Hades smiled as he held Rodrigo's gaze, then nodded.
"You arrived just in time. Please, let's go in. Hades Pack welcomes you with open arms."
Rodrigo inclined his head. "After you."
Hades kept his gaze on him a fraction longer before stepping through the gates, the other Alphas following without hesitation. Rodrigo remained still for a brief moment, then moved forward, and Nina walked beside him.
The moment she crossed the gates, the air shifted, a cool breeze brushing against her skin and raising the fine hairs along her arms in a way she could not immediately place.
She frowned, her eyes glancing around. Something felt off here. Like... she'd been here before. Which was strange. She'd never left Vermont Pack.
Nina rubbed across her arm as she took in the scenery. Hades Pack was nothing like Vermont.
The houses were built from burnt clay. Their surfaces were carved with patterns that did not repeat, and the roads interlocked in a way that made the space feel enclosed even under the open sky. Lanterns hung above the trees lining the pathway, their pale light steady, and everyone on the streets was dressed in white mourning clothes. As they approached, people stepped aside without a word, bowing their heads in unison.
Nina took another step forward when a faint sound brushed against her senses, so light it almost slipped past her.
A bell.
Her gaze shifted. She glanced at Rodrigo, but he was just walking forward, his expression calm. He'd not heard it.
Nina frowned. She must have imagined it.
Suddenly, the sound came again, this time louder in her ears. Nina slowed unconsciously, looking around, as she searched for the source of the sound.
Rodrigo turned to her, a slight frown forming on his forehead. "What is wrong?"
Her eyes met his, uncertainty flickering briefly before she spoke. "Do you hear it?"
"Hear what?" he asked, staring at her face. Nina held his gaze, then she looked forward, folding her hands in front of her. "Nothing. I thought I heard something," she said, forcing a small smile before continuing forward.
The path opened into a wide clearing where the burial ground had already been arranged, a raised platform standing at the center draped in dark fabric while the crowd gathered at the far end, their white mourning clothes stark against the dim surroundings. Guards stood at different spots, and the minute they saw the Alphas, they bowed in greeting.
Hades briefly acknowledged them.
"Please, this way," He said to the Alphas, gesturing toward the seating area.
The minute Nina stepped forward, a sharp sensation tightened in her lower belly. Her feet came to a stop, her hand flying over her stomach.
Rodrigo turned fully to her, concern sharpening his expression. "What is it? Are you okay?"
Nina tried to straighten, but the pull tightened further, she grimaced, biting her lower lip.
"I feel a little sick.'' she said, ''I need… I need to use the women's room."
Rodrigo exhaled, then straightened. "Seven," he called.
Seven stepped forward immediately. "Yes, Alpha."
"Take her. Find the women's quarters. Don't let her out of your sight."
"Yes, Alpha."
Nina did not wait for anything else. She turned the moment Seven moved, following him away from the gathering, her pace controlled but faster than it should have been, as though distance alone might ease what was building inside her.
It didn't.
The further they moved, the tighter the pull became.
She kept her focus on Seven's back as they moved along a narrower path that curved away from the burial grounds, the structures here smaller and closer together.
Seven spoke briefly to a guard, who pointed toward a walkway ahead, and then led her to a smaller gate.
"The women's quarters are through here," Seven said, stopping. "I'll wait."
Nina nodded and stepped through.
The moment she crossed the gate, the pull stopped completely.
She froze, her hand still resting against her stomach as she waited for the sensation to return, but there was nothing.
She drew a breath, and turned to leave.
Then the bell rang again, this time, not inside her head. It was coming from beside her.
Nina turned slowly, her gaze settling on a narrow path branching off from the main walkway, it was covered in overgrown grasses, and it looked like no one used it.
Her eyes stared at the pathway. She knew she should turn back.
She didn't.
She stepped forward, walking down the pathway. The further she went, the quieter everything became, the main path disappearing behind her before she fully registered how far she had walked.
Nina stopped, her breath catching as she she realized herself.
What the hell was she doing?
She turned, ready to retrace her steps, when the bell rang again, this time it was closer than before, stopping her where she stood.
Her eyes shifted toward the curve ahead, and after a brief hesitation, she moved again.
The path curved, and then her eyes fell on a small gate, which were wide open. It looked eerily still, as a cook breeze swayed it slightly.
Nina stood still watching it. The more she stared, the more she felt like she'd been here before.
Nina stepped through the gates into the courtyard, Red roses twisted up the walls, thorns thick and wild. The bushes were overgrown like they've been abandoned for a really long time.
Ahead, a house stood at the center. The large front doors were shut. The carvings in them were deep, deeper than anything she had passed so far, more intricate.
The bell rang again. This time, she could hear it coming from inside the house.
Nina frowned, her heart thudding loudly against her chest as she walked to the doors.
Her hand came up before she decided to lift it, fingers grazing the door. The minute her palm touched the door, it swung open on it's own accord. Air pushed out instantly, warm and stale, lifting dust that drifted against her face before settling back down.
Nina stepped back. Dread curling through her spine.
Every instinct inside of her told her to go, to turn around, to not walk into a house that opened by itself. Her feet stayed where they were.
Then she went inside.
The hall was wide and dim, full of objects she couldn't name — some resting on stone slabs, others hanging, a few half-covered with cloth that had gone grey with age. The light was low enough that shapes blurred at the edges. She moved slowly, her gaze dragging across the room.
Then her gaze stopped.
Heavy chains lay across a raised stone near the far end of the hall. On the stone was dark stains of blood, which flowed downwards to where she stood.
Nina's hands began to shake. She walked towards the chain, her breathing pulling short and uneven as she took in the sight.
There was blood all around. On the chains, the walls.
Someone was killed here...
Her heart stopped briefly as she stopped in front of the stone, something in her chest pulling forward even as the rest of her body refused to move.
Her hand reached out, and her fingers brushing the cold chain—
Instantly, the world lurched.
The ground slammed into her skull with a sharp crack, the impact knocking the breath clean out of her lungs as a cry tore from her throat. Pain burst behind her eyes, bright and blinding, and for a moment she couldn't tell if she was still breathing.
Her heart hammered wildly as she raised her head, and her whole body froze.
The hall had turned dark.
The smell of dust and old wood had disappeared and in its place was the thick metallic scent of blood.
Her pulse thundered in her ears, uneven, frantic, as she blinked rapidly, trying to force her vision to adjust.
Then—
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Nina looked to her feet. It was bloodied, suspended in the air.
Drip.
A red drop of blood fell from her face and dropped onto her bloodied feet.
Her breath hitched as she tried to move her arms, but they were tied up.
Her gaze lifted, and the chains she'd seen on the ground, now held her hands up.
They were wrapped tight around her wrists, metal biting deep into her skin, dragging her arms high above her head so that her shoulders strained under her own weight.
A broken sound escaped her throat as her body swayed, the movement slow and helpless, the chains creaking softly above her.
Where was she? What was happening?
She opened her lips to scream but no sound left it. Her voice was coarse and dry. She could taste blood inside of her mouth.
No… no, this wasn't—
Her thoughts fractured as pain flare, spreading through her arms, down her spine, settling into her bones. She shook, forcing her eyes open wider.
She could hear voices in front of her. They were laughing.
Nina tried to focus but the men were just shapes wavering at the edges as her vision struggled to focus
Warmth slid down the side of her face.
Nina blinked slowly, her lashes sticking together as the liquid traced along her jaw before falling.
Why was she here?
How did she get here?
She tried to pull her hands from the chain, but she screamed as the movement sent a sharp spike of pain through her neck, her vision blurring again as dark spots crowded the edges.
Her scream made one of the men turn to her. He stared at her for a moment, and then he approached, his form solidifying as he approached.
He was tall, broad-shouldered. His hair was white, falling loosely around his face, and when he stepped fully into the torchlight, his eyes caught it.
Grey.
The same unmistakable grey she had seen before.
But older.
Who was he?
Nina's brows drew together faintly, confusion flickering through the haze of pain.
He stopped in front of her.
For a moment, he simply looked at her.
Then, slowly, his hand rose.
His fingers were firm as they closed around her jaw, forcing her head higher despite the groan that tore through her lips. She trembled, as her legs scraped against the floor, but he held her there, his grip unyielding.
"Look at you," he said, his voice low, mixed with mockery. His gaze moved over her face slowly. "Fighting so hard to live,"
Nina dragged in a ragged breath, the chains tightening as her body shifted, metal biting deeper into torn skin. The copper taste of blood filled her mouth as she swallowed hard, trying to steady herself, to make sense of what was happening.
His grip tightened slightly, just enough to demand her focus.
"I will ask you one last time," he continued, leaning closer, his voice dropping into something quieter, more dangerous, "and I suggest you choose your answer carefully."
Her vision wavered as she struggled to stay conscious, every breath weaker than the last.
His grey eyes locked onto hers.
"Where is the book?"
The question cut through the fog.
Nina frowned weakly, confusion flickering across her face.
What book?
She didn't know of any book.
Her lips parted as she tried to speak, but just as the words were about to leave her lips, a sharp ringing split through the air crashing against her skull, sending a fresh wave of dizziness through her as the world tilted again beneath her. Her vision fractured, the torchlight smearing into streaks of grey and shadow as her body went slack against the chains.
The man's face blurred.
The room twisted.
And then everything collapsed into darkness.