The two men throw me into a cell, not caring if my body breaks from the fall. They had used their unnatural speed to get us here. We reached in a matter of seconds, but I'll be locked away for however long they want me to be here.

Surveying the room, there's nothing special about it. The walls are rocky and I'm not sure if it's cobblestone or something else. The ground is also bumpy and the same material as the walls. The door of the cell is wooden and worn, looking older than the dawn of time. Towards the top it has a metal slide window, which I assume is for the guards to check in without opening the door. The room has an unpleasant smell of must and sewage that causes me to gag. There's no light save for a dim torch in the corner. It's an electric torch and I only hope it doesn't give out on me.

The shadows of this small room scare me. There's nothing I hate more than solitude and I've been thrust into it against my will.

A resigned sigh leaves me as I head for the corner where the torch sits. Pressing my back against the rough wall, I slide down and bury my head into my knees. It's cold and I only realize that when my legs fail to stop shaking. I have no pants and my top is sleeveless.

One tear falls, then two. Before I know it, there's a waterfall of tears falling from my eyes. I don't bother stopping them because I know that I can't. There is no stopping the force of my tears as I let all the pain and suffering out.

I cry for my lost adolescence and the loss of my family, my pack. Though they've treated me like rubbish for the last nine years, I am still their alpha and I still have a connection with them. And I wonder, are they looking for me? Are they worried about their new alpha? Maybe they are, or maybe they're happy I'm gone. It could be a relief to not have me bringing down the pack name anymore.

Next, I cry for my Rory who I may never see again. Our last conversation was about the loss of his mate and me reassuring him that I'll get us out of this. Is it still even his birthday? Have they taken him somewhere to be disposed of? Is he still alive?

My heart cracks once, then twice. My last thought, my final thought is of my mate. She's lost one only to be given a defective wolf. I didn't even know second chance mates were possible. They were hardly heard of in the wolf realm. Second chance mates are like what vampires used to be, folk lore. But they exist and Alexei was granted hers only to have her taken away. Even so, she'll be better off without me dragging her down. She'll be happier without me.

I think I spend hours crying. There's so much I've been holding back and to finally let it out, it's hard to stop.

* * *

My neck cracks as I sit up from the hard ground. I groan as I rub at the crick in my neck. It's hard to tell how long I've been here now. I've been left alone and the only things I've been doing is sleeping and crying. It could be days that I've been here.

My lips are cracked and my mouth is dry. I'm beyond parched and hungry. Well, I'm past the point of hunger now. It's been a long time since I've had food so it's like a dull pain I feel in my stomach. The smell in the room is worse and I think I pass out half the time. There's no toilet or at least a bucket in the place, so I've had to go in a corner. There have been times where I've vomited, but since there's nothing in my stomach, I have only dry heaved. The whole ordeal is very painful.

I stand to my feet and begin walking around. It's the only thing to do in this place, but I can still feel myself going crazy. The confinement is unbearable for any person, but for a wolf, it's like asking for death on a stick. I have gone from open meadows to a solitary room where the guards willingly don't check on me.

Walking over to the door, I stare at it for a moment. Then I begin to bang my head against it. This old, wooden door is holding up better than I ever thought it would. There have been times where I've banged myself against the door. Those were times that I couldn't handle the silence any longer, but of course, there was no answer.

I don't expect there to be an answer now. Why would they if they haven't before?

There's no more crying, my tear ducts are dry now. As it's all I've done, I can't anymore so I've conceded to the mutilation of my body with the wood door. Then, when I grow tired, I settle down and go to sleep. When sleeping, I can go to a happy place where I have my mate and Rory. Where there's love and understanding and no hints of doubt or uneasiness.

I stop banging my head as I think about my Alexei and my Rory. They're the only reason I'm still somewhat okay.

Moving away from the door, I go to my corner and settle down. It's easy to sleep on command now because it's something I crave. I crave that special happy place where I get to see the green eyes of Alexei and the happy smiles of Rory. My body begins to relax and I welcome the haziness that comes with falling asleep.

A sound interrupts me though. It sounds like metal clinking together, scraping as two separate things connect. My eyes snap open and I sit up and force my body further into the corner. My door gets pulled open and light spills into the room. It blinds me and causes my eyes to throb for a moment. Shielding my face, I let my eyes readjust to lighting. Shyly and cautiously, I lift my head from my arms. One of the guards from before stands in the room.

I look past him to the open hallway. Like it's food, my mouth begins to salivate at the sight. This isolation has been so lengthy and I've been trapped for so damn long. Standing on shaky legs, I slowly make my way towards him. I just want a closer look, that's all, but he grabs my arm in a tight grip. It makes me cry out in pain and I try to pry him off, but I'm too weak. Even more weak now.

"You stink, false wolf." I don't care for his words. What does he expect after not bathing for possible weeks?

"Let's go, Nick," another voice says from somewhere in that hall. "She still has to bathe before the trial."

Nick, the man holding me, shakes his head and scoffs. "I'd have just killed her and the wolf already. It's been a month now."

A month? I've been trapped here for a whole month? That's impossible, shouldn't I have died? I've had no food or water in that month. Suddenly, the man pulls me out of the room. The force causes my arm to pop uncomfortably, but it doesn't feel like a dislocation. It just feels like I haven't moved like this in a while.

"God," the other man who's not Nick gags. "She's fucking disgusting, bloody hell. She's going to make me vomit."

"Aye, you're not the one touching her, so shut your damn complaining up." Nick shakes his head, tightening his grip on my arm. The force is too agonizing now and it's becoming numb from the grip, but I don't say anything.

They use their speed to get us to some bathroom. Once we stop, I'm dizzy, too dizzy to step forward. That doesn't stop Nick from dragging me inside the place. He tugs me in then pushes me. I stumble back and fall into a bathtub, hitting my head on the faucet. Lifting a hand, I feel at the area, happy to not be bleeding.

Nick crosses his arms and stands with his feet apart. "Get cleaned up. You have fifteen minutes to scrub the dirt from your disgusting body. If you aren't done by then, I'll finish for you."

Ending his menacing speech, he turns and walks out, slamming the door behind him. I feel like crying, but they don't come. After stripping, it takes me a while to figure out how the shower works, but I get it working nonetheless. The water is hot, but not scalding. It feels good against my skin and my neck that's still stiff. All that movement didn't help either.

I open my mouth to release a sigh. For a minute or two, I stand, letting the jets of water fall over me. Then I open my eyes and look around for washing supplies. A built-in shelf of the shower holds soap and shampoo. I practically jump for the soap and begin rubbing the bar across my body. A luffa hangs from the shower head and I grab it, standing on my tip toes so I can reach. When it's grasped in my hands, I begin to scrub.

Before I know it, every inch of my body is red from the force I used to clean myself. It's okay because I'm in desperate need of it. Not knowing how long I have, I hurry and squirt some shampoo onto my hair. The scrubbing feels nice and I close my eyes, wishing this was an everyday occurrence.

Soon, I'm being yanked from the shower. My eyes snap open, only for the shampoo to fall into them. I hiss in pain as they begin burning. Lifting a hand, I begin furiously rubbing at my face, hoping to dispel the burn.

"Put these clothes on."

I feel a pair of clothes hit my face. They fall to the floor and I begin to blindly search for them. Once something has been grabbed, I bring it up and begin rubbing the fabric against my eyes. The pain leaves them and I'm able to see again. Nick is gone and I'm alone in the bathroom.

Sighing, I look at my hands to see I have grabbed a white t-shirt. Pulling it on, I look to the ground to see matching sweats. A cry of happiness leaves me. It's been too long since I've had pants. I yank them on and tighten the drawstring, happy it's there because they're too big for me.

I then catch the sight of myself in the mirror. Gone is the girl I used to be and know. In her place is a girl stricken with sadness and pain. Her once hope filled eyes are nothing but empty entry ways into her broken soul. Her hair hangs longer, but thinner from lack of nourishment. Just as her face is pale and sunken in from the darkness of her prison room and the month of no food or water. From each mental breakdown, different colored bruises line her skin.

The person in the mirror is a girl who knows nothing but pain.