"I didn't let you do it. How could a weak girl like you be a 'creator'? Is this another trick from that useless fly, Kyle?"
He didn't hide his annoyance, radiating uncontrolled power and an aura of murderous intent.
Eris gulped. It was her last chance, and she knew she had to take it. With rare determination in her eyes, she spoke the words she had rehearsed thousands of times in the darkness of her prison, clear and decisive.
"It's not a trick… I can cure you, but in exchange, you must take me with you."
The next thing she felt was a strong hand tightening around her neck. She didn't see it coming, nor did she hear it. The difference between their races was overwhelming.
Aleksi's grip was so tight that Eris could barely breathe. The air was sucked from her lungs, and her throat closed under the pressure. But more terrifying than the suffocation was the fear—the helplessness of being prey. Every attempt to gulp the air was in vain, and her body tensed with the chilling sense that the end was near.
But she couldn't give up now. She couldn't let it all end like this.
Despite the suffocating hold, Eris gritted her teeth and she focused her gaze on Aleksi's gray eyes, those eyes that, despite everything, seemed to hold something more than disdain—perhaps curiosity, or even a hint of doubt.
"What do you know?" he grew led, tightening his grip, his fingers pressing into the delicate skin of her neck. He stared at her, disbelief mingling with his fury. He couldn't understand how a weak girl like her could hold the answer to something that had tormented him for so long. That perfume, that strange scent he had been chasing—was she the key?
With trembling lips and her vision blurring, Eris barely managed to whisper the words she had rehearsed in her mind.
"The wolf…" She tried to swallow, but it was useless. She was sweating, her heart pounding so loudly it almost drowned out everything else. But she pressed on. "The fearsome wolf still doesn't get it? Isn't it a little disappointing that the villain everyone fears is so blind?"
Aleksi lifted her into the air, and she could only hold on to his grip with all her remaining strength. She couldn't show weakness to him either. She had to provoke him, show him her value, and let him see she was more than just a fragile, helpless body.
"I gave you a clear message… if you want to heal, find me… Wasn't that enough?" Her words came out as a weak whisper, barely audible, but I heard them clearly.
The pressure of his hand around her neck loosened slightly, but not enough to offer her any real relief.
Doubt crept into his mind. He had sensed something strange in her scent, something that made part of him believe what she was saying, but another part still stinging from her audacity—resisted. Who did she think she was?
Eris, on her part, felt like she was on the verge of death. Her fragile body could hardly withstand even a simple push from this man. Yet, she fought to maintain her composure, to keep speaking, because she knew this was her only chance: to convince him.
"So, wolf? Will you accept my offer, or wait for someone else to notice your weakness?"
Aleksi inhaled deeply again, the perfume he had longed for clinging to her. But there was something else, something hidden beneath it, familiar, intoxicating. An ominous sensation began to stir in his chest. Would it be possible? No, he couldn't accept it. He wouldn't.
"What are you?"
"Free me from this prison, and I will answer your questions, little wolf."
"Speak." His voice was low, a growl, thick with menace. "I'm not in the mood for your games."
Eris tried to draw a breath, but her vision was fading to black. Aleksi had loosened his grip, but her body had already reached its breaking point. Defying him while pushing her exhausted body to the limit had drained her more than she realized.
Memories of bad endings came flooding back, making her shiver. It was over. She couldn't do it. She wouldn't be able to convince him. She had no tangible proof. No way to make him believe her.
And now, her body had betrayed her, her muscles contracting, unable to stop the paralyzing fear that consumed her. She saw, in her mind, the cruel punishments from her brother: the beatings, the hunger, the filthy water. Those memories seemed like nothing compared to what would come next.
"I… saw you… please…"
Without warning, Aleksi released his grip, dropping her to the floor with a heavy thud. Eris gasped for air, her hands instinctively clutching her neck as she tried to recover her breath. Her body had nothing left to give. Her dress clung to her sweaty skin, her legs trembling as though they were made of jelly.
"What were you saying?" Aleksi's voice had shifted, no longer a furious roar, but a low, dangerous growl. "What do you know?"
Barely able to stay upright, Eris looked at the Alpha, the man whose name she had feared and revered in equal measure. His gaze was intense, focused entirely on her, making her feel small, vulnerable—but also giving her a chance she couldn't afford to waste.
"I can… cure you," she rasped. "But if you don't act soon… the disease will worsen… It will spread… the doom of your pack…"
Eris could hardly speak. Every word felt like a struggle, but she had to make him understand. He had to see in her a solution, a lifeline. And yet, at the same time, she needed him not to uncover her deception.
"Don't waste my time, girl. If you can't do it, you'll pay the price." His tone was cold and unyielding, but there was something else—subtle, almost imperceptible—a flicker of doubt lingering just beneath the surface.
Pain coursed through Eris's body and mind. With great effort, she swallowed hard. "I can do it... but... I need something in return." Her words were barely a whisper, a plea disguised as a challenge. "Take me with you. Get me out of here. I... I can't... bear it anymore. I can't... live in this place..."
A long silence stretched between them, dense and heavy. Eris watched Aleksi, who remained motionless, his face impassive, but his eyes... those grey eyes... seemed to grow deeper, more cautious. He measured her words, weighing the offer. Something in her gaze made him hesitate.
Finally, Aleksi took a step back. "Why should I trust you? You're just a child..." His tone was less certain now. "What makes you think I'll do what you ask?"
"I'm not a child." Eris coughed, struggling to breathe, as though the air itself was a luxury she could no longer afford.
Aleksi frowned and took a step towards her. Eris held his gaze, unwavering, her eyes searching for answers she had never received. Was this real? Was it possible that this girl held the cure?
"Don't waste my time, girl. If you can't do it, you'll pay."
His voice was still harsh, but the spark of doubt lingered, crackling through the facade of his authority.
Eris, her body and mind teetering on the edge, fought to stay conscious. "I can do it... but... I need something in return." Her words were barely a whisper, a plea disguised as a challenge. "Take me with you. Get me out of here. I... I can't... bear it anymore. I can't... live in this place..."
Once again, the silence between them grew, thick and oppressive. This time, Eris sensed something different in Aleksi's posture. His eyes grew darker, more calculating. The Alpha was considering her offer, but still, there was hesitation.
Finally, he took a step back. "Why should I trust you? You're just a girl..." His tone was no longer as confident. "What makes you think I'll do what you ask?"
"It's your last chance... it's the last chance for both of us... please."
Aleksi studied her for a long minute, observing every movement, every word she spoke. She wasn't lying. She didn't seem to be playing with him. Something in her stance, the steadiness of her gaze, made him falter.
Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, as if making a decision that weighed on him. He approached her with firm steps, took her arm—but this time, not with force, but with a strange gentleness.
"Okay," he murmured, almost as though he were agreeing with himself. "You have a chance. But if you lie to me… you won't have a pleasant ending."
Eris felt a fleeting relief, a spark of hope lighting up in her chest. Maybe, just maybe, she had a chance to escape her fate. But the price of that freedom would be higher than she could ever imagine.
She had done it.
It was the last thought she had before she passed out.