Chapter 18: Chapter 18

DUSK

Hours had passed, and Seline wasn't back yet. I was alone, scared, and cold; if only she were with me, it would certainly make me feel better.

"How's it in there, sweetie? You seem to be scared." One of the guards teased me, but I ignored him and turned away.

"You should really behave yourself, lady; it all depends on us now. In here, we're the ones you bow to, okay?" The second one said it, but I still didn't spare them a reply.

The dungeon was dark, with only a little light coming from a barred window, and the walls were slimy and gross to touch.

I couldn't even close my nose to block out the rotting smell because I still needed to breathe.

The men burst into laughter when they saw my expression.

"You really thought you could do just anything, right? You silly omega." The other said that, and although I felt angry, I decided not to show it; after all, I was just an omega. A weak and lowly creature.

Then the thought of the competition floated into my mind, and I put my head in my hands. I didn't know what I was going to do about the competition since I was locked away in the dungeon.

The guards went about their normal duties, leaving me when they realised I wasn't going to reply to them, and all was silent for hours until...

"Dusk." A feminine voice called, and I looked up but saw no one.

Who was playing pranks on me?

"Who is it? Who's there?" I asked, and the voice came again, this time stronger.

"Your fear, rooted deep within you, stops you from seeing me." The voice said this and chuckled lightly. I stood to my feet and held the bars of the dungeon.

"Who are you?" I asked, but there was no response. "Come out. Who are you?" I asked again, but it seemed as though I was alone once more.

"Who was that?" I muttered under my breath.

LUCIUS' POV

I sat on the dining table waiting for Father, and after a few minutes, he came and sat opposite me, and I bowed.

"You look a bit down today, Lucius." He said as he used his fork to tackle the meat before putting it into his mouth.

"I'm fine, father, just a little stress here and there." I replied, and he nodded.

"I doubt that's the truth. Something's on that mind of yours." He said, and since he insisted, I decided there was no point in keeping it.

"It does not seem befitting to me that she's in the dungeon. If anything, it's degrading. May I request once more that she be punished my way?" I asked, and he dropped his cutlery loudly.

"Nonsense! She's not going anywhere." He said, and I sighed.

I left the dining hall for my room and paced around there.

“Okay, Lucius, what do we do? This is quite hard." I said to myself. My father was making things quite hard for me, and it was all because he did not like the fact that Dusk was a weak omega. No one liked a weak omega, but my father had a burning hatred for those omegas.

Although I had seen changes in her as she was beginning to adjust and do quite well on her own, it didn't change the fact that her father would always consider her unfit for the throne.

"This is frustrating. She's my mate, and I should be able to do whatever I wish concerning her. This is only degrading." I said to myself and stormed across my room in anger to get my bow and arrow.

I needed to do some hunting; that was what I knew would clear my mind.

"Alpha. You're going hunting? I'm afraid it's quite late." One of the guards said as he followed behind me.

"Is anything too late for me?" I asked, and the only thing he did was call other guards to follow me.

~

The forest was quiet, with the sounds of the creatures of the night mixed up in the air.

The leaves crunched underneath our feet as we walked slowly, listening in on sounds that weren't of insects or birds.

"What can you see?" I asked them, and they squinted to see better.

"I never told anyone to strain their eyes. If you can't see a thing, just leave it, okay? I said, and they nodded.

"I hear something." One of them said, and we all went quiet as we listened to the sounds of something rather large in the distance.

"We split here." I said, and they nodded while I followed in the direction I had heard the large movements.

"Is she still in the dungeon?" I heard one of my men say from afar.

“Yes, she's still there. I just wonder where she got those guts." The second said, and I couldn't explain why I got a bit angry. I started to hunt even the smaller animals. Going to wherever noise was heard and having my arrow chase them swiftly.

I tried to let go of my anger because it always helped me a lot whenever I was angry or feeling too many things at once.

Then I heard the bushes rustle behind me.

"What animal decided to walk right past me into danger?" I asked as I aimed my arrow at the bushes.

In a second, a harmless white rabbit jumped out of the bushes, running as though it already knew it would die.

I was caught off guard, but I immediately regained my posture and aimed my bow at it.

It wasn't as though I needed the rabbit; it was just to make me feel better. I let the arrow fly, and it was a perfect strike.

I went to the rabbit and took it, then I stuffed it into my Hunting bag.

I was just about to turn around to start my journey back home when a strong breeze hit my face and blew my hair backward.

"Lucius." There came a whisper that seemed to echo through the night.