Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Chapter 109

Selena

"What about your sister?"

"We’ll have to find her another time."

I frowned. "Sally..."

"No, listen to me. I came here thinking I could find answers by myself. I thought if I got inside, I could discover what happened to Celeste and perhaps find a way to reach her. But I’ve realised how foolish that was."

Her voice softened.

"We need a proper plan. Our group can come up with something more coordinated. I’m not going to risk getting myself killed before I even find out where she is."

I remained silent. I hadn’t expected Sally to speak so openly about her sister.

For a while, neither of us said anything.

Then I asked, "You’ve never really talked about her."

"About who?"

"Your sister."

"Oh." She was quiet for a moment. "I didn’t think we were that close yet."

I didn’t respond.

Perhaps she was right. We had worked together, shared conversations and attended meetings, but there were still things we didn’t know about each other.

Then Sally began speaking again.

"Her name was Celeste. She was beautiful, Selena. Not just physically, but in the way she saw the world. She was innocent, sometimes too innocent for her own good."

I listened.

"She wanted a charming mate from a noble family. Someone handsome, respectful and wealthy enough to give her a comfortable life. She used to talk about having children who would grow up to become lords and ladies. She wanted a beautiful home, a happy family and a life where she wouldn’t have to worry about where her next meal was coming from."

I smiled faintly. "She sounds like a dreamer."

"She was. And I used to tease her about it all the time."

Sally’s voice became quieter. "Then one day, she disappeared."

I straightened slightly. "How did it happen?"

"I don’t know. She was simply gone. At first, I thought she’d found someone and decided to leave without telling me. But that wasn’t like her. I searched everywhere, asked questions and visited places where she used to go. Nobody knew anything."

She paused. "About a month later, I discovered she had been sold to the vampires."

My heart sank. "Oh, Sally..."

"I couldn’t believe it. I kept wondering how someone could disappear from the lower belt and end up on a vampire tribute list. I couldn’t understand who would do something like that to her."

I lowered my head.

"Is that why you’ve always been so grumpy whenever Alpha Kael is mentioned? Did you think he was behind it?"

She didn’t answer. I waited, but the silence stretched.

I understood then that I had touched something she wasn’t ready to discuss.

I didn’t push her.

After a while, Sally spoke again. "Selena?"

"Yes?"

"There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time."

I shifted against the wall. "What is it?"

"What exactly is your relationship with Alpha Kael?"

My fingers tightened around my knees.

She continued before I could respond. "Are you two mates?"

My mouth opened, but no words came out.

I had expected her to ask eventually. There had been too many moments between Kael and me that might have made someone suspicious.

But hearing the question from Sally while we were trapped in a slaughterhouse cell made my chest tighten.

I tried to say something. "Sally, I..."

"Don’t." She suddenly said and I stopped speaking.

"I don’t want to hear whatever lie you’re about to tell me. I’m not asking because I want to judge you, Selena. I just want you to tell me when you’re ready to tell me the truth."

I lowered my eyes.

She had no idea how much I wanted to tell her. But I couldn’t. At least, not yet.

We remained silent after that.

The hours passed slowly, and the only sounds between us were the occasional footsteps of guards and the distant noises coming from the slaughterhouse.

Eventually, the first rooster crowed.

I lifted my head. "Morning."

"Yes," Sally replied. "They’re probably going to summon us soon."

I leaned against the wall. "There’s something you should know. Lord Hawthorne might not even consider hiring me like you and the others."

"Why?"

I hesitated. "Because he kind of believes I’m a spy sent by Alpha Kael."

"What?" Her voice rose so sharply that I almost laughed. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing."

"Selena!"

"I swear. I didn’t tell him anything important. I only boasted that I would make sure the innocent girl was rescued, no matter what."

There was a long silence.

Then Sally sighed. "Sometimes I wonder whether you know when to keep your mouth shut."

I smiled weakly. "Sometimes I wonder the same thing."

Before she could respond, footsteps approached.

I turned toward the entrance as two guards appeared. "Both of you. Get up!"

I pushed myself to my feet, wincing slightly when my legs protested. The guard unlocked the cell and gestured impatiently.

"Move!"

I stepped outside and immediately spotted Sally being brought out from the adjoining cell.

Our eyes met and she gave me a small nod.

We were taken down the corridor and joined several other captives. Some looked frightened, others exhausted, and a few seemed too weak to stand properly.

Nobody spoke as the guards pushed us forward until we reached an office.

Inside, a man was seated behind a large desk but he wasn’t Lord Hawthorne.

However, his clothes, posture and the way he carried himself suggested that he belonged to a noble family.

The moment his eyes landed on me, his expression changed.

He leaned forward slightly. "Wait..."

I frowned as his eyes widened on me. "It’s really her..."

I stared at him, confused.

He immediately turned toward the guards. "Take the others away. I want to speak with her alone."

The guards hesitated briefly before obeying.

Sally glanced at me as she was led away, but I couldn’t give her any explanation.

Soon, the room was empty except for the stranger and me.

He rose from his chair and approached, holding a neatly folded parchment.

"I must admit, I didn’t believe your father when he told me you were in our pack."

My stomach tightened. "My father? What are you talking about?" I asked with knitted brows.

He unfolded the parchment and held it out.

I looked down and my breath caught. It was a sketch of me.

The man watched my reaction. "Your father gave this to me himself while I was escorting him out of this pack."

I slowly lifted my eyes from the parchment and then it dawned on me.

The man standing before me was Lord Kavanagh.