Cruel by nature

Chapter 7

My eyelids flutter open, slowly, heavily. The naked walls of the basement room stares back at me coldly.

I fell asleep, I think to myself before I blink, a frown forming upon my face. My eyelids feel... puffy.

I cried myself to sleep, I realize, not even remembering the last time that happened.

Reaching up to rub the sleep out of my tired eyes, I notice my fingers are freezing cold. Even the air I breathe in seems to be unpleasantly cool, and I wonder how long I've been down here. If the temperature's dropping, I'm guessing it's starting to get dark outside, unless it isn't already.

I start rubbing my hands together in an attempt to get the blood flowing, knowing that I can't stay still any longer. My whole body is chilled to the bone, and I'll be damned if I get hypothermia whilst being indoors. If that isn't ironic, I don't know what is.

Using the wall as support, I force myself to stand up. My knees feel numb and nearly buckle underneath me, but I manage to keep myself upright.

Slowly, I start walking around my small confinement to increase my blood circulation.

I stop mid-step at the sound of a door closing, followed by a pair of footsteps getting closer and closer. Someone's on the other side of the door, and I hold my breath as I hear a key turn in the lock.

A girl peeks her head in, her eyes widening at the sight of me staring right back at her.

"You're up", she says as she recovers from the initial surprise, "good."

I stare at her cautiously, unsure of her intentions. She doesn't look frightening, but knowing that she's probably one of them, looks can be deceiving.

"I'm Bree", the girl introduces herself as she lingers by the door, giving me as much space as possible in this cramped room. "I'm not here to hurt you."

I'm sure she must've noticed how absolutely terrified I am, and even though a part of me appreciates her reassuring words, they give me little to no comfort. I can't trust her.

Her gaze flickers over me, but unlike the previous encounter I had with her kind, her eyes aren't full of hatred, but wonder.

She's curious, I realize. The girl, Bree, is looking at me as if I were an alien. I wonder if it's because I'm human, or if it's because the news of me being her alpha's mate has spread.

"Are you cold?" Bree asks me as she notices my arms wrapped around my body, "you don't look too well." Not trusting my voice, I nod.

Giving me a sympathetic smile, she takes a step to the side and gestures towards the open door. "Let's get out of here and find you some warmer clothes, then."

Noticing my hesitation, Bree gives me a look of encouragement. "C'mon, I'm sure you're tired of being stuck in here anyways."

Slowly, as if almost waiting for her to tell me she's joking, I start walking towards the door. My whole body stiffens as I walk past her, but she doesn't move a muscle, allowing me to walk out of the room.

"This way", she says, guiding me back to the same staircase I walked down hours ago. A knot forms in my stomach as we climb the first set of stairs. What if there's more of her kind upstairs? What if I have to talk to them? Do they hate me as much as their alpha? I realize I must sound like a hypocrite, wondering whether they'll dislike me when my feelings for them are crystal clear.

"Here." We stop all of a sudden, and I blink a few times, bringing myself out of my self-pitying.

Bree's standing in front of a wooden door, and doesn't wait for my reply before opening it, revealing a tidy bedroom on the other side.