Chapter 87: The Face of a Stranger
Hazel’s POV
My head throbbed as consciousness slowly returned. The first thing I noticed was the stench. The air was musty, thick with mold and decay. My eyelids felt heavy, but I forced them open, wincing at the dull pain pulsing behind my temples.
The room was dark. There was barely enough light coming in from the cracks of what seemed like the door. It allowed me to make out vague shapes and outlines.
I was in some kind of basement. The walls were covered in peeling, water-stained wallpaper. The concrete floor beneath me was cold and damp against my skin. Above, exposed pipes ran across a cracked ceiling.
I tried to move and immediately felt the bite of metal against my wrists, causing me to hiss in pain. Looking down, I saw silver chains binding my arms, the metal already leaving angry red marks on my skin. My ankles were similarly bound.
Silver. Of course.
Not only did it burn my skin, but it also blocked my healing abilities and weakened our mate bond. The bite mark the wolf left on my arm was still raw and red. Thankfully, it had stopped bleeding. Whoever had taken me knew exactly what they were doing.
‘Lucas? Liam? Levi?’ I called through our bond, desperate to reach my mates. But the connection felt muffled and all I got back was silence.
Voices drifted from beyond a door at the top of a short flight of stairs. There were two women arguing. I strained to hear their words, but I couldn’t catch much.
Suddenly, footsteps approached. I stiffened, heart hammering against my ribs as the door creaked open. Light from the hallway spilled in the moment they opened the door, momentarily blinding me.
A figure stepped into the basement, and as my eyes adjusted, I recognized the smug face of Annie Williams. Behind her, more hesitant in her movements, was Cassandra.