The Princess's Revenge Chapter 36

Valencia’s POV

The dungeon stretched out before us with stone cells lining both sides of the narrow corridor. Each cell had thick iron bars for doors.

The silence was eerie. Most of the cells appeared empty, their doors hanging open. Only the occasional drip of water somewhere in the darkness broke the quiet.

"Alpha!" A guard scrambled to his feet from where he had been sitting near the stairs. His face was flushed with panic as he bowed quickly.

Alpha Logan nodded curtly. "Bring the two rogues to the interrogation room. Now."

"Yes, Alpha!" The guard moved quickly to a wall covered with hanging keys. His hands shook as he searched through them, finally grabbing a heavy ring of keys. "Right away, Alpha!"

He ran toward the deeper section of the dungeon, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls. "Move, assholes!" his angry voice boomed from the darkness.

I could hear the sound of cell doors opening, followed by muffled struggling and the guard's harsh commands. After a few minutes, he returned, roughly dragging the two bound rogues behind him.

Their hands and feet tied with thick rope. The dirty rags remained stuffed in their mouths, preventing them from speaking clearly. When they saw Alpha Logan, their eyes widened with shock and fear.

The male rogue tried desperately to say something through his gag, his voice muffled and frantic. The female rogue's eyes darted between Alpha Logan and me, panic clear on her face.

"Put the woman in that cell," Alpha Logan commanded, pointing to the nearest empty cell. "I'll question the male first."

The guard nodded and kicked the female rogue hard in the legs. She collapsed with a muffled scream of pain, and the male rogue made angry sounds through his gag, struggling against his bonds.

"Stop moving, bitch!" the guard snarled, dragging the woman by her hair toward the cell.

The male rogue's eyes filled with rage as he watched the woman being thrown into the cell. He thrashed against his ropes, trying to break free, but the guard was already pulling him toward the interrogation room.

The interrogation room was right next to the stairs, a small stone chamber with a heavy wooden door. The guard forced the struggling male rogue inside and began strapping him to a stone chair in the center of the room.

Alpha Logan followed them in, and I remained standing outside the door.

"Valencia," Alpha Logan called out, turning to look at me. "Come in."

I hesitated. "Alpha..."

"You need to learn to adapt to these things," he said firmly. "Come in."

I swallowed hard and forced myself to step into the room. The stench hit me immediately - a horrible mixture of human waste, blood, and decay. The smell was so strong I had to press my hand to my mouth to keep from gagging.

The walls were covered with dark stains that could only be dried blood and excrement. Various torture instruments hung from hooks along the walls - whips, knives, chains, and other devices I didn't want to identify.

"Leave us," Alpha Logan ordered the guard.

"Yes, Alpha." The guard bowed respectfully and left the room, closing the heavy door behind him.

The room became even darker with the door closed. The only light came from a few flickering candles mounted on the walls. The male rogue continued making muffled sounds through his gag, his eyes wide with rage.

Alpha Logan stepped forward and delivered a sharp slap across the rogue's face. The sound echoed through the small chamber.

"Quiet," Alpha Logan said, his voice deadly cold.

I felt a chill run down my spine. I had seen Alpha Logan angry before, but this was different. This was vicious cruelty. Blood trickled from the corner of the rogue's mouth.

Alpha Logan reached up and pulled the dirty rag from the man's mouth. His lips were cracked and bleeding from where the gag had cut into his skin.

"Water," the rogue rasped as soon as his mouth was free.

"You'll get water when you give me answers," Alpha Logan replied coldly.

The rogue spat blood onto the stone floor. "I don't know anything."

"We'll see about that."

The rogue's defiant eyes met Alpha Logan's cold stare. He showed no fear. Only hatred.

"Who sent you to attack my pack?" Alpha Logan said, his voice eerily calm.

"Go fuck yourself," the rogue snarled.

Alpha Logan nodded slowly, as if he had expected this answer. He walked to the wall where the torture instruments hung and selected a thin metal rod.

The candlelight glinted off its sharp point. My stomach clenched with dread.

"Valencia," Alpha Logan said without turning around. "Watch carefully."

"Alpha —"

"Watch," he commanded, his voice brooking no argument. "You need to understand how we deal with enemies."

I forced myself to keep my eyes open as Alpha Logan approached him. The man's jaw was set, but I could see sweat beading on his forehead.

"Last chance," Alpha Logan said conversationally. "Tell me who's organizing these attacks."

"I don't know anything," the rogue replied through gritted teeth.

Alpha Logan sighed and grabbed the rogue's left hand. Without any warning, he pressed the thin metal rod under the man's thumbnail and began to pry.

The rogue's scream tore through the small chamber. The sound was inhuman, filled with such agony that I felt bile rise in my throat. I pressed my hand to my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.

"Don't look away," Alpha Logan ordered, his voice still terrifyingly calm. He continued working the rod deeper under the nail. "This is what happens to those who threaten our pack."

The rogue's thumbnail came free with a wet tearing sound. Blood poured from his finger as he sobbed with pain. I could see tears streaming down his face, but his eyes still burned with defiance.

"Who sent you?" Alpha Logan asked again, selecting a pair of pliers from the wall.

"I... I don't know," the rogue panted. "Please..."

Alpha Logan clamped the pliers around the man's index fingernail and began to pull. The rogue's scream was even louder this time, echoing off the stone walls until I thought my eardrums would burst.

I turned away, unable to watch anymore. The wet tearing sound as the nail came free made my stomach heave.

"Valencia," Alpha Logan's voice was sharp. "Look at me."

I forced myself to turn back. Alpha Logan's eyes were completely cold, devoid of any mercy or emotion. This was the man they called The Mangler, and I was seeing why he had earned that name.

He moved to the next finger. The rogue was sobbing now, his body shaking with pain and terror. But still, he said nothing.

One by one, Alpha Logan removed each fingernail with methodical precision. The rogue's screams grew weaker as his body went into shock. Blood pooled beneath his chair, and I could smell the sharp scent of urine as he lost control of his bladder.

"Please," the rogue whispered after the seventh nail was torn away. "Please, I don't know anything. I'm just a rogue. We were hired for one job, that's all."

"Hired by who?" Alpha Logan asked, moving to the man's right hand.

"I don't know!" the rogue sobbed. "They never told us names. Just... just gave us gold and told us where to attack."

Alpha Logan paused, the pliers hovering over the man's thumb. "What did they look like?"

"I... I can't..." the rogue's voice was barely audible. "don't...know."

"Okay," Alpha Logan said coldly. He ripped away the eighth fingernail. The rogue's scream was weaker now, more of a whimper. His head lolled forward, and I thought he might pass out.

"Stay with me," Alpha Logan said, grabbing the rogue's hair and yanking his head back. "We're not finished yet."

The ninth nail came free with less resistance. The rogue's body had gone mostly limp, held up only by the ropes binding him to the chair. Blood dripped steadily from his mutilated fingers.

"Last one," Alpha Logan said, as if discussing the weather. "Tell me who hired you, and this ends."

The rogue's eyes were glazed with pain and shock. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

Alpha Logan gripped the final nail with his pliers and began to pull. The rogue's body convulsed once, then went completely still. His head fell forward, unconscious.

"Interesting," Alpha Logan murmured, dropping the pliers with a clatter. "He'd rather pass out than talk."

I stared at the unconscious man, horrified by what I had just witnessed. His hands were destroyed, blood pooling in his lap. The smell of blood and urine filled the small chamber, making me gag.

He wiped his bloody hands on a rag, then walked to the door. "Guard!" he called out.

The guard entered immediately, his face pale when he saw the unconscious rogue. "Alpha?"

"Take him back to his cell. Get the healer to treat his wounds - I want him alive. Then bring me the woman."

"Yes, Alpha."

As the guard began untying the unconscious rogue, I stumbled toward the door. I needed fresh air. I had seen a side of Alpha Logan that terrified me. The man who had held me so gently, was also capable of unimaginable cruelty.