Lyra's POV

I stood in the middle of the gym, my head turning like a rollercoaster. 

 My lips still ached from where Jacob had kissed me just minutes ago. 

Jacob, my fiancé, the guy who'd jilted me some days ago, leaving me heartbroken and shattered to pieces. 

And yet, somehow, it feels like I'm stuck with him again.

  He even has the mind to kiss me, like we were lovers.

I felt really annoyed and frustrated at the same time. I was confused as fuck.

While I was still trying to process the whole jargon flowing through my head, I heard the gym door opening.

I turned to look and saw Alpha Orion walk in.

My goodness, this dude looks like a smoking mountain, or a freaking giant. 

Everything about him was intimidating as hell, down to the way he looks at me, the exact kind of look a lion would give to a puppy. It made me feel very uncomfortable.

Slowly, I placed my sweaty palms on my gown and tried to act like nothing was wrong.

Orion stopped a few distances away from me and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"If you think the fact that we're mated is going to make me treat you differently, then you're setting yourself up for a shocking discovery."

I froze, losing my breath for a second. 

Why is he even getting married to Ravenna or whoever the fuck owns this body I'm trapped in if he doesn't care one bit about her.

The thoughts of what he might have in store for me terrified me, but my expression remained neutral. 

I wouldn't let him see how much his words terrified me. I am used to the rejections anyway, so if he rejects me here and now, I wouldn't care less, I don't even know him enough to love him.

 But then Orion's eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer. "What do you have to do with Kevin?" he asked. "I heard you two talking when I left."

My heart felt like a sinking ship. Did he see Jacob kissing me? I panicked, perhaps he heard us.

For fuck sake, why do I keep going from trouble to trouble.

 I didn't even know how to answer him, so I just kept my mouth shut.

He groaned, the kind of sound that means only one thing: anger. Especially with the way his jaw tightened.

 He stepped even closer, towering over me, and pointed a finger right at my chest. "How do you know Kevin?" he demanded,  "And if you lie, I don't mind killing you tonight."

The air left my lungs. Killing me? He'd really do that? My hands shook so bad, I had to roll them into fists to stop the shaking. 

His eyes were like lasers, piercing through me for answers.

At that moment, I knew, one wrong word, and I might not walk out of this gym alive.

I opened my mouth again, but there were no words.

I was trapped, caught between Jacob's stupid game and Orion's deadly Attitude.

 I had to say something, anything, but what? The truth? A lie?

 My mind danced in different directions, searching for the right words, but it was all blank. All I could feel was the pounding of my pulse and the sweat on my skin.

 I wanted to run, to bolt out the door and never look back, but my feet were glued to the spot.

Jacob's kiss kept replaying in my head. It had happened so fast, one second he was talking about some wicked plan, the next his lips were on mine. 

 My heart ached with the memory of how he'd betrayed my love for him.

 I could still see his face from that day he sent. me that text message, like it was no big deal. 

But  Orion, he was the real problem now. My mate. The Alpha. The guy who could snap my neck without breaking a sweat. I had just met him, and he's already talking about killing me.

Orion's groan snapped me back to the moment. He was losing it, I could tell.

 He stepped closer, so close I could perceive his strong masculine perfume.

"You're just thinking of the lies to come up with, aren't you?" he accused.

My jaw dropped. Lies? I hadn't even said anything yet! 

"You're a whore," he spat. " You're already trying to seduce Kevin."

His words hit me hard, like a hot slap across the face.

 Fear had been bubbling inside me, but now it boiled over into disgust.

 A whore? Seduce Jacob? The idea made my skin crawl. Jacob or whatever the fuck his name is now, had kissed me, not the other way around, but Orion didn't care about the truth.

 He'd already decided who I was. I wanted to snap back, to tell him he was wrong, but I bit my tongue. 

I'd heard the rumors about him, how he crushed anyone who crossed him, how bodies disappeared after his anger flared. 

If I slipped up now, who knew whose body I'd end up in next? Or maybe this time, my death would be permanent.

Orion's eyes narrowed, his voice rose with fury.

 "Since you're nothing but a whore, I'll treat you like one!"

My heart slammed hard like a wave on the seashore.

I took a shaky step back, but there was no running away from him. 

He turned toward the gym door and shouted, "Keto!"

The door creaked open, and Keto stepped inside.

 His eyes darted between me and Orion, a quick glance that revealed nothing at all.

"Take her to the drilling pit," Orion ordered, his tone cold. "My men are waiting."

The drilling pit? My eyes widened in terror. What was that? The name alone sent a chill down my spine, conjuring images of dark, twisted places, holes in the ground, blood, and screams.

 I didn't know what it was or what awaited me there, but it sounded like a nightmare.

 My breath caught in my throat, and my legs felt weak.

Before I could move, Keto crossed the room in four quick steps.

 His hand clamped around my wrist. "No-wait!" I gasped, pulling against him, but it was like tugging on a steel door. 

He didn't even look at me, just yanked me toward the door.

Lyra's POV

I couldn't stop my heart from beating very fast, it almost felt like it was going to come out of my chest.

 Keto's grip on my hand was as firm as iron. He pulled me down to a dark, narrow hallway. 

The air inside the hallway was cool compared to the hot air outside.

We got to a spot where I saw a set of metal stairs, and it led to what had to be an underground basement. 

I became so scared, and the sheer terror of what awaited me once I got to the drilling pit hugged me tightly as we walked. What awaits me there? That question lingered in my mind like the pull of gravity.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, even though my voice was shaky.

 It was quite obvious from my voice that I was really scared, but I couldn't help it.

Keto didn't answer. He just kept walking as though he was deaf and dumb.

His refusal to answer my question made my stomach hurt.  I haven't heard any tales about Keto, unlike Orion, but I could tell he was loyal to Orion.

 I was terrified of Orion, but Keto? I wasn't sure about him, I would try to get to him. 

I swallowed hard and summoned every piece of courage I had left.

 I stamped my feet and yanked my arm away from his hand. He stopped immediately. "I said, Where are you taking me?"

He turned to face me, and his silver eyes scanned the area as though he wanted to be sure no one was watching. 

 "You'd better come with me peacefully," he started trying to make his voice a little calm, "Don't make this harder than it already is."

Harder? My lungs tightened, but I stood my ground, even though my knees were shaking. "Tell me where we're going," I insisted, louder than I intended.

Keto sighed and ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back. 

He stared at me for a while, like he was considering his options. 

Then he opened his mouth to answer me.

"I'm taking you to a place where your chances of coming out in one piece are fifteen percent."

Fifteen percent of surviving? My eyes widened in fear, and it felt like his words went through me like a spear.

 For a while, I couldn't feel my legs anymore, and feverish sweat broke out across my forehead. 

The drilling pit sounded like a death sentence. I'd rather find a way to escape. 

"Please," I whispered as I stepped closer to him, my hands still shaking slightly.

 "Keto, please help me escape. Don't take me to the drilling pit. I'm begging you."

He stared at me, his expression neutral. 

And for a second, it seemed like I saw something in his eyes, like confusion or conflict.

 I remembered when we just met, how he was my mate, just like Orion. Perhaps I can use that as leverage to make him help me.

His eyes went soft, just a little bit, and I held on to that tiny hope. Is he torn between his loyalty to his Alpha and the bond between us?

Finally, he nodded his head. "Fine," he said. "I'll help you. But you have to do exactly what I say."

I felt relieved, so much that it almost pushed me to tears. 

 "Okay," I said, and nodded quickly. "I will. I'll do anything you say."

Without warning, he bent down and carried me on his shoulder without any struggle on his part.

 I gasped, and my hands instinctively grabbed his shirt to steady myself. "What are you doing? How is this helping me escape?"

"You'd slow me down if I let you walk," he grunted as he walked.

I squirmed, and somehow, my heart started racing again. 

We moved past the basement walls, but something felt odd. "Wait," I said as I lifted my head slightly. "Why are we going deeper into the basement? Shouldn't we be going out instead?"

Keto stopped walking, he tilted his head a little bit, "You want me to take you through the route where we came in? Orion is probably right behind us by now."

I zipped my mouth shut.  Leaving through the same route obviously wasn't a good plan. The possibility of running into Orion was high, like he said. 

When Keto noticed I had no more words to say, he took it as a cue to keep going.

At least he was helping me. I didn't know how, but if I had any chance of escaping, he was my only option.

We reached a staircase that was sort of narrow and steep, which led deeper underground.

 Keto didn't hesitate,  he descended through the steps and I held his shirt tightly. 

 At the bottom, we reached a worn-out metal door. He shifted me slightly and used one of his hands to push the door open. 

He stepped inside and set me down on the floor.

I still couldn't feel my legs, but I tried to steady myself.  

 He'd agreed to help me escape, and the least I could do was to appreciate him for risking his life to help me. So I lifted my head up to face him head-on and thank him.

But I swallowed the thanksgiving speech that was already on my lips when my eyes sighted things that looked like I was in a nightmare.

Dozens of men were scattered across the room, their eyes turned to me like a camera detecting motion.

 They were huge, really huge. Some smiled at me, others just kept staring, but they all looked like monsters devoid of feelings.

The relief I felt earlier was quickly replaced by a fear that was almost suffocating.

I returned my attention back to Keto, "What is going on?" I sounded like a child on the verge of sobbing. 

He wouldn't meet my eyes. He looked elsewhere. "I'm sorry," he said, "I can't risk disobeying my Alpha for you."

The words hit me like a knife to the heart.

 Betrayed. He'd lied to me. He'd never planned to help me escape. 

He'd brought me straight to the drilling pit, or whatever this place was. 

My knees gave in, and I held the wall to prevent myself from falling. 

How could I have been so stupid to believe he was actually helping me?

 One of the men, a fat guy with a handkerchief wrapped around his cheek, walked closer to me.

 "Looks like Alpha Orion brought us a new toy to play with," he said, smiling.

Panic enveloped me right from my head down to my toes; any moment from now, these men would be all over me.

Lyra's POV

Tears stung my eyes as I turned to Keto, "What are they going to do to me?"

The men in the hall started circling around me.

They looked really cruel, and their hungry stares made me feel disgusted. 

Keto folded his arms, his face hard but not as cold as Orion's. 

He took a glance at the men, then returned his gaze to me. "If I were you, I wouldn't worry about them," he said, "They're the mouth. Orion's the teeth."

My breath seized. Orion. Of course. He was the real danger, the one who could crush me with a single word.

 My eyes went to the heavy metal door we had just entered.

Good to see it was still open, but Keto's words interrupted me.

"Don't even think about it," He said.

But I didn't listen. His words meant no shit to me anymore.

 Panic surged all over me as I ran towards the door.

I could hear the men laughing behind me like a pack of hyenas.

The fact that Keto didn't try to stop me should have made me worried, but I was too preoccupied with my escape plans.

I ran as fast as I could, cared less about directions, just ran as far away as possible from the drilling pit, and Orion, but I couldn't get very far away. I bumped into a pair of red eyes and froze on the spot.

 Orion didn't say a word, he just held his gaze on me like a red traffic light at night.

 I became paralyzed at the spot, like a statue that lacked mobility. His massive height made me feel like an ant staring up at a giant.

That made him scarier, like he could easily squeeze me without any struggle.

He wore a white singlet that hugged his body, revealing all the strong muscles and dark tattoos he had on.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

I nodded dumbly, my head moved before I could stop it. 

He twitched his lips, "Go back," he said, gesturing his head toward the hall.

I started to turn, ready to obey just to avoid his wrath.

 But then something unexpected happened within me, and the words came out before I could stop them. "I'm not yours to order around like a slave."

Orion's eyebrows went up, his eyes widening for a second. 

It was the kind of surprise that said no one had ever disobeyed his order before, especially not a woman.

My heart pounded fast, but I couldn't take my words back now. Although I wished I could.

"What did you say?" 

I swallowed my fear, even though my hands were still shaking. 

 I lifted my chin up. "I'm not yours to order around like a slave," I said, louder this time around.

Orion's face changed, he became red with anger, though that flicker of surprise was still visible.

 His gaze went to someone who was obviously behind me, but, before I could turn, I felt strong arms wrapping me from behind.

"Let me go!" I yelled, trying to yank free, but it was like fighting a steel gate.

 I knew it was Keto-his grip was unmistakable.

Orion didn't say a word as Keto carried me back into the hall, my kicks and shouts doing nothing.

 The men's laughter grew louder, mocking me.

 Keto set me down inside, and I stumbled, barely catching myself. 

I was about to stand when the door creaked, and Orion walked in. 

He had to bend his head to fit through the frame, his height made the door looked small.

 The men quickly cleared their throats and straightened up like soldiers.

 Orion's presence sucked the air out of the room, and every eye was on him-except mine. 

I couldn't look away from the ground.

"I know you're all wondering who I have brought in this time." Orion said.

One of the men, a huge guy with golden teeth spoke up. "She's too weak, boss. She's not gonna last."

Orion chuckled, and the men took it as a cue to laugh.

I didn't understand what they meant, but the fear in my gut told me it was bad. 

 "My initial plan was to let two of you have her for the night as you please," he said casually, "She was supposed to be for me, but she's not the kind of woman I'd want to fuck around with."

My stomach dropped. I felt like I might vomit.

 His words echoed in my head, have her for the night. 

He was going to give me to these men, like I was nothing. A whore, just like he'd called me.

The men were about ten, maybe twelve. I tried hard not to cry as I stared at them. 

Then one of them stepped forward. "Just give the word, boss, and we'll take turns," he said.

I wanted to scream, to run, but my legs were rooted to the spot. 

My mind raced, searching for how to come out of this troubles, but Orion's next words stopped my thoughts cold.

"But," he said, pausing for effect, "she showed me something earlier. The wit of a warrior."

I looked up, my breath catching. He was talking about what I'd said in the hallway, my defiance.

 Was that a good thing? Or had I just made things worse?

Orion turned to face me, "For daring to disobey a direct order," he said, "you're going to fight my strongest female werewolf tomorrow."

The room spun. Fight? Me? I could barely stand, not to talk of fighting.

"I've heard the rumors about how strong you are, Ravenna," Orion continued, his voice mocking. "You'll prove it tomorrow."

Ravenna. My heart skipped a beat. He thought I was Ravenna. But I wasn't. I was Lyra, stuck in Ravenna's body. 

Ravenna might've been a fierce fighter, but me? I'd never thrown a punch in my life. 

Back home, I was the weakling, the one everyone pitied. I was never trained to fight.

 Now I was supposed to face Orion's strongest werewolf? I'd be torn apart for sure.

Orion's gaze never left me, his lips curling into a cruel smile. 

Sweat dripped down my face, stinging my eyes.

 I wanted to beg, to tell him I wasn't Ravenna, but what good would that do? 

He'd probably laugh and throw me to the men anyway. 

My defiance had bought me a fight instead of a night of horror, but it felt like trading one death sentence for another.