The Alphas Revenge: The Sin of Deceit

Chapter 66: Pain

Raven

I was fully aware when Rex suddenly lifted me, hauling me over his shoulder as though I weighed nothing. My body didn’t resist. It couldn’t. I was too drained, too hollowed out to fight back.

Even screaming felt like a waste—whatever strength I had left was already slipping through my fingers, and I refused to spend it on something that wouldn’t change anything.

So I stayed limp against him, my arms hanging loosely, my cheek pressed against his back. The world tilted with each step he took, but I barely reacted. Still, I could hear them—every word, every tone, every shift in their voices.

"I’ll run. You both can transform and head back," Rex said, his voice loud and certain, cutting through everything else.

If I had the energy, I would have laughed. Or scoffed. Maybe both. The consideration in his voice made something bitter twist in my chest. As if any of this was kindness.

Tears filled my eyes, blurring the little I could see. I didn’t bother wiping them away. What was the point? The moment we got back to the pack, I wouldn’t be treated like a person anyway. I’d be handled, controlled—worse than an animal, because at least animals were given dignity in their suffering.

I guessed they didn’t want to damage the goods any more than necessary.

"We’ll run beside you," Axel said.

That made me pause, just slightly. His voice... it sounded different. Softer. Careful, even. Gone was the sharp edge of anger he usually carried when he spoke to me. It almost didn’t sound like him at all.

I didn’t hear Thor respond, but I didn’t hear bones snapping either. No transformation. That told me everything—I didn’t need words to understand his choice.

How thoughtful of them. How considerate.

The sarcasm burned through me, anger seeping into every part of my body, even as exhaustion weighed me down. I wanted to scream, to thrash, to fight—anything to release the storm building inside me. But I didn’t. I couldn’t.

Instead, I closed my eyes.

Tears slipped free, sliding silently down my face as the wind brushed against my skin. Rex had started running, and the movement was steady—fast, but not overwhelming. They were holding back. Slowing down.

For me.

That almost made it worse.

I knew their pace. I knew what they were capable of. This was nothing to them, but for me, even this would have been impossible. Which meant we’d reach the pack around midday, maybe just after.

Not that it mattered. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

I didn’t care what they thought of me anymore—not for running, not for failing, not for anything. Their opinions were just another weight I didn’t have the strength to carry.

So I focused on the only thing I could—the breeze against my face, the rhythm of movement, the distant hum of the world around me. I tried to empty my mind, to think of nothing at all.

Somewhere along the way, I drifted off.

I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep until a voice pulled me back.

"Raven!"

My eyes didn’t open, but my heart jolted. I knew that voice.

Loel.

I didn’t need to lift my head to know Xarna was beside her. I could feel the shift in the air, the tension, the way people gathered. Even half-conscious, I could hear everything—the shuffle of feet, the low murmurs, the whispers that carried far too clearly.

"What’s wrong? She looks injured."

"Were we attacked?"

"Did someone take her? But everyone’s accounted for..."

Their voices overlapped, rising and falling, curiosity and concern mixing into something suffocating. I kept my eyes closed, my body slack, pretending I was still asleep. It was easier that way. Safer.

"...there are bruises on her legs. What happened to her?"

I felt something twist painfully in my chest, but I didn’t react. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

Eventually, the noise faded. The whispers grew distant, swallowed by space and walls. A door opened, then closed.

"She’s here!"

Gessia’s voice.

That alone was enough to make my heart start pounding violently in my chest. Fresh tears welled in my eyes, slipping out despite my efforts to hold them back.

So this was it.

I hadn’t escaped. I hadn’t made it.

Everything I had tried to avoid was waiting for me right here, and there was nothing left I could do to stop it.

I hated it—hated how helpless I felt, how all I seemed capable of anymore was crying in silence. The tears slid down the sides of my face, disappearing into nothing as I fought to keep my breathing steady, to keep from making a sound.

"Take her upstairs. I’ll check the spawn, and we’ll start the procedure."

There was something in Gessia’s tone—something sharp and eager—that made my stomach twist. Rex paused for a brief second, and I could almost feel the shift in him. Excitement.

Then he kept moving.

Up the stairs.

I kept my gaze fixed downward, refusing to look at anything, anyone. I didn’t want to see their faces. I didn’t want to give them that.

Doors opened again, then shut behind us. The space changed—the air heavier, quieter.

A moment later, I was tossed onto a bed.

Too gently.

I almost wished he hadn’t been careful. Part of me wanted the pain, something sharp and real enough to ignite a reaction inside me. Maybe then I could lash out, could finally fight back the way I never had before.

But that didn’t happen.

Instead, I lay there, still and empty, staring lifelessly ahead.

Gessia began chanting under her breath. I didn’t need to look at her to know she was smiling—I could hear it in her voice. That same smile she wore when she handed me the red potion.

Poison.

She wanted to kill me. Slowly.

The alphas wanted power—strength, control, whatever they believed I could give them. But her?

She wanted me dead.

Why?

"The spawn is fine. Alpha Thor and Alpha Axel can wait outside."

Her excitement was unmistakable. I rolled my eyes faintly, though it took effort, and remained motionless as I heard the door open and close again.

Now it was just us.

Rex stayed silent, but I didn’t care. He was no different from the rest of them.

All I wanted—desperately, painfully—was to fight. To do something. But I was so tired. The potions had done their job well, draining me just enough to keep me from resisting too much. And even if I tried...

They would just hold me down again.

Hurt me worse.

My eyes stayed fixed on the floor when Gessia stepped closer. I saw her hand extend, holding out a small vial. The liquid inside was pale, almost clear—like water.

"Drink."

I slowly reached out, taking it from her. For a brief moment, I smiled.

Then I let it slip from my fingers.

It shattered against the ground.

"Oops. My hands are too—"

I didn’t get to finish.

Pain shot through my jaw as Gessia grabbed it harshly, her grip unforgiving. Before I could react, she had another vial ready. I struggled, clawing weakly at her hands, but it was useless.

The liquid forced its way down my throat.

Bitter.

Burning.

I coughed violently, choking as it slid down, my body rejecting it even as it was already too late.

"Gessia! Careful!" Rex snapped.

Her grip tightened for just a moment before she released me. I gasped for air, my chest heaving as I tried to steady myself.

When I looked up at her, her blue eyes were wild—filled with something unhinged, something dangerous. I knew that look.

She wanted to hurt me.

To slap me. To break me further.

But she didn’t.

No.

She couldn’t.