Penelope's POV
A few minutes earlier, I felt disturbed as a relentless knock banged on my door. I sat up, feeling my body sore and aching. My wrists were still red from the chains, and my body still tingled from the bond. But I forced myself to stand, pulling the robe around my bruised body as I reached the door.
A guard in black stood stiffly, avoiding eye contact. "You... you've implicated Orion," he muttered. "The Alpha found out he helped you escape. The boy's been in the dungeon since yesterday. Alpha is torturing him."
My heart stopped. Orion? I staggered back from the door as the words hit me. Orion. Why hadn't I thought of him? He didn't want to help me. I begged him. I had given him my pitiful story and manipulated him into pitying me. And now he was paying for it.
I felt a surge of guilt and panic. I hadn't even noticed he didn't bring me breakfast. I was too wrapped up in Klaus, too lost in the pain and the bond he had created between us.
"Where is he?" I demanded.
The guard gave me the description, then added, "He's a good friend; you shouldn't have involved him."
The guards blamed me, and he had every right to.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, and that was all he got before I left him there.
The hallways blurred past me as I hurried, barefoot, through the Aurum Wing. Gold-framed portraits blurred past me. Chandeliers swayed slightly above me, and the floor chilled my soles.
My breath rasped as I continued, without a definite plan. All I knew was that the boy must not die because of me.
I lied to the suited guard at the entrance to the lower level, my voice steady. "The Alpha sent for me."
He hesitated but wasn't paid to question direct orders. The door creaked open, and I entered the dungeon, stepping onto cold stones. The scent of blood and damp overtook the air.
I navigated through the dimly lit corridors, counting every turn and every iron door I crossed. The silence was maddening, pierced by faint echoes and the sound of chains rattling... then I heard a soft cry.
My attention snapped to my left, and I saw him. From the far end of a corridor, I froze. Klaus stood over Orion's beaten body, dragging a knife over his skin like a toy. Orion didn't even scream anymore; he just shuddered.
Klaus whispered something to him, but I couldn't hear from where I was. My wolf was sleeping again, damn it.
I felt my heart plummet at the sight before me. Orion didn't deserve this. If anyone should be right there, it was me. I implicated him.
When should I step in? I didn't want to think too much because Klaus was unpredictable. He could kill Orion anytime.
My attention divided as a guard came to fetch Klaus. "Alpha, Lord Kareem seeks your presence..." I couldn't hear more. I just wanted Klaus to leave so I could do something.
My pulse thundered as I pressed myself flat against the wall, breath held, as Klaus walked past.
I felt his presence, the bond tightening. But I was careful, letting my thoughts go blank. I thought he would smell me, notice me, or sense me. How was it possible that he passed and didn't? I didn't overthink it. Once his footsteps vanished, I didn't head to Orion. Instead, I followed Klaus silently, even letting the guard think we were together. I needed to be sure he was going far enough to carry out my plans without interruption.
Once Klaus was settled in the meeting, I ought to leave immediately, but his father's words caught my attention. They had hunters captured and were going to kill them? If you were in a desperate situation like mine, you would understand why I did what I did next.
I pivoted and bolted to Cell Delta. That's where he said the werewolf hunters were. He had even mentioned where he kept the keys. I felt both stupid and wise for making this decision, but it was the only chance I had to escape.
As I made my way to Cell Delta, a memory slipped in. One that I had never shared with anyone before. I was fifteen, still naive and stupid, when a pack member I thought I trusted ordered me to follow him to a stream, needing my assistance. But instead, he had tried to force himself on me. I thought he was going to succeed, but my scream was heard, and a hunter saved me.
He was a man with silver in his hands and sorrow in his eyes. I thought he would kill me too after he introduced himself as a werewolf hunter, but he didn't. He killed the wolf and told me to run, to say nothing to anyone to avoid getting killed. Nobody ever traced the member's death to me. I never forgot. That was a hunter who had shown me humanity that my kind had never shown me before.
And now... I had to return the favor. They would help me escape. My lungs ached as I ran, but I didn't stop. Couldn't stop. Of course, I remembered Orion, but I could only hope for him to fight for his life until I got these hunters to save us both. The sound of his choked breathing still echoed in my skull.
I rounded the corner that led to the old weapons vault, where they stored things they didn't want used. Where guards used to hang the keys to Cell Delta. That's where I was going. I prayed they hadn't changed the location. There was no guard posted. That felt good. The place was tucked away, nearly forgotten, like a buried bone no one cared to sniff anymore. But the steel door was locked.
I knelt, my heart hammering as I dug my nails into the thin gap beneath it. Please. Please, be there. My fingers scraped metal, then stone, then something coarse like a cloth? I hooked it with my pinkie and tugged gently. It was an apron, blood-stained. From a dungeon assistant? I didn't care. I grabbed it and pulled until the edge of the door creaked open just enough for me to slip in.