Silas' mate

Chapter 20: Hazel

Hazel stirred, a throbbing pain pulsing in her shoulder. Disoriented, she blinked against the harsh light that flooded the small, dank cell. Her captors had placed her on a pile of scratchy straw, her hands bound crudely behind her back.

The metallic clang of a heavy door echoed through the cell. A hulking figure stepped into the dim light, his face twisted in a sneer. It was Vance, the alpha of the Black River Pack.

"Well, well," Vance drawled, his voice dripping with amusement. "The little human wakes up. Finally decided to grace us with your presence?"

Hazel glared at him, her jaw clenched tight. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of a response. The memory of the battle was hazy, fragmented. But one thing remained crystal clear – she wouldn't cooperate with this brute.

Vance's amusement seemed to falter. He took a menacing step closer, his shadow looming over her. "Stubborn, aren't we?" he growled. "Perhaps a little persuasion is in order."

He raised a hand, his claws glinting in the dim light. But before he could touch her, a surge of primal energy coursed through Hazel. It was the same raw power she'd felt during the battle, a primal instinct urging her to fight back.

With a strength that surprised even her, Hazel surged forward, twisting in her bonds. She slammed her shoulder into Vance's leg, the injured joint buckling momentarily under the impact.

Vance roared in surprised pain, stumbling back. He glared at her, his eyes burning with fury. But there was a flicker of something else there too – a grudging respect, perhaps, for her unexpected defiance.

"You've got some spirit, little human," Vance snarled. "But that won't save you. Tell me what I want to know, and maybe I'll consider letting you live."

Hazel met his gaze unflinchingly. She wouldn't be intimidated. She may not have been a full werewolf yet, but the connection to the wild burned brightly within her. She wouldn't give him any information that could jeopardize the Crossroads Pack.

Vance circled her like a predator, his movements slow and deliberate. He reached out, his claws scraping against her cheek, drawing a bead of blood.

"Time is running out," he hissed. "Talk. Now."

But Hazel remained silent. She gritted her teeth against the pain, channeling her fear and anger into a silent defiance.

Vance, frustrated by her lack of response, grabbed a handful of straw from the floor and shoved it into her mouth, effectively muffling any scream she might utter.

"We'll see how long you last, little wolf," he sneered, his voice laced with a dangerous promise.

With that, he slammed the cell door shut, plunging Hazel back into darkness. But even in the suffocating silence, Hazel's spirit remained unbroken. She wouldn't give up. She would find a way to escape, a way to warn Silas and the pack.

The fight for her freedom, and the fate of the Crossroads Pack, had just begun.