Colliding Dreams

Chapter Twenty-One: Dark Revelations

*Above is a potrayal of Ulferix*

[Luna's POV]

The room was dim, its walls cold and damp, like they had absorbed the centuries of suffering they'd witnessed. Every breath tasted of iron, a reminder of the battle that led me here. My body felt sluggish, every muscle aching under the strain of the restraints. I shifted slightly, the rough stone floor scraping against my skin. My mind was foggy, fractured memories of the ambush playing over in pieces. Hands had grabbed me, darkness descended, and then nothing.

Now, here I was—alone. Taken from the safety of my pack, from my family. I was trapped, held captive in this suffocating cell, my heart racing with each second that passed without escape.

A soft creak of metal made me freeze. The door swung open slowly, and a figure stepped inside, his broad frame casting long, ominous shadows against the stone walls. I squinted through the dim light, trying to make out his features, but what little I could see of his face was hidden in darkness. What I did recognize, though, was the cold, predatory energy that hung around him, suffocating the air between us.

"Who are you?" I croaked, my voice hoarse and raw from days without water. Fear clawed at my insides, but I forced myself to stay still, to show no weakness.

The man didn't answer right away. He stepped forward, his boots crunching softly against the stone floor, his eyes glinting like sharpened blades in the dim light. Slowly, deliberately, his lips curled into a smile—a smile that sent shivers down my spine.

"You don't recognize me, little wolf?" he asked, his voice low and smooth, yet dripping with malice.

I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. There was something disturbingly familiar about him, but I couldn't place it. His face was a mask of shadow and menace, and yet his presence stirred something deep within me—a sense of dread that went beyond simple fear.

"I know you've been searching," he continued, his voice oozing with an eerie calm. "You've been looking for the truth. About yourself. About your power."

My heart skipped a beat. How could he know that? My search for answers had been a quiet, personal journey—one I'd barely shared with anyone but Darius. How did this man know?

The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. My wolf stirred restlessly within me, urging me to fight, to shift, to do something, anything to protect myself. I closed my eyes, reaching deep into the connection with my wolf, trying to coax her out, to feel the familiar rush of power flooding my veins.

But nothing happened.

I gritted my teeth, focusing harder, willing the shift to take over, but my wolf felt distant, muted, like a part of me had been locked away. Panic gripped me as I tried again and again, but still, I remained human—vulnerable.

The man chuckled, a low, sinister sound that echoed off the stone walls. "You won't be able to shift, little wolf," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "You've been injected with wolfsbane."

The revelation hit me like a punch to the gut. Wolfsbane—the one poison that could weaken even the strongest of Lycans. I had heard stories of its potency, but I'd never experienced it firsthand. Now, it coursed through my veins, suppressing my wolf, trapping me in my human form.

My body tensed, anger rising to the surface as I glared up at the man. "Why? What do you want from me?"

He stepped closer, his face finally coming into the faint light. His features were sharp, his eyes cold and predatory. He looked down at me with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

"Who are you?" I demanded again, the edge of my voice sharper, angrier.

The man tilted his head, his smile widening. "I am Ulferix," he said, his voice a cruel whisper. "The Rogue Alpha."