A struggle ensued as I tried to remember the events that had led me to lie on the cold stone floor. My thoughts quickly snapped together when a simple one finally crossed my mind.

The bracelet… Oh no!

Attempting to lift my arm left me reeling in agony. The entirety of my body felt like a pack of wolves had trampled on it. Even so, I tried to get the bracelet out of the shackles with little success; it was stuck under the metal.

They protected it from my gaze, unable to tell if it had given me away. A soft, deep breath left my lips, leaving me praying it hadn’t alerted Fenris to what was happening.

Please don’t come! It isn’t safe!

The only thing that stopped my thoughts was when I heard the wooden door open and slam closed. One sister had come in with a cold bucket of water before dumping it on me, leaving me shivering where I lay.

Resisting the urge to scream, I tried to cope with what was happening to me instead of crying out for help; digging my nails into my palms, I internalized what was happening.

I need to stay calm!

Thanks to the freezing water, my body quivered uncontrollably. She threw a rotten piece of bread at me and closed the door, leaving me again alone. My belly rumbled like a thunderous cloud, making me shift my gaze towards the food.

Even though the torch didn’t light everything, it was clear enough to see that maggots were crawling out of it. Choosing to ignore it, I struggled to turn my body to its side, making me gasp when a surge of stings flowed through me.

Once I got a grip again, I fought through the aches to move away from the wet floor, desperately trying to find warmth.

Does it even matter? Why am I even…

Before that thought fully formed, I quickly remembered what would happen if I let myself fall into despair.

Don’t glow. Please, gods, keep Fenris away from here!

I again pleaded to the dead gods, hoping one would hear me. It didn’t matter who heeded my pleas. All that counted was that one of them did.

Please keep him away!

Unable to move far enough, my consciousness drifted in and out, letting me dream of happier times. Hours passed in this state, and whenever I woke, I pondered how much time had passed. Without windows, it was impossible to tell if the sun was out or up.

Is the ritual going to happen? Has Fenris come here? No... Please no...

No one had entered the room since they threw the bread at me. I had lost consciousness more than once, each time because of exhaustion. Thirst and hunger didn’t bother me anymore after hours of feeling them.

Why is this happening? Was it something I did?

Slowly, I lost grip on why I continued to hang on to this life.

Please let it all end!

My eyes closed for the longest time, startling open when the door slammed open again. The light that shone almost blinded me, making me wince. I turned away from it for a second, but my orbs would soon stick to my newest visitor.

Stella walked in, face contorted with a sharp glare, grabbing a steel knife that was by a wooden table by the door before grabbing me again and slamming me onto the floor soon after. My body lacked the energy to fight her anymore.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Do you know who came to our door hours before our ritual?!” She howled, pressing the knife against my chest before slicing it.

Biting onto my lip, I tried so hard to hold in the screams, but after the second slice, I couldn't. With the little bit of spirit left in me, there was no way to suppress my cries of agony anymore. After a third slice, it clashed with the bucket used to throw cold water at me, setting it ablaze with a simple spell.

“Do you even know?! It was fucking Amir and his fucking eldest son with a battalion of mutts! He said his youngest son thinks his friend is in danger! Can you believe that?! How could a simple mutt know where you are?!” She snapped, placing the knife on the raging inferno next to her.

All I could do was whimper, shifting my eyes slightly to the arm with the bracelet. It radiated a bright crimson color, one only I could see.

“How the fuck would he know that!? Huh, cursed child!? Do you know how close we came to being found out?!” she snarled, yanking the hot knife from the fire.

My body trembled, feeling the wetness of the wounds on my chest slide down my skin.

“I... don’t...” I struggled to say in between breaths, trying to lie for my light.

That thought would never truly form before she clasped onto my face, using the searing blade to carve me anew. Every part the steel touched deformed me in ways I couldn’t comprehend. The stench of burning flesh filled the air, making every gasp feel like it scorched my lungs.

My consciousness wavered in and out until I didn’t know when she finished, but somehow, I remembered what she said once she concluded her art.

“You should be thankful to one sister. She pulled off a spell that transformed one of our other girls into you, appearance-wise. One Lycan eyes can’t detect.” She hooted, short of breath, whipping the blood off the knife with a cloth.

“They bought it thanks to the lack of evidence. Seems Amir can’t care enough for his child’s witch friend.” Stella threw the knife into the bucket, quenching the fire with a water bottle.

The blade hitting the bucket made a loud, startling sound, yet my exhausted body refused to move. My vision was blurred, making everything hard to make out. Every part of me was numb, allowing agony to be the only thing I could feel.

“Oh, how I wish Amir would’ve brought that cursed moon child along. I would’ve loved to see his face when he saw that fake. Would've that mutt fallen for it? Or would he have seen through the illusion? I wonder.” She continued to boast, tipping the bucket over, and turned towards the door.

Fen… I’m sorry… I won’t be able to see you anymore.

“Either way, soon it’ll be all over. I’ll return to get you for the ritual in a few hours.” She ranted, feeling better after torturing me.

The moment she left to prepare for her precious ritual, the room went fridged, yet my body couldn’t tremble. If it was, I couldn’t feel anymore.

Thank you, gods… He can never come here.

After that thought, I lost consciousness once again, only to be woken up by someone picking up my beaten body. Their warm hands felt soothing to my battered body, yet my eyes refused to open to see who they were. I felt my heart lift briefly as the thought of salvation flew through my mind.

It all came crashing down when they threw me into a wooden tub filled with freezing water, jolting me awake. The transparent liquid quickly turned crimson from the blood that had already dried. It left me struggling to clap onto the sides; stabilizing myself, I finally saw what my grandmother did to me.

She had carved entirely into my upper body, ensuring that everywhere she touched would never be the same. Every slice she caused would leave permanent scars, if not worse. Somehow, my areolas and nipples were intact, but the surrounding tissue wasn’t as fortunate.

Part of my arms and legs were also deformed, lightly compared to the center of my body. Stella made sure each wound was deep to leave a scar but not fatal, making sure I would live to be the ritual's sacrifice.

My face was free of injuries aside from the beating I took the prior night. The sister who threw me into the tube drained it before dosing me with soap and more water, preparing my body to be free of contaminants for their spell.

Powerful rituals had to be done free of impurities. Anything could throw the enchantment out of balance, creating catastrophic results.

Ah... I want to stop... Why can’t the hurt stop?

After draining the water again, the sister yanked on my hair and used a blade to slice it off piece by piece. With her swift movements, chucks of my locks were gone within seconds. My world spun out of control, and I was unable to focus on the face that was making me bald.

A simple memory of joyful times came into mind. One where Fenris mentioned how pretty my curls were while trailing his fingers through them. This happened after our ear debacle a couple of weeks ago.

The tender moment left me feeling flustered and skittish around the wolf. However, when the sister finished, the hair he had once admired barely covered my scalp. Another splash of icy water was poured over me to remove the strands that had landed on my body.

I didn’t care what had happened to me at this point anymore. Even though my thoughts were difficult to focus on, I tried to keep my consciousness from wavering. I had only one chance to halt this ritual and prevent them from hurting my light.

One I couldn’t screw up, no matter the cost.