawing at my skin. I yelped and tried to step back, but the Guards had it covered. They smacked the hand brutally with a batten, the sound sickening. With a yowl, the hand retreats back into the cage, and we continue walking. But still, I want to throw up everywhere. Maybe that would be a worthy distraction.

Instead we stop not too far up.

"You, go alert the Alpha," the man flanking me orders another guard gruffly. I see him nod, before scuttling off further up the tunnel like passage. One of the other four shuffles around with some keys from his belt. I can tell he was struggling through the dim lighting.

Eventually he picks up a silver key, and uses it to unlock one of the cage doors. I can’t see the place I was being shoved into, as I fall to the floor. The door clanged shut, sealing my fate. Boy, Landon is going to get it when I see him... Really, really get it.

The men leave, but not before hearing my proclaimed profanities. I am on the ground, the dirty, filthy, covered in some slimy substance. I stagger to my feet, to find three concrete walls surrounding me. I could only see through the metal bars, everything else was dark.

"Help," I chant out, stumbling toward the bars. They are rusty against my fingertips. Only pained groans come as an answer.

"What's your business here girly?"

I jumped, and turned around. Someone is behind me, I can hear them, but can’t see them. I back up, my feet skidding against the floor. They better not have locked me up with a serial killer. Wolves tend to tilt that way when they have phased.

"Who's there?" I question anxiously, pressing myself up against the bars so hard, I could have merged through them. A gasp as I see the shadowy figure move from the corners and slightly into my view. I can see an outline of them. They seem to be a staggering height compared to me.

"No one special... but you, on the other hand, seem like a bucket of sunshine," they state. Their voice was strangely smooth and calming, considering they are probably about to lash out at me with a Stanley knife at any moment. I just wish I could see this man's face.

"I need to get out of here," I gritted out, turning to shake the bars. They groan at the torment, but refuse to budge. The man chuckled at my useless attempts from behind me, like I’m performing a comical act.

"We all do sweetheart, too bad we are locked in her forever," the man graciously implied. A switch flicked in my brain, and I spun around not caring if my own hair hit me in the face.

"I'm not going to be stuck in this place for the rest of my life. Landon is going to come down here any minute now and save me," I snapped. This seemed to shock the man into a quiet void, but I hardly felt remorse.

"You know the Alpha well, eh?"

"All I know, it that I'm going to kill him next time I see his face," I growl, resting my forehead against the metal. I heard the man's footsteps advancing, but I didn't react till a warm hand slapped against my shoulder and he muttered in my ear...."You're not the only one who wants him dead."

I jump, slapping the skin so hard they instantly retract their hand. I hadn't intended it, but his statement worried me, and so did the powerful chants resonating in agreement around the cells. What would these monsters do if they knew I was closer to Landon then they thought?

"Calm it, pretty lady," the stranger warned. I did, sinking to the ground in defeat. If he comes any closer, I'm going to poke him in the eye anyway....

"You can't see anything, so don't make assumptions. I could be a hideous omega for all you know," I bite back. He grunted. Amused by my sassy attitude, but not phased.

"When you've been in here for as long as I have, your eyes adjust to the darkness," he stated. He sounds mad, frustrated by his situation. I don’t blame him; I would be too if I was forced to live here, in such a cramped, cold place.

"How long have you lived here?" I find myself asking curiously. It appealed to me that maybe Landon didn't know what was going on down here, and maybe it was his father fault. His corrupting, manipulative father who has some deep hatred for me...That would be nice.

"I was put in here when I was twelve, so seven years," he informed me. I blink in shock, mentally calculating in my head. I had dropped math the year before I dropped school completely, so I wasn't that great. But I could still calculate the fact that he was nineteen years old.

It frightened me more than if he was a fifty-year-old.

"You're nineteen?" I shriek in disbelief, my voice raising louder than intended. I heard him scoot forward, but I crouched back. I wish there was better light so I could see his face.

"Al?"

I gasp, hearing the urgent, frightened sound of Landon. Instantly it was like someone had poured a warm bucket of water over my chilly skin.

"Landon," I call out, desperate to get his attention, so he could set me free. I feel his footsteps quicken, running toward my cell. I suddenly feel angry with him; just relieved and desperate to get out.

"The name’s Kace. I know for sure I'll be seeing you again darling," that chilling, deep voice whispered in my ear before Landon made it to the door of the cell. I flinched, knowing they would have slinked back into the corner.

"Al, I'm so sorry," Landon gushed, the moment he saw me. I could hardly see him, but managed to make out the angst on his face. He unlocked the door, after rustling through hundreds of keys. He swung it open, leaving no boundary between us. Finally...

I jumped forward, throwing myself into Landon's grasp. He was warm and smelt like how I remember. He instantly wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging close to his body. His touch instantly calmed me, which was bad considering I should be deathly mad right now.

"I hate you for doing that to me," I state, leaning away to punch Landon in the chest weakly three times, before stuffing my face back into the crook of his neck. I can feel the guilt flowing off him. But he remains quiet.

I feel tears flood my eyes; this man is going to be the end of me.