Hell.

Selene~

I blinked twice, processing what had just happened. The door had opened, and behind it, a figure stood.

"My dear, you came." She repeated. Her face was hidden by her silver hair. But it was her eyes that attracted my attention.

Crimson red. Just like Damien.

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Numerous thoughts started to cloud my mind.

Who is she?

Her eyes...it matched with his.

Could she be his...?

I shook my head jerking all the thoughts. If she was what I thought, why Damien did not mention about it?

I still hesitated to go in with I felt a grip on my hand. My eyes snapped at her but before I could pull myself from her grip she pulled me. A small scream escaped out of my mouth.

My mind went numb and it took a few moments to process everything. I glanced around.

It was a shabby room. Clothes and other things were scattered around while the windows were hidden by the dark curtains making the surroundings depressing.

I turned to see the woman. She stood there still. Her eyes bored into mine as the corner of her lips curved into a small smile.

"Miss, let me..go." I tried hard but could not help but stutter.

She did not say anything and kept staring. The air started to thicken up. The atmosphere became tense making it difficult to breathe.

My gaze observed her from head to toe. She wore a red sheer gown. The bottom of the gown was torn and dirty. While the sleeves of the gown slipped down her shoulder exposing her bare chest.

Her silver hair was tasseled and dirty vanishing their shine.

Her body was thin almost like a wooden stick. Even the slim layer of skin could not hide her bones from protruding.

She surely must have been starved for a long while.

My hands got sweaty as I fisted them not knowing what to do. I still contemplated in my mind when I cleared my throat before I spoke.

"Miss, can you tell me your name?" I tried to keep my voice softer to not scare her.

She blinked as if she could not understand what I was saying.

I again repeated my question taking a step ahead, not sure how to approach her. At first moment, I was scared but now...I felt something for her.

Pity. Maybe.

Seeing her condition, I could not help but be curious to know what happened to her.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment as I took a few deep breaths to keep my calm.

I tried to make a way to her but before I could even reach her, she moved in other direction. Her movements were faster than I expected.

She seemed anxious. Her breaths were uneven as her widened eyes watched me.

"I...I don't intend to hurt you." I immediately cleared my intention. Her rigid body relaxed as the words echoed in the room.

I sighed in relief. Getting more motivation to approach her, I introduced, "My name is Selene, and could you tell me yours?"

She blinked as she scratched her head. Confusion was evident in her eyes. Slowly her confusion started to turn into frustration which led her to feel agitated.

Her eyes not focusing on one thing but roaming in the whole room. Her body started to tremor.

A gasp escaped from my mouth. Unexpectedly, she started to scream. My body went rigid.

Oh God! What is happening to her?

I shouldn't have come here.

I scolded myself when screams turned into sobs. The cries were mortifying as if she poured all her pain into her cries.

I still tried to come up with an idea when I heard some commotion from the outside. My whole body froze.

"Hey! Stop crying." A female's voice echoed from the other side.

Someone was coming.

As the realization hit, I looked around the whole room. The room only consisted of a small bed and a wooden wardrobe. The wardrobe was too small to hide in it. Also, the risk was higher if I hid there.

The bed had enough space beneath it. Not wasting any moment, I got down and slid myself beneath the bed.

After collecting the fabric of my gown, I stilled. I slowed my breathing as a clinking sound fell into my ear. I covered my mouth with my other hand, as my gaze fell on the person entering into the room.

It was the same girl who I saw with Maya. The moment she entered, she hissed seeing that woman.

"Stop it, you brat!" She sneered as she walked in that woman's direction.

The woman's cries turned into low sobbing.

The servant drew a sharp breath as she murmured something under her breath.

She held the woman by both her shoulders as she almost dragged her on the bed.

The woman kept resisting but she did not budge.

Her face did not carry even a hint of sympathy for the woman. She threw her on the bed as the woman fell with a thud. I pulled myself not risking her to notice me.

"You little witch!" She snapped as silence followed. I could sense the woman with silver hair stopped moving.

Only the voice of sniffing could be heard when I saw the female servant retrieving a small crystal bottle.

The liquid in it was dark. I felt anything but right about it. The moment, the female servant opened the cap of it, a black smoke escaped from the bottle.

She held the bottle in one hand while she grabbed the woman with another. She forced her to drink as she spat, "Yes, drink it whole."

The corner of her lips curved into something sinister. A shiver ran down my spine seeing the whole event happening in front of my eyes.

The female servant threw the bottle in a corner as she cleaned her hands with a piece of cloth which she also threw in another corner.

I drew a sharp breath, as her voice fell in my ear, "You already made Miss Maya's life a hell and now that stupid wench also came into Alpha's life."

Her eyes burned with hatred. Her jaws were clenched as she glared at the woman.

"I hope you and that wench burn in hell," she gritted out the words as she turned to leave.

I did not dare to even breathe till the door got shut.

What in the world is going on?

Who was she and why did she do all of it?

The thoughts clouded my mind as I stayed there for a while before I noticed the silence spread in the whole room.

Should I come out now? I asked myself.

For a few seconds, I waited and when no movement got noticed by me, I crawled out of the bed.

I looked behind on the bed. The woman has stopped moving. Her eyes were closed.

Is she...dead? The thought left an unsettling feeling in my gut.

I moved near her as I observed her. Her chest set and rose rhythmically. I sighed in relief as she was just asleep.

I closed my eyes as I calmed myself when my gaze fell on that same bottle. I walked into that corner. Bending down, I picked up the bottle.

I turned it around, to get any information about it but nothing noticeable came into my view. I peeked into that bottle. There was still some liquid left in it. Maybe two or three drops of it.

My gaze moved around as I saw its cap.

I quickly capped the bottle and slipped it into the pocket of my gown.

Questions swirled in my head—what was this liquid, and why was it forced on her? 

My gaze then shifted from the bottle to the woman lying on the bed as the questions kept coming into my mind.

And who exactly was this woman, and what had she done to "make Miss Maya's life hell"?

Her fragile form looked even smaller under the dim light, her silver hair spread out on her face. I wanted to help her, but I couldn't risk being caught—not yet.

I turned toward the door. I did not myself move around recklessly and made my steps cautious and measured.

As my fingers reached the handle, I heard it. A faint whisper. I froze. My breath hitched as I slowly turned back. The woman was still lying there, her chest rising and falling steadily, but her lips were moving.

It almost seemed like a dream, but I narrowed my eyes, trying to catch her words."...blood... save... him..."Her faint voice was barely a whisper disappeared in the air as they were never spoken.

Who was she talking about?

Who needed saving?

Before I could process it further, her crimson eyes fluttered open. For a brief moment, they looked straight into mine.

My whole body froze on the place. "You..." she rasped, sending chills down my spine.

"You're... the one..." Before I could ask what she meant, her body went limp, leaving me with silence and those unanswered questions.