The guards lead me into the concrete building, and my gaze immediately falls on three other guards and the green-eyed man. “Why am I here?” I ask.

I hate seeing him trapped like this.

“By the Luna’s order, you’re going to help us today.”

“What?! What do you mean?”

Without warning, one guard swings a hammer down onto the green-eyed man’s hand, crushing his fingers.

He cries out in agony, and I scream right alongside him.

Another guard wastes no time, striking him with a multi-strand whip lined with sharp blades.

“Stop!” I shout.

“Stop?” The guard lets out a cold laugh. “These are our enemies. We get information from them by any means necessary.”

A guard grabs my arm and drags me closer to the green-eyed man, pressing a sharp metal tool into my palm. “The Luna commands you to help.”

“No!” I scream.

They force me to stand directly in front of him. Our eyes lock, and I see nothing but calm within his green gaze. Fear is nowhere to be found.

One guard tightens his grip on my hand, driving the pointed tool toward the flesh between his fingers and his nail. He hisses as the metal pierces his skin. I pull back with all my strength, but their hold is unbreakable. I yank my free hand free and rake my nails across the guard’s face. He staggers back, releasing me, and I hurl the tool to the floor.

“NO!” I shout furiously.

The guard I scratched reels around and slaps me hard across the cheek.

“This is your punishment! Now you’ll learn what becomes of those we label enemies.”

He remains strapped to a chair. Fresh bruises cover his body, but he acts as if the blows are nothing he cannot endure.

“The Luna warned us you’d resist. She said if you refuse to follow orders, your punishment will be far worse.”

I glare at the guards while rubbing my stinging cheek. Normally I would hold my temper, but rage boils over inside me now.

“I don’t care what the Luna does! Hurt me all you want, but I will not hurt him! No one deserves to be treated like this!”

One guard gasps at my outburst, while the other two exchange glances.

“What do we do now?” one asks.

“The Luna expected this. She said to make her watch. We don’t have much time tonight, so let’s finish quickly.”

I shake my head, but a guard grabs me from behind, holding me tight so I cannot look away from what they do to him.

I squeeze my eyes shut, yet every sound of his suffering rings loud in my ears.

“STOP!” I struggle against the guard’s grip, but my efforts are useless. They do not halt their torture simply because I beg them to.

“Talk!” the torturer snarls at the green-eyed man.

He stays silent, enduring every strike thrown his way. He cries out and groans at times, but he never breaks, his demeanor remaining steady. It is as if he has grown accustomed to such cruelty.

Tears stream down my face. My heart aches for him. I desperately want to help, but I am completely powerless.

“You feel sympathy for this man? He is our enemy,” the guard holding me says.

“All I see is a person. No sides, no labels, no good or evil. Just a man.”

The torturer draws a knife and points it toward me. “Naive girl. You have no idea what these people are capable of.”

“You’re right. But I see exactly what this pack is capable of!” I retort sharply.

“She’s just sheltered. She knows nothing of the real world,” the guard behind me remarks.

“Sheltered?” I let out a wild, bitter laugh. “Are you serious? This pack is my entire world, and all I have ever known is pain! But I will never do to others what has been done to me!” I spit at the feet of the guard standing before me.

He steps forward and slaps me again. If the other guard had not been holding me up, the force would have sent me flying across the room.

The green-eyed man growls and strains against the chair’s restraints, but the straps hold fast. He is too weak to break free.

“Take her away,” the guard who struck me orders. “She’s useless here. I don’t know what the Luna hoped she’d learn, but…”

He leans in as I lift my head, the taste of blood lingering in my mouth. “She will hear every word of this.”

“Good,” I reply, then spit directly in his face.

“Damn you—” He raises his hand to hit me once more, but the green-eyed man lets out a deep growl and thrashes in his chair, drawing the guard’s attention back to him.

“I said take her back!” the guard snaps, turning his focus to the prisoner.

The man holding me drags me outside and back toward the cells, his grip rough and unkind.

Dash stands up the moment I enter the cell block.

The guard locks me inside my cell and leaves.

“What happened?” Dash asks.

I touch my swollen cheek, then glance toward Quinn and Peter. My eyes linger on their old interrogation wounds, and guilt washes over me for all they have endured. “I’m so sorry,” I say quietly.

They look confused and press me for answers, but I have no desire to talk.

I lie down and try to rest, ignoring their questions. Still, my thoughts keep drifting to the green-eyed man. I barely know him, have spoken to him only a handful of times. He may belong to an enemy pack, but deep down, I cannot bring myself to believe he is cruel.

I close my eyes and eventually drift off to sleep, but my rest does not last. In the middle of the night, guards return once again. They unlock my cell and roughly dump the injured man onto the floor beside me.

“Clean him up, since you’re so fond of him!”

I gasp at the sight of his bloodied body. Pain is clear on his features, yet he still carries himself with unshakable composure.

Another guard sets down a bucket of water and a few cloth rags before leaving, though their footsteps linger in the hallway outside.

Dash lifts his head. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” the green-eyed man answers, as if his injuries are trivial.

Dash nods and settles back down to sleep.

I pick up the rags and glance at him. Being this close makes me uneasy. For all my resolve to look past his status as an enemy, I am sharply aware he is a member of the Dark Fang Pack.

He leans back against the cell bars and slides down to sit on the floor, exhaustion evident in his posture.

I take a deep breath and kneel in front of him to assess his wounds first. His fingers and hands bleed freely. Deep gashes cover his chest and abdomen; the cuts are not fatal, but they must burn terribly. His face bears fresh bruises from the blows he received after I was taken away.

Our kind heals far faster than humans, but injuries like these will still take days to mend, especially with broken bones involved.

I dip a cloth into the water and wring it out gently.

“I’m sorry if this hurts,” I whisper.

He simply watches me, and I cannot read his expression. Still, I do not feel threatened by him in this moment.

I pause abruptly when I realize he is fully exposed right in front of me. Embarrassment pricks at my eyes. I know I should not care about this now, yet I cannot help my reaction. I have seen others shift forms and been around naked men and women before, but never this close.

I grab an extra rag and toss it over his lap to cover him. For a split second, I swear I see him fight back a smile. I quickly look away, burning with embarrassment.

I clear my throat and reach for his arms, which he offers without hesitation. I begin to clean his wounds carefully, and he shows no sign of discomfort at my touch.

This man has endured endless suffering. I notice countless old scars scattered across his skin, far more severe than his fresh injuries.

We stay silent as I tend to his hands, yet I can feel his gaze never leaving me. The awkward tension hangs thick in the air, and I hate it.

“W… What’s your name?” The words tumble out before I can stop myself. I just need to break the heavy silence.

Several long seconds pass before he speaks. I finally lift my head and meet his eyes.

“Alexis,” he says at last.

I nod and look away again. “Alexis.”

I move to clean the cuts on his chest, but he suddenly reaches up and catches my wrist.

I stare up at him. His intense gaze sends a shiver down my spine.

“Why…”

I wait for him to finish.

“Why do you show me such kindness?”

His question catches me off guard. I think of the cruelty I face every day within my own pack.

“Because… no one shows me much kindness either. This is all I have to give, and it costs nothing.”

He looks surprised by my answer. He releases my wrist, then lifts his hand to cup my chin.

His fingers brush across every feature of my face as if searching for something hidden within me. Nerves twist in my stomach, but before anything else can happen, a sharp, stabbing pain bursts in my chest.

I scramble backward until my back hits the cell bars, clutching my chest and stifling a whimper. I know he must have seen my reaction. When I open my eyes, his eyes are wide with realization.

“What…” He trails off, as if he has already figured out the truth.

“Who is doing this to you?”

I draw in a shaky breath. He knows now, and there is no hiding it.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I ask softly, wincing through another wave of pain.

He falls silent, making my nerves worse, then speaks again. “Your mate.”

I close my eyes and nod.

His brows furrow into a deep scowl. “Why does he hurt you like this?”

I hold my chest and wait for the pain to fade before I answer.

I meet his gaze once more. “Because he never wanted me. He hates me.”

Our eyes remain locked. I cannot look away, as if some invisible spell holds me fast.