"Splash......" 

A torrent of cold water was poured over Swara's face, startling her and causing her to gasp as she opened her eyes. 

"Ahh..." she groaned in pain, reaching to rub the back of her head where she had been struck, only to discover her hands were bound. As she struggled to sit up, she realized her legs and arms were tightly bound with rope. She looked around and found herself on the grimy floor of a dimly lit room. 

"Gosh, what a dirty floor..." Swara muttered, wrinkling her nose in revulsion as she lifted her head to see two masked figures standing before her. 

She couldn't suppress a chuckle at a sudden thought, which caused the masked figures to frown. 

"What's so funny? Don't you realize you're kidnapped?" the man behind the mask bellowed. 

Swara laughed even harder. "I'm sorry, but I just can't keep a straight face. How could you be so chicken?" Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, but she pressed on. "I mean, really, Mr. and Mrs. Roy, if you're going to pull a stunt like this, at least have the backbone to ditch the masks and show your face. Did you seriously think I wouldn't see right through your lame disguise?" 

The kidnappers exchanged startled glances, their eyes widening. "Quit spouting tales. We're not the Roys, and who we are is none of your business." 

Swara scoffed, "Oh, sure, and I'm the Queen of England." 

"Shut your damn mouth, you bitch!" the masked man snarled, delivering a harsh slap to Swara's face. He gripped her chin tightly, his eyes burning with rage. "Or I'll make sure you regret it." 

"You dragged me here to kill me anyway," Swara shot back, her voice steady as she met his fiery gaze with a steely calm. 

The assailant, caught off guard by her boldness, let go of Swara's chin, his grip faltering. 

"You know something," she continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "only the Roys could be dumb enough to cross Swara Bose and poke the bear that is Alpha Sanskar. It's almost laughable how you think you can get away with this." 

Out of nowhere, the silent accomplice, who had been watching, slapped Swara. "Shut up, just shut up, you worthless witch, or I'll kill you," the masked woman screamed. 

Swara didn't even flinch at the slap. Instead, she replied with biting irony, "Oh, Mrs. Roy, you finally found your voice. Were you staying quiet to hide the fact that one of the accomplices is a woman?" 

Swara was spot on now; her remark struck a nerve, causing Mrs. Roy to charge at her in rage. Mr. Roy quickly intervened, gripping her arm. "Don't lose your cool and fall for her bait. Remember our plan for revenge," he cautioned, then turned his attention to Swara. "Yes, we are the Roys," he confessed, removing his mask. 

A victorious glint shone in Swara's eyes, and a smirk spread across her lips as she watched Mrs. Roy reluctantly unveil her face. 

Swara laughed seeing Roy's ashen faces. "See, as I said before, you shouldn't have done something when you don't have a slight gut." 

"You forced us to this point! Because of you, we lost everything—our pack, our honor—and now we're stuck under the Crescent Moon's thumb as slaves. You got our daughter killed. My Kavita died miserably because of you. How can you enjoy life after what you did?" Mrs. Roy screamed in anguish. "You deserve to die..." She cried out, brandishing a silver dagger. 

Swara shook her head. "Typical. Like parents, like daughters—always pointing fingers at others for your own mistakes. Pathetic." She tilted her head and spat on the floor. 

Without warning, Mrs. Roy lunged at Swara, the dagger aimed directly at her. Swara's survival instincts kicked in. She twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the first strike. With a surge of her hybrid strength, she snapped the ropes binding her hands and grabbed Mrs. Roy's wrist. They struggled, the silver dagger wavering between them. Swara surged her strength, and she twisted Mrs. Roy's arm, forcing her to drop the dagger with a clatter. 

Before Swara could catch her breath, Mr. Roy appeared, his face a mask of rage. "I won't let you off the hook." He roared and charged at her, but Swara was ready. She sidestepped his attack and delivered a swift kick to his midsection, sending him sprawling to the ground. 

"You underestimated me," Swara said, her voice steady and resolve. "But that was your last mistake." 

Mrs. Roy pulled herself together and shifted into her werewolf form, her eyes glowing with a feral light. She lunged again, but Swara was ready. Calling on her elemental powers, she summoned a gust of wind, knocking Mrs. Roy off her feet. Mr. Roy shifted as well, his massive form barreling towards Swara. She met his charge head-on, her werewolf strength matching his blow for blow. 

Summoning her witch abilities, Swara conjured a shield of shimmering light, blocking Mr. Roy's attacks. With a wave of her hand, she sent a bolt of lightning crashing down, striking him and sending him reeling. 

The Roys, now weakened and battered, struggled to rise. Swara stood over them, her eyes glowing with the combined power of her hybrid nature. With one final burst of energy, she unleashed a torrent of elemental fury, fire, wind, and lightning merging into a devastating force. The Roys were overwhelmed, their forms collapsing under the onslaught. 

As the room fell silent, Swara stood tall, her breathing heavy but steady. Her lips had a victorious smile as she saw Roy's shocked faces. 

"I told you not to go off half-cocked without knowing your enemies. Didn't your precious daughter clue you in that I'm a hybrid?" Swara taunted. "Oh, that's right—she threw you both under the bus to save her own skin, isn't it? What a traitorous child, and here you are, throwing your lives away for her revenge." She added insult to their injury. "You're both a bunch of idiots, and your accomplice is no better." 

Swara's last words landed like a grenade on their heads. They gaped at her, then glanced at each other in silent panic. Their reaction told Swara she had nailed it once again. 

"Wha... What do you mean? I'm not really following," Mr. Roy stammered, clearly flustered. 

"Accomplice? Are you out of your mind? You pushed us into this hell, leaving us with no one but each other. Our only child is dead. Who's going to stand by us now?" Mrs. Roy screamed, her voice cracking as she dissolved into loud, uncontrollable sobs. 

Swara rolled her eyes. "Mr. Roy, at least Mrs. Roy's acting is more convincing and heartfelt," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She yanked the ropes tighter, ensuring they were securely bound, and watched their reactions with a cold, satisfied smirk. 

"I told you, we don't have any accomplices. We're left high and dry, all thanks to you," Mr. Roy bellowed. 

"Well, that's a better attempt," Swara taunted, standing up with the silver dagger pointed at them. "Now, tell that old hag it's time for her to repent for her sins instead of adding more to the list, or else she'll be going to hell to face the wrath of the demon goddess." 

"Swara, you're playing with fire," Mr. Roy warned, but she disregarded him, her eyes darting around the room. 

"Seems like you don't need to pass on any messages to the old bat—she's likely watching this all unfold in real-time. But where the heck is the camera hidden?" Swara rambled as she continued to scan the room before abruptly turning and leaning in close to Mrs. Roy. 

"Hey, old-timer, using an evil eye pendant for a hidden camera is as outdated as you are." 

Swara's large image on the screen, taunting the woman with her age, got under the lady's skin who was watching the feed. She clenched her fists in rage, but the screen suddenly went blank when Swara ripped the pendant from Mrs. Roy's neck and smashed it under her heel. 

Suddenly, the door flew open, and a voice boomed, "How dare you call me old?" 

Swara turned to see a lady in a daring, form-fitting red dress, her face lined with age despite layers of thick, loud makeup. She had a sleek, stylish hairdo and was wearing striking cherry-red stilettos. 

"Miss Padma Singh, instead of fixating on my words, maybe you should worry about your next move. Aren't you scared of what's coming? How do you plan to handle the fiery hell that's waiting for you after crossing Alpha Sanskar?" Swara said, arching an eyebrow as she assessed Padma from head to toe.

"Not at all, because I've got my key to paradise safely tucked away," Padma said with a smug grin, clapping her hands twice.

As if on cue, two guards appeared, dragging a captive with them. Swara's eyes went wide with shock when she saw Sanskar chained up and held at gunpoint