Dangerous Lycan: Claim Betrayed Luna’s Second Chance Mate

I followed behind as the guards led us into the dungeon. The dungeon was dimly lit with the aid of the blow torch that was positioned scantily at corners. The heavy air with the stench of dampness and despair rushed into my lungs as we went on. The ceiling hung low, embellished with jagged rocks, as if mocking our plight. It was like an area of perpetual doom, the vicinity of time ceased to exist, and hope was a fading memory. I trudged through the dusty path, bowing my head, my back aching from the previous day’s gruelling labour and the growing weight in my womb.

I held my hand throughout the wall as it became steeper, the bugs of the darkness crept slowly as if they watched my every movement. I knew that Lady Ana was at it again, putting me in the dungeon. She would in no way wish to see me work in the building again.

Maybe she had a thing for Ryan.

Being surrounded by a sea of fellow slaves only made it a plight. Their eyes haunted, their spirits crushed. Together, we shuffled in the back of the guards who confirmed no mercy, their cold expressions reflecting the darkness of their hearts. I moved with warning as every step pressed the difference as the guards led the procession to the internal path of the dungeon, a beacon of power and opulence that contrasted starkly against the misery of those who toiled below its shadow.

“We are here!” The first guard barked, his voice running free through the walls as it echoed, weighing down with aggression and contempt. We were at the part of the dungeon that was regarded as a long-abandoned cave. Gloomy corners with different insects lurking in the crevice. Although it worried me that I would be spending the best part of my day there; an area where the location of hopes and dreams had been overwhelmed and the remnants of a shattered dream buried below the place we stood.

A cold shiver ran down my backbone as I walked my eyes around. The other slaves moved in unison, their bodies sore and worn by the use of limitless hours till they came to an entire halt.

“This is where you would begin the day’s work. It’s simple, pick the rocks you find, put them right here in the basket and send them out to the fields. This will be your workstation until there is no one rock left here. These men would watch you, as you can see, they are utterly armed and knowledgeable to kill on sight. My candid advice is now not to try anything funny or it would be your end.” He concluded as he set to leave.

With the broken shovels and tattered rags, we embarked on our agonising mission of picking rocks and clearing the dungeon of every debris we discovered lurking around.

I began just as the other slaves, taking up the rocks into a basket that was given to us. In a bit, my first basket had been filled with rocks. I took it out through the same route that I had followed in.

“Hmm… Who do we have here?” One of the guards asked as I passed by.

I kept a straight face as I avoided the gaze of everyone I came across. Soon, I was out to the field where I emptied the first basket of rocks and then back into the dungeon again. As I worked, I looked around trying to find meaning in the bleakness that engulfed me. I waddled to a corner after what could be the fifth time of the to and fro movement. I wanted nothing more than to rest my aching feet. Earlier that morning, I had awoken with a slight pain etched below my belly. I knew the stress had begun to show on me but I had no choice but to keep up with my duties. The pain underneath my abdomen grew, there, I moved my hands on the wall, looking above my shoulders not to be seen by any of the guards.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips as soon as I relaxed on a rock by the wall. Just as I got acquainted with my new position, I caught a shadow coming towards me. My heart thumped as I tried to move away but the guard walked up to me as he noticed my idleness for a bit.

“What are you doing here?” I had assumed my working position- bending over a pile of rocks as I picked them into my basket. I did not respond but kept picking the rocks.

“You should be working with the others.”

“I prefer working alone, it makes me work faster,” I replied coldly as I kept on with the rocks. “Suit yourself.” He said and walked past me.

In a short while, I heard the clang of the metal plate together and the slaves assembled. The guard had called for another meeting. I could not tell if it was still day, as the gloominess of the cave made it nearly impossible to detect the time.

“You would be taking a short break, bread and water would be passed around. Do well to make good use of the opportunity.”

Working at the dungeon wasn’t so bad, at least we were fed in between our work, unlike other stations where they worked all day without having to take in a drop of water.

“Have it.”

One of the guards passed by handing me a loaf of bread and some stew just like the rest of the people that sat beside me. Even as my stomach rumbled from having nothing to eat all morning, the stench of the moulds of the bread and the face of the red stew only made me sick as pulsating odour ran freely unto my nostrils causing every vomiting hormone to pop up.

“Would you eat that?” The lady beside me asked as she noticed the untouched meal. In just one bite she had savoured every morsel of the bread dipped in the stale looking stew and her eyes went with the contents in my hand that she needed more.

“You can have it,” I said, handing it over to her.

“Are you sure about that?” She asked, watching my belly as I hid it underneath my dress.

“Yes, I am. It makes me want to throw up anyway.”

“But you need it more than I do. I mean, you are with a child , would you not be harmed for starving the foetus in your womb?”

“I think the baby would be fine without this meal although I would do well with a freshly cooked meal.”

“Such meals are made only for the high ranked. We only get the scraps and leftovers like the kitchen rat. That’s what we are anyway.”

“I would die throwing up if I eat this.”

“I understand. But if you really do need a freshly cooked meal then you would have to go get it yourself.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked leaning forward keen to hear what she had to say to save myself from the claws of hunger and starvation.

“I hear that some slaves sneak out food from the kitchen.”

“How is that even possible? I hear that there are guards mounting that place.”

“You heard right but there is still a way to get passed without notifying any of the guards.”

“How?”

“I was told that there are secret passages in the building but first you will need to get the key to a lock you would get to before the kitchen. And one is even in this dungeon around the entrance of the dungeon there is a secret opening within one of these walls that leads directly to the kitchen. The inner part of the kitchen away from the guards and most of the cooks. You would arrive at the place where most of the meals are kept. But you need to do a few things. Try not to be greedy and remember not to eat while you are still there or the risk of getting caught would be high.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“What happens if I get caught?”