Chapter 172: The Chains of Fate

The silence was impossible, weighing heavy with anticipation as Daisy stood, her gaze on the blank eyes of the kneeling beast. The others had slain its family, but this one—this one did not stir to attack. It recognized her. Lleus's hand on the hilt of his sword convulsed. "Daisy," he cautioned, his voice deep and authoritative. "Back away." She wanted to. She tried. But something inside of her would not move. The symbol on her chest seared hot, pulsed in rhythm with the artificial light of the creature's eyes. Then it spoke. Not in words, but something below—a whisper in her head. You are chosen. You cannot flee. Daisy screamed and retreated. The moment the foot had bled from that incantation, the creature shrieked and attacked her. Lleus had acted on instinct, moving forward to position his sword between them and into the monster's skull. It let out a squeaking hiss before it broke down into black smoke and disappeared as if it never was. There was silence. Then Viktor let out a hard breath. "What in the devil just occurred?" Daisy grabbed her chest , trying to catch her breath."It… it spoke to me." Alfonso gave her a cutting look. "Spoke to you?" She nodded, swallowing. "Not out loud. In my head. It told me I was chosen." Darius scoffed. "Just what we need. Chosen for what?" Daisy's hands shook as she gazed down at the glowing on her chest. "I don't know," she confessed. "But whatever it is, I don't think I have a choice." Lleus pushed his hair back in agitation, worry and frustration wrestling with each other for precedence in his mind. He had seen magic—shadow magic—warp people into things they no longer were. He had seen soldiers reduced to silhouettes of themselves, marionettes for powers beyond their control. He would not sit idly by while that was allowed to happen to Daisy. "We need to get answers," he said to them. "We can't just stagger around in the dark here." Viktor nodded. "Yes. We locate the desert wolves, and we determine what's going on." Alfonso frowned once more, his features shadowing darker on his face. "What if they don't know?" Lleus clenched his jaw. "Then we just keep looking until we can locate someone who does." Daisy took a deep breath, steeling herself for the task at hand." I don't want to be a hindrance to you, Let's go." But Lleus was suspicious. He could feel it by the way she wouldn't look at him, by the way she crossed her arms over her chest, warding off some invisible blow. Something's wrong. And it was going to get worse. Arrival at the Desert Wolves' Camp By sunset, the landscape had shifted from dry earth to rolling dunes, the air thick with desert heat. Along the edge of a jagged cliff rim, a hidden village clung to the shadow of massive rock monoliths. The desert wolves' stronghold. Lleus and his companions moved cautiously forward, swords sheathed but hands never far from their hilts. Guards stood to either side of the door, their golden eyes contracting suspiciously as they approached. The leader, a darkened, silver-haired male who towered above them, moved forward. "State your business," he barked. Lleus locked eyes with him. "I am Alpha Lleus. We have come to request an audience with your leader." The man's face did not change. "Alpha Lleus is dead." The group fell silent. Lleus's body froze. "That's a lie." The guard sneered. "No. It is truth. You steal his name like a thief in the dark. But you are not he." Daisy moved forward. "This is ridiculous. We've ridden for days to reach—" In the space of one heartbeat, there were warriors again, surrounding them once more. The air was as tight as a drawn bowstring letting go. "Take them," said the leader. Lleus was not given a chance to struggle before firm fingers clamped around him, yanking him back. He growled, resisting, but icy—silver chains—wrapped themselves around his wrists, draining his energy. Viktor and Alfonso fought back, but the desert wolves were too strong. They were soon overwhelmed and bound. Daisy struggled against her captor. "Let us go! You don't know—" The leader spun to her, his golden eyes glinting. Then he paused. His gaze was stuck on the shining mark on her breast. His face twisted into a pretended-horror for an instant. But it was as fleeting as it was sudden. "You," he breathed. "You bear the mark of the damned." Daisy's spine bristled. "What?" The leader's expression grew somber. "Take them away to the cells." The prison was a caved-out chamber inside the granite, water pearling down the walls. Chains rattled as Lleus was tossed inside, his wrists cuffed behind him by chains. Daisy, Viktor, and Alfonso were pushed inside after him. The metal door shut. Luchini smoothed the chains on his wrists. Silver. Beautiful. Alfonso exhaled a harsh breath. "Great. Just great." Viktor leaned against the wall, his face expressionless. "They're accusing you of being an impersonator." Lleus huffed. "Fools." Daisy straddled the damp ground, her hand fists over the imprint on her chest. "This leader… he knew this too." Viktor's eyes flashed to hers. "And that means he knows something too." Lleus nodded. "And we're going to make him open up." Daisy glared at him. "How?" He smiled, even in their midst of their crisis. "Oh, I have my methods." Hours dragged on before the door creaked once more. The leader of the desert wolves stepped forward, two warriors beside him. His golden eyes swept them before settling on Lleus. "You claim to be Alpha Lleus," he said coldly. Lleus met his gaze unflinchingly. "Because I am." The leader snarled. "Then demonstrate it." Lleus's eyebrow shot up. "And how do I do that?" The leader advanced. "Alpha Lleus was a man among beasts. His eyes blazed red with power. And yet." He jabbed his finger in Lleus's direction. "Yours don't." Viktor's scowl grew darker. "What do you mean?" The leader's sneer grew wider. "It means he is a fake or something has sucked the power out of him." There was oppressive silence. Daisy's fists clenched. "Impossible. Lleus is—" The leader interrupted her. "If he is what he claims to be, he will change. Now. Here." Lleus's lungs gasped in a lungful of air. His wolf raged within him, but when he grasped for it—nothing. His breath stopped. Something was keeping it in check. The leader's grin sneered. "You see? The true Alpha Lleus is gone." Lleus's heart thudded within his ears. What in the devil was the matter with him? Alfonso growled. "This is treachery." But the leader just laughed. "No trick. Only truth." He turned on his heel. "Enjoy your stay, impostor." The door slammed shut again. Lleus looked at his hands, his mind in a whirl. He couldn't shift. And that could only mean one thing. Something—or someone—had taken his power.