I'm not sure how long I was in the prison; it felt as though days, maybe weeks, had passed. I was so sleep-deprived I was seeing double, and I thought for a moment I was hallucinating when Prince Jack appeared in my cell.
It was difficult to sleep in a concrete cell; especially with everything that was going on.
Jack stood before me as I sat on the ground; I stared up at him blankly, trying to process who and what I was seeing. His image was distorted, and he was saying something to me that I couldn't quite understand.
Then I saw a guard appear behind him; he pointed to the chains that were on the wall. My entire body tensed as the guard lifted me off the ground with ease. My breathing grew shaky, and Jack stared at me with zero emotions on his face.
What was he going to do to me?
"Please..." I pleaded; however, I'm not sure if my words actually left my mouth.
I gasped as I was shoved against the wall; the guard chained my arms and legs to the wall; tightening them so I couldn't move an inch.
Tears fell down my eyes as the guard took a step away and went to stand on the far side of the cell, against the wall while he watched Jack do whatever he wanted with me.
"You know exactly why I'm here," Jack hissed; the warmth of his breath hitting my features and making me nearly gag at the stench. "I'm getting answers out of you, one way or another."
I wasn't sure what kind of answers he was looking for. I didn't do anything wrong; I thought I was protecting Luna Queen Cara. I had no idea the soup was poisoned. Though I knew no matter what I said to defend myself, it wasn't going to matter.
He made his mind up about me long ago.
"I did nothing..." I whispered to him, my voice coming out hoarse as my throat was too dry. It pained me to speak.
"We'll see about that," he growled. "Did you poison your lady?" Jack asked, staring at me with great intensity.
"No!" I said, trying to appear loud enough and calm.
Before I could utter another word, I felt the sharp blow of his hand hitting my face. The sting was everlasting. My body trembled as he asked me the same question again, to which I replied with the same answer. He slapped me again with more force and I could feel my cheek reddening under his touch.
"Don't lie to me," he hissed, his teeth sharpening as his inner wolf started surfacing.
His anger reminded me of when Melody nearly killed me; she was having trouble containing her wolf and it nearly came to the surface. Jack's wolf was no different; the dark grey fur was appearing through his skin and the golden eyes of his wolf were flashing through his dark blue gaze.
"I'm not lying!" I cried.
He curled his fist and swiped at me; the hands of his wolf revealing themselves as it neared my face once again. The nail of his wolf sliced through the same spot that Melody had sliced through, opening, and deepening the wound.
I cried out in pain as blood poured from my face and dripped onto my clothing.
"Please!" I cried to him; begging him to have mercy.
"Who put you up to it?" He asked as he grabbed a wooden plank that was leaning against the wall behind him.
"I didn't poison her," I gasped, trying to maintain my breath.
"Wrong answer," he hissed as he swung the plank like a bat and hit the center of my stomach.
All air left my lungs and I gasped for breath; for a moment, it didn't hurt because the pain was so numbing. But once he pulled the plank away, I could feel the pain coursing through my body and nearly paralyzing me.
"Stop!!" I begged him; this made him laugh and he took the plank again, hitting me in the same spot.
My screams echoed through the prison walls, piercing the cell.
"Did William put you up to it?" He asked.
"Of course not!" I cried, trying to catch my breath.
I felt a sharp pain against my shin as he jabbed the wooden plank into me. I felt the cracking of my bones in my leg, and I cried out in agony. My hands trembled as they were pressed again the cold concrete walls, unable to move against the chains that bound them.
"You have to believe me," I cried, nearly drowning in my tears.
"I don't have to do anything," Jack nearly laughed.
He came closer to me; his breath hitting my features.
"Did William want you to kill his lady?" He asked again.
"No..." I whispered.
I felt another blow to my stomach as he pushed the plank against me hard; I couldn't breathe. He was slowly pushing it into me.
"He's probably happy that Melody's gone honestly. I don't think he liked her very much. I was wondering why he dealt with her for so long. But now I get it; he was just waiting for you to do the job he asked you to do," Jack said.
"No," I said again. "He would never."
"Wouldn't he though?" Jack asked with a chuckle as he stepped away from me.
"I didn't kill anybody. It wasn't me. The soup was poisoned by somebody in the kitchen," I said, gasping for breath.
He turned back to me and dropped the plank to the ground.
"Is that what William told you to say?" He asked with a grin that gave me an uneasy feeling.
"Of course not," I said breathlessly.
"We all know why Melody tried to kill you," Jack said, he was digging in the pocket of his jacket for a moment until he pulled out a small pocket-knife.
I sucked in a shaky breath as he revealed the sharpness of the blade.
"Was it because William wanted you instead of her?" Jack asked, stepping closer to me. "You both wanted her out of the way so he could be yours. Is that right?"
"What?" I gasped. "No..."
He curled up his fist that wasn't holding the knife and swung it toward my face; I felt my nose shifting and I heard a crack. Blood poured from my nostrils as he broke my nose.
I cried out in pain; my screams sounded broken and strained. At that moment, it felt as if I had no more tears left to cry.
I felt the sharp blade of the knife against the palm of my hand, pressing against the veins in my hand. My hand trembled under the touch.
How could he think I would kill Melody just because I wanted to be with William? That thought disgusted me. I would never do such a thing. I couldn't do such a thing.
"I'm going to ask you one more time," Jack said in a low and threatening tone. "Did Prince William order you to kill Lady Melody#?"
"No..." I whispered.
It was hardly audible, but it was enough for him to move the blade away from my hand and then jab it, in a stabbing motion, back down with a quick force, piercing through my flesh and sticking to the wall behind me.
I screamed loudly as blood poured from my hand and dripped down the concrete wall.
He grabbed the blade and pulled it out with force; I winced.
The blood loss was causing me to be woozy; I thought I was going to pass out. I was already sleep-deprived and felt dizzy enough; now I was losing all this blood. It was amazing that I was still awake, to begin with.
Jack took a step away from me; staring at the mess he caused.
"Unchain her," he ordered the guard who obeyed immediately. "We'll be back in a few hours to see if there's any change in her answers."
Jack turned away from me and began walking out of the cell, without a single look back in my direction.
As the guard unchained me, I fell to the ground, lying in a puddle of my own blood.
I cried out in agony; my body numbs from the torment and pain that Jack had caused. The guard locked the cell door behind him and disappeared behind Jack.
I coughed as blood pooled in my mouth and caused me to choke slightly.
I couldn't believe this was happening to me. I just wanted it to be over. I wanted this torment to end.
"You should have confessed."