"What the hell is she saying?" That was the only thought in Zayn's mind.
"Is she saying we're not even in Zephyr?" Zayn pondered, trying to make sense of the woman's words.
"Shadow Grave," Zayn repeated in his mind. "But I've never heard about that," he thought.
And she's saying the only thing that awaits us is death. Well, he doesn't care much about that.
For the last five years, he's just lived with the flow, without any dreams or strong will to live like everyone here.
He doesn't even know what to do with his life; that's why he decided to awaken in the first place.
He's going to die. So what?, he doesn't care.
Everyone here will die, he doesn't give a single fuck about that.
But Luna...No!
The only thing he cares about in this whole world is Luna.
You can ask whether he doesn't care if Iris or Derek died. The answer is no.
Because he knows they can take care of themselves on their own.
If he dies and leaves her alone in this place, he doesn't even want to imagine the terrible things that could happen to her.
No matter what, he's not going to leave her alone in this place.
That is the moment he made a promise to himself: He is going to save her, no matter the cost.
"Okay, it looks like everyone is calmed down," a seductive voice cut through his thoughts.
"I am Bella, the 3rd seat of the vampire council," she declared confidently.
"You guys want to live, right?" she asked
The answer is complete silence.
"Do you guys want to live or not?" she asked again, her tone turning serious.
Everyone nodded their heads like mindless dolls.
"Then I will tell you what to do," she said, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention.
"There is a game called the harvest of souls here, which is conducted by the vampire council," she explained.
"There are 50 people in this prison cell, and there are another 4 cells like this with an average of 45-50 people in each," she elaborated.
"Everyone will participate in the game, and the people who reach the top 10 will live," she announced.
"Then what will happen to the others?" a voice came from the prison cell.
"Simple, they will die," she sighed and shook her head, as if she didn't understand why someone would ask such a stupid question.
Hearing this, everyone's body quivered in fear.
"Don't worry about it too much. If you want to live, just make it to the top 10," she reassured
"I'm the owner of everyone in this cell. From now on, everyone inside this cell is mine," she declared with authority.
"The other 4 cells will be owned by the other 4 members of the council," she added, explaining the distribution of authority within the prison complex.
"Before the game starts, I need someone for the trial round," she said, looking around to find a volunteer.
"Who should I pick?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion
"Right, who is the one that questioned me when I was speaking?" she inquired, scanning the room to identify the individual.
Everyone turned towards the corner and looked at a boy with ice blue eyes and dark black hair.
Luna came in front of Zayn, shielding him from the others' gazes. But Zayn pulled her back, and told her to not do anything.
"So, it's you, huh? You have a pretty face and a well-toned body. You're perfect," she remarked, eyeing the boy.
"Can I refuse?" Zayn asked.
"Yeah, no problem. If you don't come, I'll just choose the girl next to you. She seems young and quite important to you. Are you okay with that?" she asked with a smirk, enjoying the situation.
The moment her gaze landed on Luna, Luna's body shook in terror.
"No, I accept," he said reluctantly.
"Good, now come here," she commanded, gesturing him to approach.
Zayn sighed and stood up. But before he could move, someone hugged him from behind tightly, as if not wanting to let him go.
Zayn turned back, gently removing Luna's hands. But she hugged him tightly once again.
"Please, don't go brother," she stuttered, her voice filled with worries.
"Oh, only times like this you call me brother," he teased her trying to lift the mood.
But nothing happened.
"Hey, shortie, look at me," he told her in a serious tone, gently coaxing her to meet his gaze.
She raised her head, and their ice-blue eyes met each other's gaze.
"I can't do anything about this situation, but I can promise you one thing. I will come back to you no matter what, so don't worry," he said with a smile.
She always did whatever she could to make him smile, but now he was smiling without her doing anything.
Instead of feeling happy, tears started to fall from her eyes.
She nodded her head and let go of him.
"Good girl," he patted her head.
"Don't treat me like a kid," she pouted in response
"Okay" he raised his hand in surrender and turned back.
He then walked towards the door. When he came near it, it opened automatically with a creaking sound. Stepping outside, he stood before Bella.
The moment he came outside, the door locked itself again.
"Shall we go?" she asked
"Hmm" he nodded his head.
Slap
She slapped him with enough force to leave a mark of her hand on his white cheek.
"You guys are nothing but slaves now. So don't talk to me casually. Address me as a master from now on. Do you understand?" Bella commanded, her tone cold and authoritative.
"Zayn!" Luna shouted and ran towards him, but he raised his hand and gestured for her to stop, indicating that she shouldn't do anything.
"Do you understand?" Bella asked again as she increased the pressure.
"Yes, master," he nodded obediently
"That's good to hear. I like you," she patted his head as if he were a puppy.
"Now follow me," she instructed and gestured him to come.
He nodded and followed her .