Chapter 8

Violet's POV

I watched the guards tying up Ryker's wrist with a chain, and suddenly a fist of one of the guards collided with Ryker's face. I gasped in shock.

Stop please, I cried, rushing to the dungeon burglary, tears streaming down my cheeks as Ryker groaned in pain.

“Ah!” I cried loudly, the sound of my voice breaking through the chaos, piercing the air as if I could tear through the heavy, suffocating silence that surrounded me. My entire body shook as I watched Ryker flinch from another hit. The guard’s fist collided with his face again, and I couldn’t stop the scream from tearing itself out of me.

Blood. It stained his skin, his chest, his lips—a reminder of the violence that was meant to break him. But even through the blood, I saw that fire in his eyes, the one thing I knew could never be extinguished. But God, the sight of him, helpless, bound, broken, it was unbearable.

“No!” I shouted, feeling my chest constrict with every agonizing moment. My hands pressed against the cold, unforgiving bars of the dungeon, trying to will them to bend, to break, anything that could give me a way to get to him. To save him.

I didn’t care how I looked, or how weak I was in the face of these men. My feet were moving before my mind could catch up, and I was fighting, struggling against the chains of helplessness that seemed to bind me tighter with each second.

“Please, stop! Stop hurting him!” My voice was a raw plea, desperate, and it didn’t even make the guards flinch. They were enjoying it. They were relishing in his suffering, mocking him, as if it meant nothing.

“Get out of the way, girl,” one of the guards spat, his voice dripping with malice. He shoved me aside, my body stumbling, and my hands reached out for something—anything—to steady myself. But I had nothing. No strength to stop them.

I was powerless.

But Ryker... Ryker was everything to me. Even in his pain, I saw it—the defiance, the resilience in his eyes. He wasn’t going to let them win. And I... I couldn't just stand here and do nothing.

The thought of him enduring any more of this—of seeing him broken like this—spurred something cold and furious inside me. It was more than just anger. It was a primal need to do something, anything, to fight back.

I took a shaky breath and turned to the dungeon door, my fingers reaching for the cold metal lock that kept me imprisoned in this suffocating space. I couldn't just watch. I couldn't let them take him away from me.

“Open the damn door,” I hissed under my breath, my hands trembling with both fear and determination. I yanked the lock open, and with a sharp creak, the door swung wide. My heart hammered in my chest, but I couldn’t hesitate. I couldn’t think.

I stepped into the cold, stone hall of the dungeon, my eyes locked on Ryker. His face was a mask of blood, sweat, and determination. His body was still chained to the wall, but there was something in the way he held himself. Something that made me believe he wasn’t lost yet. Not completely. Not while I was still here.

I took a step toward him, my hands reaching out, but the moment I was close enough, one of the guards pushed me roughly to the ground.

“No!” I cried the wind knocked out of me as my palms scraped against the cold stone floor. My heart ached.

But then I heard it—Ryker’s voice, strained, filled with pure rage.

“Violet!” he shouted, his voice hoarse, his chest heaving with exertion.

The guards had pushed me down in an instant, but I could feel it—he was angry. Ryker, beaten and broken, was still fighting for me. For us. I saw the fury in his eyes, the same rage that had been there from the beginning. The way he’d always fought for what he loved.

"Don’t touch her!" he yelled, his voice ragged but fierce. With a strength that surprised even me, Ryker jerked against the chains that held him in place. The force of his movement made him stumble forward, his body straining against the restraints.

“Ryker, no!” I shouted, panic lacing my voice. But it was too late. The guards had already seen his movement, and with quick, harsh motions, they slammed him back against the wall.

The impact reverberated in the air, and I winced, feeling the pain in my chest. But Ryker didn’t give up. He fought against the guards, his eyes blazing with fury as he struggled to break free.

“You think you can break me?” he growled, his voice filled with raw defiance. “You’ll have to do a hell of a lot more than this.”

One of the guards sneered and raised his fist again. But Ryker was too quick. With a grunt, he jerked his body sideways, using the momentum to knock the guard off balance. He swung, his fist landing a blow that connected with the guard’s jaw. The force was enough to stagger the man, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet.

The other guard immediately stepped forward, grabbing Ryker by the throat and slamming him back into the stone wall. My heart stopped as Ryker gasped for air, his body trembling.

I couldn’t let this happen. I couldn’t let him be tortured like this.

“Enough!”

The moment the cold, commanding voice filled the room, I felt my body go rigid. The force behind it was undeniable, the power in those words making the air shift, heavy and suffocating. I reached for the door, my fingers trembling as I leaned against it, trying to steady myself. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and rage.

I knew that voice.

Alpha Aaron.

I hated him. I hated everything about him—the way he sent his guards to torment us, the way he watched, detached like he was enjoying our suffering. And yet, now, he stood there, acting as if he were somehow a saviour. As if his presence could calm the storm he had caused. I couldn't even begin to fathom what he wanted now.

With the slightest of motions, he gestured for his guards to step back. The room was charged with silence, a heavy, ominous stillness that made my breath catch in my throat.

"Enough," Alpha Aaron said again, his voice colder now, a frigid command that sent a shiver down my spine. His gaze flicked briefly to me, but it was Ryker who had his full attention now.

I could see Ryker, barely standing, his face bruised and bloodied, but there was still that fire in his eyes. That fire refused to die.

Alpha Aaron took a step forward, his posture regal, almost indifferent to the chaos around him. "Who sent you to my pack?" The question was simple enough, but the weight behind it was anything but.

Ryker didn’t answer. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, his gaze unwavering despite the pain. He was defiant. Stubborn. But I could see the weariness in his eyes too. The fatigue of someone who had been pushed to the edge, yet still refused to break.

Aaron's eyes narrowed as he took another step closer, his presence towering over Ryker. “You’re wasting my time,” he said coldly, raising his hand to signal to the guards again.

One of the guards stepped forward, his fist clenched. Before I could stop myself, I shouted, “Stop! Just stop!”

My voice echoed through the room, stronger than I felt.

Aaron's eyes flicked to me, that same indifferent look in his gaze. He said nothing, but I could feel the slight shift in the tension. The guards hesitated, their hands still raised, waiting for his orders.

I couldn’t let this continue. I couldn’t watch Ryker be beaten any more, not when I knew there was more to this. I didn’t know why, but I had to know. I had to understand what was going on.

"Ryker," I whispered, my voice breaking through the silence, softer now, but still pleading. “Please, just tell him. It’ll stop. Just... tell him.”

Ryker’s eyes flickered to me, his expression unreadable for a long moment. His chest heaved as he fought to catch his breath, his body still trembling. And then, as if deciding something in the silence, he let out a long, agonized sigh.

“I came to see Violet," he said, his voice raspy and strained. "She’s supposed to be my mate.”

The room seemed to freeze at that moment.

What?

The words echoed in my mind, louder than anything else in the room. My heart stopped, and a cold chill crept down my spine. My eyes locked onto Ryker's, searching for some hint of a joke, some trace of deception—but there was nothing. He was serious.

I couldn’t breathe.

“What...?” I whispered, the word barely leaving my lips. The realization was slow to sink in, but when it did, it hit like a tidal wave. “You came... to see me?” My voice trembled, disbelief lacing every syllable.

Ryker met my gaze, his eyes filled with something raw and honest, something I hadn’t expected. “Yes,” he answered simply. “I came because you’re my mate. I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“You must be crazy, Ryker!”