Hellbound Heart

"We need your blood to revive our race, Izabelle." The man said in a serious voice. "The werewolves have been waiting for you for so long. Far too long, in fact. Your blood will free us all!" His voice pitched higher as he spoke, showing how eager he was for her blood. It was to the point that Elle felt it bordered on maniacal. After he finished speaking, he turned to her and seemingly calmed down a little.

Elle's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the man in front of her, the truth of his words sinking in. These people wanted to use her blood to revive their entire race? How much of her blood would it take to achieve their goal? It was overwhelming, and terrifying. But she refused to go down without a fight. She gritted her teeth, ready to defend herself with everything she had within her.

"So, you're... you're going to kill me?" she asked, her voice might be stuttering, her eyes desperate, but her entire demeanor was fierce. She looked as though she was a warrior about to go into her final battle.

As the man approached her, she prepared herself for the worst. Her fists were clenched tight, her knuckles were bone white from the force of her grip, her body poised and ready to strike. But as he spoke again, her heart sank. "You could die." Those three words spoken so nonchalantly as though it was just a narration of a paragraph from a report, echoed in her mind like a gong. The way he spoke about her fate so lightly was so flippant. And she felt a violent chill run down her spine, shaking her entire frame. Was this really the end for her? Was she really going to die here, in this dungeon, at the hands of these creatures? Elle refused to accept it. She had to find a way out of this. She could not let them drain her of her life-giving blood, and she definitely would not let them kill her as though a lamb for the sacrifice.

A low growl rumbled from Snow's throat, causing Elle to snap her gaze towards the white wolf. Snow's sharp gaze was fixated on the masked man, his lips curled back in a threatening snarl that revealed his sharp teeth. It was as if the wolf was warning the man not to dare approach Elle with killing intentions. Elle was confused for a second. Was it not Snow who had led her here into this trap? Why was he then behaving like this now?

"Easy there, Yver. I know I told you we're not killing her, but I'm just being honest here. There's indeed still a chance she might die but very little. Her body is much more powerful than expected... so just relax." His voice, though melodious, had made the little hairs on the back of Elle's neck to stand on end.

Elle felt a pang of disappointment as Snow stopped growling and backed off. Was that all it took for him to put down his guard? She had hoped that the wolf had changed his mind, but it seemed that her hopes were all in vain. He seemed to be easily mollified that she would only be harmed but not to the extent of being pushed unto death. The situation had taken a turn for the worse, and she could not help but feel helpless. Elle realized that she was truly on her own and would have to fight for her survival with her own two hands.

"Don't worry, Izabelle. We're not going to kill you. I'm not sure if Yver has already mentioned this to you, but werewolves still exist. No one is pure-blooded anymore, but unlike other races, non-pure-blooded werewolves' abilities aren't far from those of pure-blooded ones. However, werewolves are cursed to get stuck in one form only, either human or wolf. The ability of werewolves to transform was taken away because of that cursed curse. And without our ability to transform, we're nothing more than normal humans or normal wolves," he said. It was then that Elle detected a hint of rage and excitement in his calm voice. "Your blood made Yver transform into human form. That's the very proof that you are the destined one we've all been waiting for."

He took another step closer to Elle, his eyes never leaving hers and that slightly maddened glint flashed through his eyes again. Despite his reassuring words and gentle tone, she felt an even stronger sense of danger looming over her. She backed away, but the man matched her, step for step, closing in on her once again.

"We will make sure you live," he added, "but that's only if you cooperate with us while we perform the ritual to break the curse." He seemed so reassuring. However, there was definitely something that did not feel right just below the surface and it was disturbing her.

Elle was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions; her blood was boiling from rage and fear all at the same time. But despite the circumstance she was in right now, a hysteric smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. Why was she the target of everyone's attention? Why did she have to go through all of this? Why her? Was she some sort of trouble magnet? Was she destined to never get a break?

"How could you think I would ever trust the two of you to keep me alive?" she muttered, knowing that they could hear her loud and clear in this suffocating place. However she was past caring being polite and maintaining her royal etiquette. No one bothered considering her opinion on this, only wanting to secure their own interests in this. So why should she bother as well?

She could feel Snow's pleading gaze, but Elle did not bother looking at the wolf anymore. She had even turned her back on Sebastian to take the bet on trusting Snow when he led her off. He had completely betrayed her trust, and there was no way she would ever forgive him for that.