Chapter 3

Livia

“No! Please, stop!” I jerked awake, breathing hard, my voice cracking. Cold metal clamped around my ankles, then my wrists. Chains. Again. The chains are always present.

“What are you doing?! I’m not going anywhere—I swear!”

My voice echoed in the damp, dark room, but it was useless. They never listened. They didn’t care.

I struggled, twisting as the thick cuffs bit into my skin. “You’re hurting me! Please, don’t do this!”

Footsteps echoed. Then I saw her. Giulia, my stepmother, walked in like she owned the place, holding a perfumed cloth over her nose.

“Oh, shut it already,” she snapped, waving a hand in the air like my panic was just noise. “You’ll ruin everything with your screaming. The Alpha Prince is visiting, and we can’t have our little pet making a scene.”

The banquet. Of course. It's always about appearances. Even if it meant disregarding the suffering of a wounded girl, their focus would remain solely on appearances.

“I’m not trying to escape,” I whispered. “I can’t even leave this room.”

She didn’t care.

“You don’t need to go anywhere,” she said coldly. “You’re already a disgrace. These chains are just a reminder of what you are.”

I clenched my fists, wrists burning. “I’m not a disgrace.”

But her smirk said otherwise. “You are. You killed your mother. That makes you a monster.”

“No! That’s not true!” My throat hurt from shouting. “I didn’t kill her! You know I didn’t!”

The guards didn’t stop. The metal made a tighter click. It cut into my skin. Warm blood slid down my legs, soaking into the filthy floor.

One of them handed Giulia a whip. I backed into the corner.

“No, please…”

Crack.

Pain tore across my back.

Crack.

Again. Again.

I collapsed, face to the ground, gasping.

“You think you're innocent?” Her voice was shrill, almost amused. “You’re cursed. You're dangerous. I’m making sure you never touch my daughter’s future.”

“I never even touched Bianca,” I whimpered. “I never even left this room.”

Giulia crouched, grabbing my hair, forcing me to look up at her. “Exactly. Stay here. Rot here. "Where you belong."

My chin throbbed as her heel stabbed into it. “You are nothing compared to Bianca. She will marry the prince. You? You’ll die in this hole.”

A guard yanked the chains tighter. I felt intense pain in my bones.

“Ahhh! It hurts!” I cried out. “Please, loosen it, just a little! I can’t feel my feet!”

“If you keep whining,” she said, “I’ll tell your father you attacked me.”

My heart froze.

No. Not him.

Anything apart from him is the focus of my attention.

"I—I'll keep quiet."

She stood up, letting go of my hair. "Well done, girl."

Silence filled the room for a moment. Fear and unanswered questions swirled in my mind.

Why me? Why am I the one they hate so much?

“Why do you do this?” I mumbled so quietly that I even struggled to hear my words. “Why do you hate me like this?”

Giulia paused.

Something shifted in her eyes, like she was tired of pretending.

“Because your father does. And I also despise you if he does.

"But he's my father." My voice broke. “Isn’t he supposed to love me?”

She laughed. Loud. Cruel. “He doesn’t. Never did. You were a mistake. A walking reminder of his shame.”

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

“Nobody will ever love you,” she added. “Look at you. Who would?”

Tears welled in my eyes. My chest felt like it was folding in on itself.

“R-Really?”

“Yes. So stay here, be quiet, and maybe we won’t kill you.”

I didn’t respond. What more could I add? She had already said it all.

I nodded slowly. Quiet. Obedient.

“Good girl,” she repeated, stepping away. “And don’t you dare die yet. You’re still useful.”

Then she left, heels clicking against the stone floor like this was just another day for her.

I lay still, my cheek against the cold ground.

Dog. That’s what I am now.

I'm not a daughter. She does not identify as a daughter.

He was merely a chained-up animal in their basement.

Leonardo

The second the secret passage opened, I knew.

My heart hammered so loud I could barely hear the guards behind me.

Her scent. Her scent was everywhere.

“Alpha,” Matteo said quickly, grabbing my shoulder. “Wait. We shouldn’t go further without clearing the room. There could be traps.

“I don’t care.” I pulled away from him. “I felt her. I know it’s her.”

He frowned. “Leonardo, think. Even if there's someone in there, they're probably just a servant or something similar"

“I said it’s her!”

He stepped back. My tone had snapped sharper than I meant.

I moved forward. The air was heavy—stale blood, damp floors, rot. But underneath it all, there was a hint of her presence.

That delightful aroma plagued my dreams.

I came to a wall. I touched it.

No pulse. No warmth. But I didn’t stop.

I punched the wall with everything I had. Once. Twice.

Stone cracked. A hidden door gave way.

Dust exploded into the air.

And then I saw her.

She left behind what remained of her.

Livia.

She lay there like a broken doll, her hair tangled across her face. Chains wrapped her body. She was barely breathing.

I didn’t move. Couldn’t. Rage and heartbreak hit me all at once.

The answer is no.

Who did this?

Who thought she deserved this?

She was my mate.

Mine.

And they left her like this?

“Livia…” I whispered and dropped to my knees beside her.

She didn’t stir.

I put a hand on her shoulder. The heat of her fever made her flinch.

“Wake up… please,” I murmured, brushing her hair back.

Cuts covered her arms. Bruises ran across her ribs. Old. New. There are layers upon layers of pain to endure.

I had trembling hands.

I lifted her gently. Her body sagged against mine like she weighed nothing. It felt as though she had lost all her vitality.

Behind me, Gianni stood frozen, eyes wide in horror.

“She’s… alive?” he asked.

“Barely.”

I turned, holding Livia close.

My voice dropped to a growl. “Who did this?”

Gianni didn’t speak.

"Gianni!" The walls trembled as I roared. “I want names. Now!”

“I….I don’t know—”

“Don’t lie to me.”

He took a deep swallow. "There are rumors... Giulia, Luna—she gave the order to seal the basement. The claim was that this action served as a form of discipline. No one could enter the premises.

Matteo's gaze expanded. "You mean they imprisoned her here like a beast?"

I didn't respond. couldn't. I had too much fire inside of me.

I glanced down at Livia.

She held onto my shirt like it was her only hope even when she was unconscious.

I said softly, "Get the medics." "Now. Please prepare the guest room—actually, my room. She will stay where I can monitor her closely.

"But Alpha—"

I gave Matteo a start. He immediately stopped talking.

With a raw voice, I declared, "I won't lose her." "Not after this." This approach is not acceptable.

I turned away from the room. The dirt. The suffering.

However, I took the icy anger with me.

Here, they believed, they could conceal her. They believed she would remain hidden forever.

However, I did.

And now?

They would now be held accountable for each moment she was shackled.