The Beta’s Regret

For a moment, there was still silence, I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat thumping furiously against my chest.

"They can smell us." Tiara whispered.

"I know that!" I snapped at her.

She retreated and kept quiet, patiently waiting for what would happen next just like I was.

A sharp slap sound reverberated across the space, followed by a loud burst of mocking laughter.

The rogue wolf who had observed my scent winced in pain as he rubbed the back of his head with a tight frown. An older rogue wolf, who was responsible for the slap sound, grinned from ear to ear. "Don't be childish. Crowberries?" He scoffed. "It would have been easier if you had just said that you were hungry."

It dawned on me that the rogue wolf that spotted me was the youngest of them all...

I felt a depth of relief grip me. They still had no idea I was in, and from the looks of it, no one would follow that scent, not when they believed their subordinate didn't smell out the right thing. The young rogue wolf immediately defended himself "That's not what I-"

"If you are that hungry, you should go into the woods and hunt, or you go to the kitchen and request for a meal." Another rogue wolf advised, cutting him short.

Others joined in and made a jest of the young rogue wolf. He was called different kinds of names and forced to stay quiet.

Suddenly, another silence settled in the room. From the way the wolves stared blankly at a particular spot, I could easily tell that they were having a mind link, or someone was mind linking them.

Chaos broke in as the rogues suddenly threw their drinks aside, the initial smile on their faces were wiped off as shouts rang out from among them.

"We have been invaded. There are warriors in the palace!" One of them yelled as the others sprang to action.

I quickly retreated, diving into a small corner shrouded in the shadows as the men left the dungeon. The rogues left in a hurry, and for a moment I prayed that Eros and my parents would be safe, and that Eros would stick to the plan and not complicate matters. By the time the rogues were out of sight, I came out from where I hid and entered the dungeon fully. It was bigger than I thought.

The cage stretched long, and it was filled with people who looked like they no longer have hope of leaving this cage alive.

As I passed, some of them perked up and tried to call out my name, but I placed a finger on my lips and made a 'shush' gesture. Some of them were too weak to move or even recognize me. I was still checking through, when I finally found Beauty and Adonis. I shivered.

They looked horrible.

Beauty sat on the floor, looking terrible and starved. Adonis was positioned against her lap, as she lightly caressed his face.

As soon as Beauty saw me, she perked up and sprang into action as she gently placed Adonis on the floor and approached me. She held the Iron bars tightly.

"E-" Beauty tried to call out my name in excitement but I made to clasp her mouth and she quietened.

I went closer and looked around to make sure no rogue was in sight.

"Why are you here?" Beauty asked in confusion. "You should leave, if the rogues come back and meet you here, they will kill you." Beauty said in horror. "They won't. I'm here for you, for all of you. I came to save my people." I said.

"Don't be ridiculous." Beauty snapped. "You cannot do it alone."

"I have to try. The people depend on me." I said. Adonis groaned in pain and I cast a look at him. "What happened?" I said in another whisper.

Beauty frowned, her eyes darkened as she held in her breath, and released it sharply.

"Pison came to our hideout, unexpectedly There was no

warning, nothing. Betsy betrayed us, and you were nowhere to be found either." Beauty looked back at Adonis, "we tried to fight back but Pison and his men were too strong. Not even the training we had was

enough to defend ourselves..."noveldrama

I felt a guilt rip through me once more. I wasn't there when all of this happened. I should have been with them when the camp was destroyed, instead I crept out, my heart tied to Eros. I looked behind Beauty at Adonis who had gone too pale and was barely able to breathe.

"What did they do to him?" I ask softly.

Beauty pursed her lips, I saw the anger flash in her eyes as she spoke.

"The rogues have been injecting

Adonis with some strange substance. They do it to any

creature that refuses to answer their questions. They are trying to break him. Beauty said the last part in a whisper.

I frowned. "The rogues did this?"

Beauty nodded.

The stench of despair around me was strong. It was only a matter of time before some of them slipped away into the darkness. I doubt Adonis would be able to survive another round of torture. Beauty suddenly grabbed my arm through the cage, her eyes pleading. "Adonis is dying. Please help me."

I was a little confused but I wanted to save anyone I could. "What do I have to do?"

A tear slipped down Beauty's eyes as she continued. "I heard theē rogues once jeered that the cure is with Pison, that it is hidden inside the pendant of his necklace. Please save Adonis."

"Pison would not let me touch him. I'm not sure I would be able to get the cure without getting killed myself, but I will try." I said.

I turned away quickly.

My eyes suddenly caught sight of something more shocking.

Ryker?

Unlike others, he wasn't in a cage but was suspended in the air and held in place by the innumerable iron pipes connected to his body.

From the way his head dropped, and the sweat that ran down his skin, I could see that he was in great pain.

I gasped, quickly covering my mouth at the terrifying sight.