Chapter 682

Evaline:

Cold.

That was the first thing I felt when consciousness finally clawed its way back into me.

Not pain, not fear, just… cold.

It seeped into me slowly, like something alive… curling around my limbs, sinking into my bones, wrapping tight around my chest until even breathing felt sharp and uncomfortable.

The ground beneath me was damp.

The chill had long since soaked through my clothes, clinging to my skin like a second layer I couldn’t peel away.

For a moment, I didn’t move. Because I couldn’t. My body felt too heavy, too distant, like it didn’t belong to me anymore.

And honestly p>

I didn’t even know how long I had been lying there. If it had been just hours or an entire day?

Time didn’t exist here. Not in this darkness. Not in this suffocating silence.

The last clear memory I had was the soft, gentle warmth as I walked out of my house. Of the sunlight brushing against my skin in the snow covered meadow.

My chest tightened painfully.

That memory felt so far away now, like it belonged to someone else. Someone who didn’t exist anymore.

Because that warmth, it was completely gone now. And all that was left now… was this cold, dark emptiness.

A shaky breath left me as I forced my eyes open, though it made little difference. Darkness still surrounded me, thick and endless.

Slowly, I tried to move, only for pain to instantly follow.

A sharp, burning sting shot through my wrists and ankle, making me suck in a breath as my body tensed instinctively.

The silver – it was still there.

The chains bit into my skin as I shifted slightly, testing the restraints despite already knowing the outcome.

There was no give, no weakness, and no escape.

A small, broken sound slipped from my lips before I could stop it.

I clenched my teeth.

No.

No, I couldn’t do this again. I couldn’t let myself fall apart. Not here. Not now.

My body screamed for rest. For sleep. The exhaustion weighed heavily on me, dragging at my eyelids, pulling me back toward that dark, peaceful nothingness.

And for a second, just one second, it felt tempting. Too tempting. Because sleep meant escape, even if only for a little while.

But I forced my eyes open again, harder this time. “No I whispered weakly.

I couldn’t sleep.

I wouldn’t.

Because every second I stayed unconscious was another second wasted, another second trapped here, another second closer to-

I cut that thought off before it could fully form. Instead, I forced myself to think of something else, someone else – my mates.

My chest tightened again, but this time it wasn’t from the cold. Instead it was from the ache that came with their names.

What were they doing right now?

Had they realized I was gone?

Of course they had.

They would be looking for me. They had to be.

And that thought – that fragile, desperate hope – was the only thing keeping me grounded.

And then my thoughts shifted to Lioren. My son. My baby.

A soft, broken breath left me.

Was he crying?

Waiting for me?

The thought made my vision blur slightly.

No.

I swallowed hard, forcing it back. I couldn’t let myself break, not when I needed every ounce of strength I had left.

I shifted slightly again, ignoring the pain. I tried to stay awake, to hold onto something solid. Anything.

Time passed. Or maybe it didn’t. I couldn’t tell anymore.

But eventually, I heard the sound of footsteps again. Faint at first, then clearer.

My heart skipped. A foolish, desperate part of me whispered something impossible.

What if it’s them?

What if they found me?

Hope flared. It was sudden and blinding, but just as quickly as it bloomed… I crushed it.

Because I knew better.

I wasn’t that lucky. Never in the past, neither today.

Light flooded the space suddenly, forcing my eyes to squint painfully as brightness replaced the suffocating darkness.

And when my vision adjusted, I saw him – Damian.

He stood there, holding a lantern in one hand. And in the other was a small lunch box and a bottle of water.

My stomach twisted at the mere sight of him.

He stepped closer, the light shifting with him, revealing more of the space around us.

And I finally allowed myself to quickly scan my surroundings to at least find our what kind of place I was being kept in.

It looked like some kind of cave. Dark and rough walls all around me with bare and wet ground under me. The place was isolated and cold, just like the man in front of me.

He set the items down a few feet away before turning his attention back to me. For a second, he just watched me silently, as if observing something.

Then he crouched down beside me.

I tensed instinctively as he reached out, his hand gripping my arm as he pulled me up into a sitting position.

Pain flared again and a soft gasp slipped past my lips.

I hated it. Hated his touch. Hated the way my body reacted to it. Every instinct screamed at me to fight him, to push him away, to do something.

But I didn’t.

Because I couldn’t. Not in my current state. So I stayed still, rigid, and silent as I let him do what he wanted – even if it made my skin crawl, even if it made me feel sick.

Because I needed to survive.

And survival meant patience. It meant waiting, and pretending.

His eyes studied my face carefully, as if searching for something. Then, without warning, his hand came up and he pressed his palm against my cheek.

The contact made my stomach twist violently. And this time, I didn’t stop myself.

I turned my face away sharply. Rejecting him, his touch, everything.

A smirk tugged at his lips. “There you are,” he murmured, almost pleased.

My jaw tightened.

“You have gotten colder,” he added, his tone almost amused.

I didn’t respond. Didn’t even look at him.

“You should consider this your punishment,” he continued casually. “For being a bad girl p>