The sound of collective whispers stir me awake and I groan at the stiffness in my neck. I crack it and move my head from side to side while trying to remember where the hell I am.

"Morning princess." Croaks a familiar voice.

My eyes flash open and my mind registers that I am in a cell. As I look around I see dozens of them. Some are made of pure silver to hold the werewolves. Others are made of titanium to hold the vampires. The cell next to me, however, is filled with humans.

Staring into his blue eyes I hold back the urge to groan. "I thought you were dead."

He smirks and rises from his bench. "I'm not dying until I kill you."

"What the hell are you even doing here?"

"Same as everyone here." He shrugs "Evil creatures trying to recruit us to resurrect the greatest evil of all."

"Please." I scoff "Greatest evil, my ass." With an eye roll, I adjust myself on the floor and rest my hands on my knees.

He arches his brow "You speak as if you know him personally."

"It's a long story. Sure the guy gives off a creepy vibe but he's hardly the great evil everyone is making him out to be."

"Figures." He scoffs "Of course you'd say that. You're one of them. Of course, you'd want to release him. I should've killed you back at the compound."

I shake my head "I don't want to release him. I didn't even know he could be released."

He stared at me in disbelief "You really don't know anything do you?"

The sound of a metal door unlocking captures my attention and I turn to see him. My heart skips a beat and my body automatically gravitates towards him. He sees me and smiles brightly as he walks to my cell and the hunter groans in annoyance.

Lucius quirks an eyebrow at him and smirks "Something you'd like to say, Jesse?"

Lucius grins and brings his attention back to me "I'm sorry for what happened earlier but like I said, I can't play favorites. You must go through the same process as the others."

Irritation seeps into my pores and I come to stand in front of him. "And what process is this?"

He presses himself against the bars and gazes into my eyes with adoration and a bit of mischief "You must devote yourself to the League's mission of releasing our one true leader. The original Werepire, Emerson Lume. You are the key to everything my love, everything."

"And if I don't?" I challenge as I ignore the way my body responds to his gaze.

His eyes flash with an emotion I can't decipher as he covers it quickly with a tight smile "You will." He states before turning around and leaving without another word.

Staring at the metal door long after it closed I try to open my mind to the pack link to let them know I'm obviously running a bit late for the meeting only to feel a thick mental block. Something's wrong. I can't break through the block.

"Don't even bother." Coughs out a wolf in the cell across from me.

"What?" I ask as I look at her pale and exhausted complexion. She looks starved and weak.

"They injected you with extract from the Aconitum flower and water from the falls. It paralyzes you and weakens your wolf almost to the point of death so that you can't escape or access the mind link. There's no way out of here unless you join them." She gasps out.

"No." I state as I begin to study the cellar we are in to find a way out. "We will not die here. I will get us all out of here."

A slow clapping from a few cells down draws everyone's attention. I see a vampire with long black hair and cold pitch black eyes staring at me in amusement. Despite the shadows under her eyes from lack of blood she still managed to stand with elegance and poise. "You have his eyes." She states as she puts her arms through the bars and presses her forehead against them.

"And you are?" I question though the dread building in my stomach makes me feel like I already know the answer to my question and by the smirk now growing on her face, she knows I do.

"I got your message little Lume." She smiles darkly "I'm interested to know how you will 'open the floodgates of hell.'" She quotes in amusement. "Seems you gave my son quite the scare and for that I'm quite impressed though that doesn't negate the fact that I despise everyone in your bloodline. And yes, that also includes my... son." She says with a sneer.

"Wow." Whistles Jesse in the cell beside me "You're honestly surrounded by enemies right now princess. Seems like your darling little 'mate' doesn't really care for your safety at all." He taunts "I'm confused. I thought mates were supposed to protect you and make sure no harm comes to you. Or is that not true?"

"Would you shut up?" I sneer as I turn back to the previous wolf across from me "What's your name?"

"Lucinda." She croaks out shakily.

"Okay Lucinda, I need you to fight okay? I need you to have faith in me. I will get you out of here. All of you." I say to the wolves cramped in the cell with her as well as all the wolves in the rest of the cells. Clementine chuckles, as do the vampires beside her.

Ignoring them I look at Jesse and he stares back curiously.

"Alright hunter." I say as I walk to the bars and stand before him "You say I'm clueless as to what's really going on, so tell me what I need to know."

He lets out a short laugh and the hunters behind him immediately protest. Jesse silences them and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Why the hell would I do that? What's in it for me?" He challenges.

"Well what is it that you want?" I ask

He scoffs "What I want is for you and all of those freaks up there to die."

"I'll make you a deal. Tell me absolutely everything that I need to know, and when I escape... I'll help you escape as well." I compromise and he remains silent for a moment.

"Jesse you can't seriously be considering trusting the empty promises of the damned." Argues one of his companions.

"They can't be trusted." Adds another.

Jesse turns his head and addresses them "Do any of you have any other ideas? If you haven't noticed these bastards burned down the compound and murdered nearly everyone. We are all that is left of the hunters and I will not let us die. Our legacy will not end here at the hands of these creatures. Do not question me, I will get us out of here. Now shut the hell up and sit down."

He looks me in the eyes and I suddenly feel empathy for him. He extends his hand through the bars and I shake it firmly.

"These bastards took everything from me as well." I state as I tighten my grip on his hand. "They slaughtered my family and burned down my home too. You're right. Mates are supposed to protect you, love you. They are supposed to be the one person on the planet you can always count on. They are the reason you live and breathe. They always come first. But to me? My pack is my priority. Mate or no mate, my pack will always come first."

He looks at me seriously and I see his face shift as the hostility leaves and is replaced by a mischievous glint "So what you're saying is... you want to call a truce."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." I smirk and release his hand.

He fights back a smile before nodding and clearing his throat "Alright princess, what do you want to know first?"