Contract With The Alpha King by Brey Mitchylle

Chapter 51 Fiona sat on the cold stone floor of the dungeon, her back resting against the rough wall. The air was heavy with a smell that she couldn't quite recognize. The only light cfrom the dim fire flickering along the walls, casting long shadows that made the place feel even more foreboding. The dungeon wasn't wet, but she could hear the distant sound of water dripping somewhere. It was unnerving.

She glanced around at the rows of cells that lined the walls. She immediately noticed most of them weren't empty. Faces stared back at her, shollow, others filled with suspicion or indifference. She was inside one of the cells now, the guards having left her without any cuffs. Fiona looked at the thick bars that surrounded her. They were large and coated with herbs-specific ones that could harm any werewolf. Touching them would cause immense pain, even for her. She kept her distance, knowing the consequences of getting too close.

She hugged her knees to her chest, trying to stay calm. How did it cto this? She was only trying to help. The accusation, the detainment-none of it made sense. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice that echoed from a few cells down.

"Why are you here, girl? You don't look like you belong in a place like this." Fiona blinked and turned her head, scanning the dark cells with her keen eyesight. Two cells away, she spotted the man speaking to-her. He was shackled against the wall, his wrists bound with chains, and his body slumped as though the weight of the metal had taken its toll over time. His voice was raspy but carried a strange sense of curiosity. He had long matted hair that covered most of his face.

"I don't know," Fiona admitted quietly.

The old man chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it. "Just like most of us," the man said.

Fiona frowned, her eyes still on the man. "Why are you here?" "Ah, now that's a story for another time," he rasped, shifting slightly against his restraints. "But let's just say this isn't the first tI've seen someone like you down here-a maid, servant, an omega-wrongfully accused, caught in the politics of the court. How is the court outside? I heard they already started the Rite of Kings, despite having it earlier." "Hey! Shut up!" another voice chimed in.

Fiona's eyes flicked toward the source of the new voice. It cfrom a younger man, his body covered in tattoos that twisted and curled along his arms and neck. Unlike the older prisoner, he wasn't chained to the wall. He stood casually at the bars of his cell, watching her with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes.

"Don't talk to him," the younger man said, his voice low but clean. "That old man's been in here longer than anyone. No one knows what he did to end up here, but it's better not to trust him" Fiona shivered inwardly at the warning. She wasn't sure what to believe, but it was clear that this place was filled with dangerous people. Any one of them could turn on her at any moment. She felt her pulse quicken as the oppressive atmosphere closed in on her. The dim light and shadowed figures made it hard to see everyone clearly, and she wasn't sure she wanted to.

Suddenly, the old man that was still shackled to the wall let out a low, rumbling growl. The sound echoed off the stone walls. Fiona's heart skipped a beat. Almost immediately, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Something shifted in the air around them, thick and suffocating, as if the very dungeon itself had becsmaller.

The aura pouring off the old man was unmistakable. Fiona had felt something like it before, but never this strong. It was the presence of an Alpha-raw, powerful, and overwhelming. The air felt heavy, pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

A thick silence wrapped around the entire dungeon, and no one dared to speak. Even the younger man, who had been so bold moments before, took a cautious step back from the bars of his cell, his smirk fading. Fiona's gaze darted back to the old man. His eyes, shadowed by the dim light, seemed to burn with an intensity that made her feel small and insignificant.

1/3 16:56 Sun, Dec 1 Chapter 51 B 55% +5 She swallowed hard, willing herself to stay calm, but the weight of his presence made it almost impossible. It was as though the very air had been drained of life, leaving only the oppressive power of the Alpha. Then, as suddenly as it came, the growl faded, and the old man slumped back against the wall, the chains rattling softly. The suffocating atmosphere lifted.

Fiona leaned her head back against the cold wall, trying to push away the oppressive feeling in the dungeon. Her mind drifted to Queen Lyanna's words. The questioning would start in an hour, but she had already been here for at least ten minutes. The tension in her body wouldn't ease, the weight of everything hanging heavy on her chest.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed through the dungeon. She looked up to see one of the guards approaching her cell. He placed a small plate with bread and a cup of water just outside the bars. "Eat," he ordered, his voice gruff, Fiona stayed still, unsure if she should trust anything in this place. The guard's eyes narrowed when she didn't move. "Don't test my patience," he hissed, his tone sharp.

With a tightness in her chest, Fiona slowly stood up. She reached for the cup of water first and drank it in one go, her throat dry from the stale air of the dungeon. But as soon as the water slid down her throat, she felt a sharp, stabbing sensation. Panic rose within her as the pain spread, a burning feeling that made her body tremble.

Poison.

Fiona's breath cin shallow gasps as the sharp sensation in her throat began to spread, but as her panic flared, a thought cut through the fear. Poison? No. Poisoning her in this place didn't make sense. It would be too reckless. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to clear her throat. The burning sensation began to subside, though the discomfort lingered. Slowly, she retreated back to the corner of her cell, keeping her movements steady despite the anxiety gnawing at her.

The guard watched her for a moment longer, a sneer twisting his lips. He seemed to expect a reaction-panic, desperation but when none came, he let out a snort of disappointment and finally walked away. Fiona waited until his footsteps faded into the distance before allowing herself to sink against the wall, her mind racing. Closing her eyes, she focused inward. She needed to understand what had just happened. She had been trained to detect subtle changes in her body, and whatever she had ingested was affecting her. But it wasn't poison. It was something else.

Her breathing slowed as she concentrated, tapping into her Rosenthal abilities, the very powers that had always set her apart. The world around her faded as she focused on the foreign substance coursing through her veins. It didn't take long for her to recognize the drug's nature. It wasn't meant to kill. No, this was far more dangerous in its subtlety-a drug designed to inhibit. her thinking, cloud her judgment, and weaken her will.

Her fingers tightened into fists. This drug could kill a normal human, perhaps even incapacitate a lesser wolf for days. But Fiona wasn't just any wolf. She was a Rosenthal. The bloodline she cfrom gave her ways to cleanse such toxins from her body. But the drug was strong. She could feel it slowing her thoughts, making her head heavy. A sharp stab of fear crept into her heart. If she didn't act quickly, she would lose control of her mind. Her breath quickened, and for a moment, she doubted her own strength. Pushing the fear aside, she forced herself to focus. She couldn't afford to panic. Not here. Not now,

Drawing on her ability, she imagined the energy inside her, guiding it toward the toxin. Her healing powers surged, slow but deliberate, wrapping around the foreign substance like vines strangling an intruder. The drug fought back, clinging to her muscles and nerves, trying to stay rooted, but Fiona concentrated harder, her mind sharpening with determination. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she pushed her limits, coaxing her body to expel the drug. It was like fighting an invisible weight pressing down on her, but she wouldn't let it win. Little by little, the fog in her mind began to lift. The heaviness in her limbs faded, and the sharpness returned to her thoughts.

Finally, after what felt like hours but had only been minutes, she let out a long breath, her body relaxing slightly. The drug was still in her system, but it was no longer controlling her. She had weakened it-enough to stay alert.

2/3 8/3 16:56 Sun, Dec 1 Chapter 51 ,55% Fiona opened her eyes, her heart still pounding, but her mind was clear. Whoever had tried to dull her senses didn't know who they were dealing with. She wouldn't be so easily broken.

Suddenly, a violent cough wracked her body. Fiona's chest tightened as she clutched at it, her body trembling uncontrollably with each hacking cough.