Chapter 459
Suki:
I had passed out and had been moved to another room. Being unconscious and not in my senses felt different now. It reminded me of being dead.
When I started to wake up, I forced myself to become fully aware. As I opened my eyes, they lingered around the room for a second. I could not remember exactly what had happened.
I was about to feel relieved, thinking it had only been a nightmare, until I felt something heavy around my wrist.
I turned my head to the side and realized the single bed I was tied to was not actually a bed. It was a mattress on the ground, with my hands cuffed and attached to the wall.
“What the fuck is going on?” I shouted.
“Hey, set me free!” I screamed, trying to get the attention of anyone who might come to answer me or let me go.
“They’re not going to listen to you,” a voice came from the dark corner of the room, and my heart jumped into my throat.
I blinked several times, trying to focus, and that was when I saw someone sitting there.
“Who are you?” I demanded. “Why are you tied here p>
I was losing my mind. Where the fuck had I been trapped? Were these human traffickers, or something else? I had no clue.
“I’m Leysa,” she replied. “Clementine’s sister p>
Another shock hit me. Hearing that name alone was bad enough, but realizing her sister was tied up here made everything worse. Anxiety settled deep in my chest. If her sister was trapped here, I had no chance of getting free.
“Wait, why the fuck are we here?” I asked. “And why am I tied up p>
The one thing that bothered me was how calm she seemed. She was not panicking like I was. I did not know if she failed to understand how dangerous this was or if she had been here so long that she had accepted it.
“They tricked me,” Leysa explained. “They told me I was going to marry Alpha Yorick, that he wanted to marry me. It happened weeks ago, maybe even months. I don’t remember. I just know I’ve been tired since then. These people don’t care p>
As she spoke, explaining how she ended up here, I shook my head and laughed at myself.
“No,” I muttered. “That’s not going to happen to me. I’ll get out of here. I came to ask him for a rejection, but he fucking drugged me p>
My mouth went dry as I spoke. My tongue felt stuck, and I could barely get the words out.
“So they gave you the same excuse,” Leysa remarked. “That Yorick wanted to marry you. It looks like they’ve been luring innocent women with that promise. And judging by you, it seems like many have fallen for it p>
She paused, studying me.
“But I don’t understand why you would fall for it, Oriana,” she continued. “If I remember correctly, you’ve always been troublesome. Why fall for something so simple p>
Before I could answer, the door opened. I jumped so hard I hit my head and scrambled back, slamming into the wall behind me.
The door swung wider, and in walked Yorick.
“I’ll answer that,” he said. “I never promised her marriage. No one did. She fucking lied. She lied about my character. She accused me of things I never did and forced herself on me, trying to marry me. Since she wanted to be here so badly, here she is p>
As he spoke, angry and annoyed, he turned on the light. That was when I finally saw Leysa clearly. She looked like Clementine, just as pretty, but her eyes were sunken, as if she had not been eating.
“That’s a lie,” I screamed. “You forced yourself on me p>
I thought that maybe making him feel guilty would make him help me.
“Oh, Oriana, you’re still going to lie?” Yorick sneered, stepping toward me. “Who are you fooling, huh? Leysa? Are you afraid she’ll judge you? You should be more afraid of me being angry with you. She can’t do anything, but I can harm you p>
I never thought he would turn out like this. Did the accusation affect him that badly? But Leysa had said she had been here for months, so it could not have been the reason he lost control. He had always been like this. I just had not seen it before.
Even back at the academy, no one would have expected him to be like this. If Clementine could not figure it out, then no one else would have either.
“Wait, I remember,” I said, changing my approach. Of course, he was right. Why was I so worried about what Leysa would think? I was tied up, and the only one who could let me go, save me, or protect me was Yorick. I had to say the right things.
“Really?” Yorick asked, squatting down and tilting his head. “What do you remember p>
The way his eyes narrowed sent chills through me.
“It was the Shadow Earth eater,” I said quickly. She still had an effect on me. “And listen, before you say anything p>
He started chuckling, shaking his head in disappointment.
“No, no, please listen,” I begged. “I promise you, when I was in the tunnels, the Shadow Earth eater told me to kill all of you. That’s when I realized she still had control over me, but it was very weak. I fought it. I killed her instead p>
I tried my best to come up with an excuse, but the more I spoke, the more he chuckled and shook his head, which only made me more tense.
“Oh, Oriana,” he said softly, stopping his laughter. “Why are you still talking? Nobody cares anymore. I don’t p>
He snapped his head toward Leysa, who was sitting in the opposite corner.
“You must have noticed Leysa already,” he continued calmly. “She didn’t do anything to me, so don’t worry. I’m not punishing you because of the accusation. There’s no excuse left that can save you p>
His voice stayed soft, and that scared me even more.
“No, listen, please,” I cried. “I promise you, I’m innocent p>
He stared at me without reacting.
“Why is she still talking?” Yorick asked Leysa, with disbelief on his face.
As he started to stand up, I realized this was my last chance.
One last plan.
“Clementine would never forgive you for this,” I said.