The Ivory Queen
Chapter 108

***Oliver’s POV***

I wake up in a pool of my sweat on a cot chained to the wall with Michael dormant once more.

While I could not remember what I had done, I knew under Tais and Ira’s spell, Michael had done terrible things. In my slumber, I had dreamt of Aurora, her sweet voice coaxing me to her. I had seen her. I knew I had. She had been crying and I ached to wipe away her tears, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not reach reach her. Just as the dream had started, it had vanished and I slipped back into the dark abyss.

Oddly enough, the room seems familiar. I was no longer in the musty room Tais and Ira had originally locked me in. Instead, I found myself in a room resembling a jail cell with silver bars and thick red brick walls. There were no windows and the only way out seemed to be through the silver barred door. To my left, there was a wash basin and a metal toilet.

Jail… jail. This is a jail… why is that significant?

The answer comes rushing at me in an instant. I knew exactly where I was, recognizing the old prison system of the Opal Moon pack, the original pack that once reigned over the land before River Moon was established. The River Moon pack hospital had been built over it when my great grandfather overtook Opal Moon over 60 years ago.

As a boy, my father brought me down here, wanting me to understand the history of our pack. The prison wasn’t listed on any of the plans of the territory as it was an Alpha secret handed down from alpha to alpha. In fact, the only known entrance to the prison was through the woods outside of River Moon’s territory in the northern woods.

My father must have told the witches of this place but why had I been moved from my old cell?

A g***n draws my attention and I search the parameter of my cell only to be horrified by what I see. In the jail cell directly across from mine, I see none other than Rosalie laying asleep in the corner, silver shackles chaining her to the wall. I’m relieved to see she isn’t hurt but my fear does not leave my heart. Why was Ro here? What could the witches possibly want with her?

I crawl towards the end of my cell as far as my chains allow me and call out to her.

“Ro! Rosalie!” I call out.

She g****s again, putting a hand to her temple and squeezing her eyes shut.

“Rosalie! Wake up!” I call again, shaking my shackles in hopes the noise might wake her up.

Her eyes slowly blink open, darting back and forth in confusion.

“Rosalie! It’s me! Wake up! What are you doing here?” I hiss.

She squints her eyes at me before they widen in fear and she backs up in her cell.

“Get away from me!” She cries. “You’re not Oliver!”

What? Of course I am!

“Rosalie calm down!” I reassure her, putting my hands up in surrender. “It’s me! I promise!”

She stares at me suspiciously, refusing to get any closer. Her hands fly to her swollen belly and tears spill onto her cheeks.

“You almost killed Diego,” she croaks. “You-you-“

What?

“No, I-I didn’t. I-I would never. I-“

The more I stumble over my words, the less convinced she seems. I try getting closer but she only inches further into her cell, clutching her belly protectively.

“Ro, look at me. It’s me, Oliver! I swear I would never hurt you,” I plead, hating the way she looks at me. I rack my brain trying to come up with a way for her to realize it really was me when it hits me.

“Luci… “ I call out, hoping she remembers the nickname Carter once gave her as a kid.

It was short for Lucifer. Rosalie was quite the demon growing up but she was especially vicious to Carter, pulling his hair and pinching him whenever she had the opportunity. We knew she had a crush on him but she, of course, would never admit that at the time. The more we teased her about it, the meaner she got and so, Carter began to refer to her as Lucifer. I knew then he loved her and it made me happy to know my sister would always be cared for.

Rosalie’s face softens when I call her that and she wipes at her tears.

“Oli? I-is it really you?” She whimpers, tentatively crawling towards me.

“Yes! Yes! Yes it’s me!”

She crawls as far as she can, wincing when the silver chains burn into her skin.

“Oliver!” She cries. “Oli I’m scared! I want to go home!”

“How did you get here? What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know!” She says, dropping her head into her hands. “Karina brought-“

We hear a scraping sound coming from the corridors leading towards us, followed by footsteps and some whistling. We turn to see Karina walking towards us, dragging a black sword across the stone floor.

“Look who’s finally awake,” she chirps, banging the sword against my cell. “You did some great work last night. Quite the little soldier we got here.”

I snarl at her but she just chuckles in amusement. We hear more footsteps before the witches and Adeline emerge from the darkness of the prison.

Tais wears a wicked smile while Ira’s eyes seem transfixed on Rosalie’s belly. I growl in warning and Ira rolls her eyes at me.

“You have to be real idiots to keep us on River Moon territory!” I snarl at the witches.

“Well we would have kept you at the Amethyst lake hideout but it seems your mate was able to overthrow the alpha,” Tais shrugs. She picks are her finger nails disinterestedly. “But no worries. Your father provided an excellent substitute. No one will ever find you here. I’ve made sure of that. Besides what better way to taunt her than to keep you right under her nose?”

I hate that she’s right. No one on River Moon, save for my father, even knew this place existed.

“What is Rosalie doing here?” I demand, and Ira’s answer chills me to the bone.

“Forged by b***d and Fed by souls,

the Moon and Sun awake it’s thirst.

First innocence must bleed.

With the Ivory it controls

All of the beings on this Earth.”

First innocence must bleed…?

My eyes widen in shock. First innocence, Rosalie’s first born, a child without sin. An innocent.

Rosalie cries, clutching her stomach.

“No, not my baby!” she wails.

“Shh,” Ira’s coos at her, a sickly grin hanging on her lips.

“You touch her and I’ll kill you!” I scream, tugging at my chains.

“You’re so dramatic, Alpha,” Tais chuckles, turning on her heels.

Just then, David storms in, glaring at the witches.

“Daddy?” Rosalie calls out, stopping her sobs to stare accusingly at the man we called father.

He ignores her, staring directly at the witches.

“My daughter was not part of the agreement.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Ira smiles. “So don’t worry, she’ll live.”

“Then why is she here?” David snarls, his nostrils flaring.

“You never said anything about the child,” Tais shrugs, pushing past him.

He grabs her by the elbow but yelps in pain when she turns to look at him.

“Do that again,” Tais hisses, looking up at his towering figure. “And I’ll rip her tongue out,” she whispers.

She turns to leave, but as she does, David lunges at her. Before he even lands a blow, however, Karina digs the sword into his side and he crashes to the ground, b***d immediately pooling around him.

It wasn’t a fatal wound, but it was enough to keep him immobile. Tais nods at Adeline, rolling her eyes in disgust.

“Clean that up!” She orders and Adeline rushes to David’s side, tearing off his shirt to examine the wound. “Oh and Adeline?” She smiles wickedly. “Be very careful with your mission. One screw up and your done. Toodles.”

The witches and Karina exit, leaving Adeline to clean up David’s mess. Her hands tremble as she works, David groaning and wheezing in pain. Rosalie stares blankly at him, cradling her belly and rocking back and forth.

“I’m sorry,” David whimpers to no one in particular, sitting up with Adeline’s help.

“You’re sorry?” I scoff, furious with his cowardice. “If you’re so sorry, let us go. Help us get out of here!”

David seems to contemplate the suggestion but Adeline shakes her head furiously. “David, Don’t,” she warns. “You know you can’t.”

“Why am I not surprised you would be against this?” I snarl at her. “Always claiming Rosalie was going to be your little sister and now look at you. Helping her lose the most precious thing she-“

Adeline is at my cell in a second, her anger evident at the accusation. “Do not think for a second I enjoy this. I want you, yes, but I never wished to bring her baby’s death! It was not part of the deal!”

“And what exactly was the deal?” I retort.

“I cannot speak for David but mine was quite simple. I was promised my mate.”

I snarl at that. I had one mate and her name was Aurora Salome.

“You are not my mate!”

Adeline chuckles, walking back to David and helping him to his feet.

“A mate is a soul mate,” she mutters. “And these witches… they’re witches of the spirit. Of the soul. They can create a mate bond between two unmated wolves.”

No… that’s impossible… only Moon Goddess had the power to create mate bonds. Gamma bonds were the only bond a wolf could create by choice.

“They can’t-“

“Yes they can…” Adeline reassures. A mist forming near her eyes. “I’ve seen it. And I would give anything to have you look at me the way you look at Aurora .”

“Shut up! You keep her name out of your mouth!” I snap, reaching for the bars of my cell but failing.

“I swear to you, Oliver. I did not wish any harm on Rosalie,” she whispers, ignoring my curses at her. “But I cannot stop it either. They would kill you all and I cannot put your life at risk. And David knows he can’t either.”

“Your mission is what exactly?” I demand.

She gives me a blank look. “Causing trouble,” she says.

And with that she slings David’s arm over her shoulder and they both disappear into the dark hallways of the prison.

I scream for them to return but to no avail and slump back in my cell. Across from me, Rosalie has fallen silent. I call out to her but she’s lost in her own world, clutching onto the growing life in her womb, tears streaming down her face.