Chapter 21. Caught In The Act
Beta Gilbert was escorted by a few of his most trusted men to a remote and forgotten mansion, a place that once held elegance, designed with the richness of old culture and architecture.
Now, it stood in eerie silence, its beauty faded by time and neglect.
The mansion groaned with age, and as they descended into the underground chambers, the sound of water dripping from rusted overhead pipes echoed through the empty halls.
The atmosphere was thick and suffocating, and the structure itself had a ghostly presence, enough to send chills down the spine of anyone not welcomed within its walls.
Beta Gilbert walked swiftly, tension and fury written across his face. His men followed closely behind, their boots clicking sharply on the cold stone floor.
The further they moved into the underground, the clearer the haunting sounds became... cries of pain, muffled screams, and pleas for mercy.
Some begged for death. Others spoke in tongues unfamiliar to the rest, broken by pain and desperation.
When they finally entered one of the darker rooms, the men inside immediately stood and bowed their heads in respect to Beta Gilbert.
A man sat in chains at the center of the room, blood dripping from his nose, one eye already swollen shut. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
"Who did you say sent you?" Beta Gilbert asked, his voice like steel as he locked eyes with the man.
"Sir, I’ve told you everything I know," the man gasped, barely able to keep his head up. "That day at the packhouse... the Alpha caught me, but before that... before I went there, I was threatened. They said they’d kill my wife and kids if I didn’t go and do what they asked. Then they’d come for me."