Chapter 4

Evelyn Thorne POV:

Martha shoved me into a small, damp room in the Packhouse cellar. The air was thick with the smell of mildew and defeat. A single, hard cot was pushed against one wall. This was an Omega's quarters. This was my new home.

She tossed a bundle of coarse, gray fabric at my feet. It was a servant's uniform. "Your new clothes," she sneered, the word 'Wolfless' a venomous hiss on her tongue. "Work begins before sunrise in the kitchens. Don't be late."

The heavy door slammed shut, and the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed in the small space. I was a prisoner.

I sank onto the lumpy mattress, my body one giant, throbbing ache. The humiliation of the past twenty-four hours pressed down on me, a physical weight threatening to suffocate me. I felt utterly and completely alone, a speck of dust in a hostile universe.

I curled into a tight ball, pressing my face into the musty blanket. I didn't want to cry, didn't want to give them the satisfaction, but the tears came anyway, silent and hot, soaking the rough fabric. *Is there anyone left?* I cried out in the silence of my own mind. *Anyone at all?*

A voice, clear and strong and laced with irritation, exploded in my head.

*"Stop crying. It's loud, and we haven't lost yet."*

My eyes flew open. I shot up, my heart hammering against my ribs as I scanned the empty, shadowed room. There was no one there.

It had to be a hallucination, my grief-addled mind playing tricks on me.

*"I'm not a hallucination, you idiot,"* the voice snapped, even clearer this time. *"I'm in here. With you. I've been awake for a while, but that ridiculous ceremony of yours knocked me for a loop."*

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. An inner wolf? But... they said I was Wolfless. Everyone did.

Hesitantly, I formed a question in my mind. *Who are you?*

*"Who am I? I'm Aries! I'm your wolf! And for the record, this vessel you've provided is a little dense for not figuring out how to let me out, but I am most definitely here."* The voice was vibrant, arrogant, and so full of life it was a stark contrast to the despair that had consumed me.

A dizzying, incredulous joy surged through me. I wasn't Wolfless. I had a wolf! I wasn't broken!

But the euphoria was quickly chased by confusion. *Then why? Why couldn't I shift?*

There was a pause, and I could almost feel her concentrating. *"I don't know,"* Aries said, her tone less certain now. *"It feels... blocked. Like there's a wall between us and the outside. It's weird. I've never heard of anything like it."*

The hope that had flared so brightly dimmed. So I had a wolf, but a useless one. To the pack, I was still the same-a broken thing, a failure.

Aries must have sensed my plunging spirits. *"Hey! None of that,"* she commanded. *"Don't get all gloomy again. The point is, you're not alone anymore. And I can feel it, Evelyn. I'm strong. Stronger than any of those prancing mutts upstairs."*

Her fierce confidence was infectious. A tiny spark of strength ignited within me. We had a secret. A dangerous one. If the Alpha found out I had a wolf I couldn't release, what would he do? He might see me as an even greater abomination.

*We have to keep this a secret,* I told her, my mind racing. *No one can ever know you exist.*

*"Fine,"* Aries grumbled, clearly displeased with the idea of hiding. *"But you have to promise me we'll figure out what's wrong. I have no intention of spending my entire existence cooped up in your skull."*

It was a deal. For the first time since my parents died, I felt a flicker of real hope. I had an ally. I was in hell, but I wasn't in it alone.

I listened as Aries launched into a litany of complaints about the hard bed, the foul air, and the general injustice of our situation. Her indignant chatter was the most comforting sound I had ever heard.

I sat up, wiping the tears from my face, and took a real look at my prison cell. My purpose was clear now. I had to survive. For Ren. For Aries. And for myself. I had to uncover the truth.

*"Oh! I almost forgot!"* Aries exclaimed, her voice suddenly giddy. *"Our Mate! We need to find our Fated Mate! He'll be able to help us! What about the Alpha's son? I remember his scent... it was... interesting."*

The mention of Desmond was a fresh stab of pain.

*Don't talk about him,* I shot back, my mental voice cold and sharp. *And besides, what Fated Mate would want an Omega? A 'Wolfless' girl? The Goddess doesn't give mates to the broken.*

Aries fell silent, sensing the depth of my pain. A moment later, a strange, gentle warmth spread through me, a feeling of being held and comforted from the inside out. It was her. In the suffocating darkness of that cellar, after two long years of aching loneliness, it was the first real hug I'd received.