Chapter 60: Chapter 60: The Traitor’s Ground
SONIA’S POV
I felt like I was drowning. My eyes shot open, and I found two pairs of eyes staring menacingly at me. The room was still dark, but the faint light from a single lantern made their faces look harsh and unforgiving. Cold water had been poured all over me. It soaked through my thin nightgown, making the fabric cling heavily to my skin.
"The alpha wants you at the traitors post!" One very scratchy voice belonging to a woman said. Her breath smelled of old smoke and something sour.
Before I could even understand what was happening, I was pulled out of bed. Rough hands grabbed my arms, yanking me up so fast my head spun. My wet nightgown stuck to my body like a second skin, cold and uncomfortable. The silk that had felt soft earlier now felt heavy and clinging, outlining every curve as water dripped down my legs onto the floor.
"Where are you taking her?" I heard a familiar voice scream from somewhere outside the room.
I was just starting to understand the danger of the situation. The drowning was water being poured on me. It had been sudden and shocking, waking me from a restless sleep. My hair was wet, strands sticking to my neck and face. I shivered as the cold air hit my damp skin.
They said the alpha wanted me at the traitors post. The alpha I assumed was Ramon, but why the traitors post? Who was the traitor? Why was I being dragged out like I had committed a crime?
The answer to that question was somewhere in my head. I just couldn’t reach out for it. My mind felt foggy from sleep and fear.
I breathed out in frustration as they kept dragging me. Their grips on my arms were tight, fingers digging into my soft skin and leaving marks. My bare feet scraped against the rough floor, small stones and dirt pressing into my soles.
"I asked a question!" That familiar voice screamed again. It was Ivy. I recognized her tone now, filled with worry and anger.
We were about to step into the open when a cloth covered my eyes. I was blindfolded now, and could only rely on my senses. The fabric was rough and smelled of dust and sweat. It pressed against my eyelids, making everything dark.
"Stop! Leave her alone!" Another voice screamed. It was Ivy again, closer this time.
The birds squawked loudly. The air smelled like blood and bones, thick and metallic, making my stomach turn. Feet heavily shuffled back and forth all around us.
So much was happening at once, it was so hard to focus on one thing. My heart pounded in my chest, fast and loud in my ears. The wet gown clung to me, cold and uncomfortable, the thin fabric rubbing against my nipples as I was pulled along.
I decided the best possible thing to do was listen to my wolf. She was better at handling dangerous situations anyway. I took a deep breath and began to shift sounds and feelings.
Ignoring the tight hold on me as I was dragged about, I instead focused on my surroundings. We were in open space now. There were wolves walking back and forth, so I deduced this was just a path. The ground felt uneven under my feet, dirt and small rocks pressing into my soles.
The voice screaming had stopped. And it was after it stopped I remembered it belonged to Ivy. The alpha had ordered for me to be taken to the traitors post. Ivy had called for them to stop and explain what was happening.
The air around was clouded with the stench of blood. It was thick and heavy, making me want to gag. The birds squawked louder. Those were not ordinary birds. From the books, they had to be really big dangerous birds.
It all made sense now. The alpha had ordered for me to be brought to the traitors post. The traitor had to be—
"There she is!" A voice sneered.
In a heartbeat, the whole world changed. It felt like I had moved from one end of the world to the other. The stench of the blood had increased drastically. It was everywhere, rotting and sweet at the same time. Birds squawked louder, their wings flapping heavily in the air.
The blindfold was quickly taken off, but it took a few seconds after for my eyes to adjust to the barrage of light that attacked my lenses. The sun was rising, casting a harsh red glow over everything.
"Oh no!" The words slipped out of my mouth when I discovered where I was.
The entire ground was filled with decaying bodies. Obviously food for the large birds which were feasting on it. Bones stuck out from piles of flesh, some fresh, some old and rotting. The smell was overwhelming — sweet decay mixed with fresh blood and waste. Flies buzzed loudly around the corpses. Large black birds with sharp beaks tore into the bodies, their wings flapping as they fought over pieces.
My heart jumped, and I began to move back, ready to run away. To run far away from the horror which surrounded me. My wet gown stuck to my legs, making it hard to move fast. The silk was now dirty at the hem, stained with mud and something darker.
I wasn’t sure which would happen first. Me throwing up, or being able to escape. My stomach churned violently at the sight and smell.
Whether I expelled the contents of my stomach, or exercised my leg by fleeing, it would no way erase the monstrosity in front of me.
The voice from earlier sneered. "You’re Sonia?" The big man with flabby arms drew closer to me. His belly hung over his belt, and his clothes were stained with old blood and dirt. His breath smelled rotten as he leaned in.
I turned, and found out the women who I had seen in my room, the same women who had led me here were nowhere to be found. It was just me alone with the big scary man.
My wolf shivered. This was too much for her to handle. We had never been in a death trap before. How could we escape with its keeper keeping an intense eye on us?
"You’ve been very comfortable, haven’t you?" He asked, moving around me like a predator sizing its prey. His eyes roamed over my wet gown, lingering on my chest where the fabric clung transparently to my skin.
My restless heart jumped sporadically. I would have preferred for the ground to open up and swallow me as a whole. Rather than be under the mercy of this man who looked like he knew nothing of that word.
The only person I knew who looked scarier than him was Wolf.
As I thought of Wolf, I remembered what Seth said. He wanted me to call him if I ever felt in real danger.
But there was no water around. How could my fears reach him?
And even if I did, what did that mean for Ramon?
He had obviously sent me here. To what end?
If it was to scare me, he had done an excellent job. I was chilled down to my bones, and the weather could be considered heated. My wet gown made me shiver, the cold silk sticking to my breasts and thighs.
"The alpha did say you’re a beautiful one. That he got right, indeed."
"Who– who are you?" I stuttered, trying to muster the slightest hint of bravery from wherever I could. My voice came out small and shaky.
He threw his head back, and in the most shiver inducing voice I ever had, bellowed into the heavens. His laugh was loud and ugly, echoing across the field of death.
As he laughed, the flap of his skin shook. But I didn’t have time to look at him. I needed to leave this place. I needed to escape.
Turning around, I fled. However, I didn’t make it too far when I felt a hand grab me. His fingers dug into my arm, bruising the skin.
I screamed, and began to kick with all my strength as I was pulled back. My bare feet scraped against the ground, dirt and small bones pressing into my soles. The gown tangled around my legs, making it harder to fight.
"Good. You should fight some more. You see the bodies around? They were too defeated to fight back. Some didn’t even have any life in them to fight back. You do. You’re young, and so beautiful."
His disgusting mouth played in my ears as he dragged me back to the filth. His breath was hot and foul against my neck.
"Let me go! Call Ramon. Tell him to let me go!"
"Who do you think sent you here?" He laughed mockingly, and pushed me to the ground.
I fell directly on one body, and screamed until I felt my body rattle. The flesh was soft and cold underneath me, the smell overwhelming. Something wet and sticky soaked into my gown. I tried to push myself up, but my hands slipped on the decaying remains.
"I’ll definitely have fun with this one," he said, drawing closer. His shadow fell over me, blocking the light.
I closed my eyes and began to pray. When I opened my eyes again, he was staring directly at me with a raised fist. His knuckles were scarred and dirty.
I opened my mouth to scream again when I felt a presence.
"Let her go!" A loud growl followed after.
