“Why are you doing this to me Cecily? I've never done anything bad to you.” I say weakly after spitting out the blood in my mouth.

“Your existence in itself is a nuisance to me. You don't deserve to live and you certainly don't deserve to be queen. I would make a better queen” she said the last part smugly

“You are doing all this just to have Mason and be the queen?” I asked

“You're small minded. Yes I did want Mason once, but he's too blinded by you to see anyone else. So I've given up on him. I'll just steal the throne for myself” she said evilly

After telling me her reason, she wastes no time beating me up until I pass out from the pain and feeling weak. Zach just stood there and watched. He didn't even feel bad for me. Years of lying to me that he loved me and this is what I get.

I've stopped hearing from my wolf since she gave me my first six doses of wolfsbane before the torture started. I can barely remember what she sounds like.

Her last punch knocks me out. I don't know how long I slept for or what happened while I was unconscious before she came back for more.

“Wake up, Belle. You don't get to die just yet”

I wake up feeling disoriented. I look around to see I'm still in the pack's dungeons, chained to the walls.

I hear voices from the cell close to mine and hear his voice. He shouldn't be here. I know they wouldn't hesitate to kill Mason. He would die and it would be all my fault.

Knowing Mason, he must have given himself up willingly to save me. His blood would be on my hands and I can't stop it from happening.

I struggled with my chains. Trying to break free so I can save him from my personal hell. With each struggle, the silver chains dig deeper into my skin weakening me further.

“Mason. You shouldn't be here. Why did you come to rescue me? You should have run when you had the chance” I said to him weakly.

“How could I live knowing you are in danger.” He smiled at me like we were having a picnic rather than being chained to a wall with bruises all over his body.

He loves me. I know that now. Seeing him here, chained to these walls, accepting that he might die with me makes me realise that.

I treated him badly the last few years of our lives, but when push came to shove, he didn't hesitate to put his life in danger for me.

“I hate you so much. Why are you doing this to me?” I whisper knowing he could hear me

“I love you and I can't live in a world without you in it.” he said back weakly

“Then stop loving me and save yourself!” I yelled weakly at him

“You know I can't do that” Mason shook his head at me

“I don't want to die with your face as the last thing I see. Why did you come to save me? I don't need you to save me. Stop acting like a hero” I cry pathetically

I say all of this to mean things to him to make them think I hate him so they'd release him. I'd rather have him hate me if he meant he lives.

“I’m here because I love you and because you are my mate. Wherever you are, that's where I'll be too” Mason said

“Mason_” I whisper as tears stream down my eyes. The pain was excruciating.

“How pathetic. You are finally confessing your feelings for each other. Too bad it's before you're both injected with wolfsbane and silver” Cecily said looking at the both of us while waving the syringe at our faces.

“What are we waiting for exactly? Let's get it over with” Zach said impatiently

“why don't you take me and let her go?” Mason said

“As tempting as that offers sounds, I'm not really interested” Cecily replied

“Please, I'm begging you. I'll do anything” Mason begged profusely

“Awn I made a king beg little ol' me.” Cecily replied sarcastically.

Realising his begging wasn't getting to her, he finally gave up, but what he said next is what broke my heart.

“I love you Belle. I want you to always remember that.” He paused and took a deep breath before he continued “I Mason Smart reject you Belle Asher as my mate and future queen”

“Mason” I cry as my heart shatters and feel the mate mark on my neck burn.

“Yawn* on three?” Zach said

“Three” Cecily replied and they both injected us with wolfsbane and silver, since we were already weak, that was what finally killed us.

I looked at Mason as I took my last breath and watched as he took his. My last thoughts were to take my revenge on them both in my next life.

***

“I don't want to die with your face as the last thing I see. Why did you come to save me?”

“I love you Belle. I can't live in a world without you in it”

“I Mason Smart reject you Belle Asher as my mate and future queen”

I feel tears stream down my eyes. Tears that almost felt real.

My eyes were closed. I am trapped in that nightmare where I lost it all. I grip the sheets with all my might. Fearing that it might be happening again. I feared that I was about to watch him die all over again.

It felt like my personal hell. It felt like the moon goddess punishment for me, for treating my mate the way I did. If this was my hell, then I deserved it.

I feel eyes on me. The deathly stare shocked me awake. I wake up abruptly only to see ruthless and possessive eyes dead set on me.

It was him. Mason. I thought I lost him.

I pinch myself to ensure I wasn't seeing things or in the afterlife.

“Mason.. h-how..” I start to say