Winter looked around the enormous room the king had placed her in. She was still shaking a bit from everything that had happened. He had kept her here on the pretense that she was still to affected by everything that had happened to leave.

'Are you okay?'

Arsen's voice popped up in her head.

'I don't know.' Winter replied.

'I am coming for you.' Arsen immediately answered.

'No, you are not.' she was silent for a second.

'I killed him.'

'How are you feeling?' Arsen asked.

'Still the same, but at least now I know he can't hurt anyone else.'

'I miss you.' Arsen replied.

'Me too, how is the pack?'

'Blade and Josh are managing things, Graham and Luke are here with me. Winter, darling, I don't like the fact that you are there alone. What's your plan?' Arsen asked.

Winter was silent, she didn't have a plan anymore. She had been so blinded by the hatred for Lex, that her plan had evaporated.

'To find a solution that doesn't end up with war.'

'And without you mating him, understand Winter?' Arsen was quick to respond.

'We moved eyes closer to the castle, the moment I see anything that comes close to a mating ceremony, I won't hesitate.'

Winter smiled.

'Don't underestimate my love for you, Alpha Storm.' Winter answered.

'I don't, I am just not underestimating the wickedness of the king.' he replied.

Winter sighed, she felt how an unsettling feeling nestled in her belly. Something was calling for her, something inside this castle.

'I need to go.'

Winter said to answer Arsen.

'I love you.'

She added and shut the mind link before he could respond.

Winter lay in her bed and looked around her room, the windows gave way towards the garden, she could hear the heartbeat of the guards standing in front of them.

She had tossed and turned, trying to come up with some sort of plan that could stop the king. She doubted that she could get away with simply killing him. She had no idea how Roderick would react; without the king the army was no doubt weaker. But it was still an army.

The unsettling feeling became stronger with each passing minute. Winter needed to know what it was. She hoped her door wasn't locked as the feeling pulled her towards the halls. She placed her hand on the knob and carefully twisted it, listing at the same time that nobody was around.

The door wasn't locked, but Winter knew better than to believe she was free to leave. She tiptoed through the hall, her wolf on edge carefully listening to everything around her. The feeling pulled her down, it guided her through the castles and soon she found herself making way to the basement of the castle.

Most rooms just held storage, but it was something else that pulled Winter deeper. Her wolf was on edge with every move she made, listing and smelling everything around her. She was drawn to a door at the end of the storage units. She listened carefully but there wasn't a wolf close by. She opened the door and silently moved through a long tunnel.

As Winter approached the end of the tunnel, she could hear the presence of other wolves, a lot of wolves. She needed to be quick because she heard how at the other end of the tunnel someone was approaching her, and he was coming fast.

Winter pushed the door open, letting her true alpha vibes shimmer through. A group of guards looked her right in the face. She smirked.

"Stand down, go back to your rooms and tell nobody about what you saw here." she commanded.

The guards obeyed her immediately and stepped aside. Winter stood alone in the middle of a place that sent chills over her spine. The place reeked of death. She had walked right in the dungeons of the palace.

Winter walked forward ready to look at the prisoners until she felt how someone grabbed her. She was ready to fight him.

"Easy, I am not here to harm you."

Winter looked right in the face of Roderick.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he looked confused at her.

"Looking around."

Winter said cautiously, she didn't know how hard she could trust the prince.

The prince looked around.

"What are you doing in the old dungeons? Why are you here?" He asked.

"What do you mean the old dungeons?"

She looked at the prince trying to see if he was telling her the truth.

"These are the old dungeons; we don't use them anymore. My father sealed the doors and the tunnels a long time ago."

He looked startled around, and at the same time circled Winter.

"And yet part of the royal guard was here." Winter stated.

"And you are here" the prince remarked.

"How did you find this place?" He asked.

"A feeling guided me here, not a good one." she added.

"A feeling? I don't trust you; you have other intentions for being here." he answered.

"What about not being forced to mate? Is that good enough reason for you?"

Tears rolled over Winter's cheeks.

"I came down here because I felt a pull, a feeling that didn't go away no matter what I tried." she answered.

Winter stepped further in the hall and looked at the cells. The floors were covered with woman, starved and badly threatened. Winter swallowed as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Who are all these women?" Roderick stammered.

"The playthings of your brother and Hex." Winter replied.

The silence was deafening. Winter walked further down the hall the number of women here was enormous. The prince followed her, with a terrified look on his face.

"This is my brother's doing?" he asked.

"His and Hex's." Winter looked up.

"Winter whitefortis, is that you?"

A voice from inside one of the cells whispered. Winter rushed over and looked inside.

"Lia?" she softly whispered.

Robin's little sister sat on the floor of a cell.

"Lia what happened?" she asked.

"A few days after you left the king came. Aster didn't want to hand us over. The guard of the king stole us out our homes."

Tears streamed over Lia's face. Winter smashed and pulled angrily at the cell doors they were locked.

"Save your strength."

Roderick said as he pushed Winter aside. He dangled a set of keys in front of her.

"I think these may come in handy." he smirked.

Winter rushed in and hugged Lia tight.

"What happened afterwards?" Winter asked.

Lia's eyes filled with tears.

"Each night they take a couple of girls." tears rolled over her face.

"What they do, it's horrible." she added.

"Has he taken you?" Winter asked.

Lia nodded her head in denial.

"I am so scared Winter."

Winter pulled the girls out and one by one she opened the doors of the cells. The prince was silent for a moment.

"Do you have men that are loyal to you? We need to get these girls out" Winter said.

"He needs to be stopped." Roderick whispered.

And Winter looked at the prince.

"He does, but are you ready for that? For what we will need to do?" Winter asked.