The world came back in flashes. Doris felt as if everything was shaking around her but she couldn't see the light just yet. Her eyes tried to open, she could hear voices surround her and the sound of rumbling. Where was she?
"I think she's waking up already." A voice said.
"How much of a dose did you give her?" Replied another.
"Enough. She won't be able to change into her wolf for a few days at least."
A bloom of panic erupted in her chest. She tried to struggle and move but her body wouldn't listen. Not one muscle would move at her command as if her body didn't belong to her anymore.
"Cordelia?" Doris shouted in her mind. She heard nothing but an echo back to her. Whatever they gave her, it must have knocked her wolf out more than it did to her. Cordelia remained silent, it was like she wasn't even inside her at all. At least when she had been hurt, she still felt her there. Why couldn't she feel her?
"We're almost there anyway. I would have expected her to be out longer than she was. She's tougher than I thought she'd be."
Doris slowly opened her eyes to see the ceiling of a moving carriage. Every bump on the road sent her head spinning rapidly as if each rock had slammed against her head. She tried to grip onto the seat, but her fingers wouldn't even obey her.
"There she is."
Doris tried to turn her head towards the voice, but she was paralyzed. Only her eyes could move and they were just out of her sight.
"Don't worry, we'll be there soon." The man said almost as if he was bored. Doris spent most of the ride trying to move her fingers and face but her body wouldn't work. It made her even more terrified than she thought was possible. She was completely at their mercy and she swore to herself she would never be a victim like this again.
Once the carriage came to a stop, large hands reached out to pull her into his arms before he stepped out of the carriage. She finally was able to glimpse the face of one of the men that had taken her. He looked similar to the rogue that challenged Enzo to a fight with his long grey hair and the shape of his face. It made her wonder if they were brothers. Had he waited in the shadows for her to separate herself from the rest?
He carried her through the doors of Life Pharmacy and down to an area she had never ventured in her short visit with William. She hadn't even gotten a chance to see if Enzo was okay-would he notice she was gone? Or would he assume she went back with William?
In the dark pit of her stomach, she realized that no one would come for her. William was probably halfway back to his palace by now and Enzo might be nursing his wounds or dead if the other rogue got the better of him. She would have to save herself or die trying.
The walls grew darker around them. He took her somewhere that barely offered any light and seemed more quiet as if no one else was around. Slowly, Doris was able to move her fingers. She stretched them in and out for a moment, the man that carried her hadn't seemed to notice yet.
"The room is ready, sir." Another voice said. Doris was able to turn her head just slightly to look at him but he was gone before she could catch a glimpse of his features.
The man that carried her laid her down on a small bed that was barely big enough to hold her. She opened and closed her hands at her sides as she watched him grab a chair to pull up next to her.
"I don't expect you to talk just yet, but I thought I would at least try."
Doris blinked at him but her lips wouldn't move, they only twitched a little.
"I'm sure you've guessed it by now, but we're hoping to lure your prince back here for your safe return. He has a reputation for wanting to protect what's his, I have no doubt he'll do that now. We have no plans to harm you unless you make us." He said lightly as if he hadn't just threatened her.
Doris's lips twitched. She desperately wanted to tell him that William wouldn't come for her and they were wasting their time with her. He left and made it clear he wasn't coming back for her if she stayed, their assumptions were wrong-and she couldn't even tell them that.
Would it make a difference if she could?
"I'll let you sleep this off, but don't bother to try and call to your wolf. You won't be hearing from her for quite a while."
Doris stretched her fingers towards him, he glanced down at the movement and smirked a little. "Don't worry, she's fine. We just gave you a drug that numbs the wolf inside you for a few days so you can't fight back. We were hoping to use it on William, but there's plenty to go around."
The man stood and walked to the door. "It's better if you don't fight against it." He said before he locked the door behind him.
Hours passed with Doris in and out of consciousness. Each time she woke, she could feel a new part of her body move again while the rest felt like a dead weight. She wasn't sure exactly how long it was until she could finally stand, but it felt like an eternity. How had she let this happen and allowed herself to be kidnapped again? She should have been more aware, she should have fought back harder before they injected her. Now she was right back in the hands of dangerous rogues waiting to be set free.
Doris gripped the wall as she righted herself. The room they put her in was simple and bare. It didn't look like a cell, more like a room for a guest that was never really used. It had a dresser and bed, as well as a sink in the corner of the room. If only she could drown herself before any more misery came to her. She wouldn't survive another torture, she knew that. Her body had been through too much and there wasn't much more it would survive through.
Doris tried to open the door and already knew it was a useless task before her palm even closed around the the knob. She pulled and yanked, but the door was like steel. It wouldn't even creak under her force.
She banged against the surface several times before the door suddenly opened. Doris stumbled back and caught herself before she fell.
A tall, brown haired guard poked his head in to look at her. He had a handsome, young, and kind face that couldn't have been that much older than her.
"Ah, you're up. I was told to listen for your attempts at escape and bring you food." He said with a lopsided smile. She wanted to slap the smile right off his face and run as fast as she could, but she knew it wouldn't keep him down. He was very fit.
He stepped into her room and pulled a plate of food out from behind his back. He brushed his curls out of his eyes to get a better look at her. His eyes swept over her torn sweater and bruised cheeks before they settled on her own eyes. She would have blushed if she wasn't so exhausted.
"I'm Joseph, I'll be the guard watching over you." He said almost kindly.
"You can tell them that the prince won't be back for me." Doris said. Her voice cracked and sounded rough from disuse but she held her chin high. "He's most likely already back at the palace by now."
"Whether or not that's true, they will keep you here until it's proven otherwise. Apparently the word is that you're the prince's lady."
Doris snorted and then blushed at the sound. Joseph smiled a little as if he couldn't help it. "Absolutely not. I've never been his lady and he has never treated me as such. I'm a maid to the palace, he won't care what happens to me."
Doris said the words and almost wished she could suck them back in when she saw a touch of pity touch the boy's face. She didn't need his pity, she needed to get out of here and head home-even if she didn't technically have a home.
"What do they have planned for me?" Doris quickly asked.
"I haven't been told. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"