Alpha Theo's Unloved Luna - Chapter 113: Chapter 113

~ Gwen ~
“You drew blood from me?” Gwen growled.
“Yes, I did. Your only purpose is to give me a lifetime supply of blood,” the witch replied.
As the witch moved closer, Gwen got a clearer view of her face. Gwen found it strange. The witch seemed to have aged. She had more wrinkles, and her hair had lost its shine. She wondered, ‘How long was I out?’
With a frown, Gwen asked, “You look different - older.”
The witch laughed. She did not answer but instead took out a small knife and cut Gwen’s finger. Then, she sucked on Gwen’s blood.
“Stop! Stop it! You are taking too much!” Gwen yelled. She tried to free herself, but she realized she had become weak. ‘What is going on? I’m too tired.’
“Ah!” The witch let out a satisfied sigh as though her thirst had been quenched. She tilted her head back and smiled. Within moments, Gwen noticed a subtle change in the witch’s appearance. Some of her wrinkles had vanished!
“Yes, even I can get the benefits of your blood, but you took Hazel away from me, so this is payback,” the witch revealed. “You are going to take her place -”
The witch laughed and added, “Forever.”
“You are the witch Hazel spoke of. Victoria?” Gwen clarified.
“I’m not going to deny it. Besides, your husband will never find you,” Victoria replied.
“How much blood did you take from me? Where am I?” Gwen asked, this time, her voice strengthened.
“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I took just enough to keep you in control. I don’t want you to recuperate and have the strength to fight me. Otherwise, you might cause trouble for me,” Victoria said. She smiled at the surrounding darkness and said, “I will leave you here for now. I need you to sleep.”
“Sleep?” Gwen asked. “Please, don’t go. I need to know that my son is safe.”
“Your son is safe, and he’ll remain safe as long as you do not defy me,” Victoria said, slowly disappearing into the dark.
When Gwen was alone, she looked around. Only a tiny light was directed at her; everything else was unclear. The scent of wet stone and moist soil dominated the air, and the humidity created a faint, musty smell of mold. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could tell she was in an enclosed area, most likely an unground basement or cellar.
She tried to wiggle free from the silver chains around her but could barely move. Gwen also attempted to use her moonstone blade, but even that did not work.
Gwen felt so powerless. She wondered, ‘How much blood did Victoria take from me?’
Out of nowhere, smoke began to fill the room, and immediately, panic surged in her chest.
“What’s this?” Gwen took a big whiff and realized it was Wolfsbane.
In a matter of seconds, Gwen sensed her awareness slipping away. A tear rolled down her face as she thought, ‘I need to get out of here.’
~ Theo ~
‘Theo, our oxygen is running out,’ Dunken linked.
Theo looked back. He used an underwater divelight to check if everyone was still behind him. So far, everyone in their company still held on to the rope tied around his waist.
Earlier, Theo had taken the lead, diving into the deep and harsh waters. He had consumed the biggest oxygen tank they had brought with them, for he navigated through the area for more than an hour.
Eventually, Theo found an opening beneath the water’s surface and hidden amongst the rock formation of New Arcadia’s cliff. He did not have time to explore the underwater cave. He only hoped the tales about this passage were true.
Jacob got injured while entering the cave, but he healed fast. His earlier broken limb was now back in place. Still, he was bruised and could only swim with one foot. Fortunately, they were under the water, so it was still easy for them to move around.
Unfortunately, their party could not bring huge oxygen tanks. At most, they each had 5-liter oxygen tanks with them now and a portable one for emergency.
Theo signaled everyone to pick up the pace with him. They were all in diving suits with fins to help them steer against the water. Each one carried a lightweight waterproof bag containing healing potions and other necessities.
All in all, they were in the water for thirty minutes. Thankfully, the water pressure did not require them to consume so much oxygen that they lasted this long. Five minutes more into the cave, Theo saw a small light. He swam to it swiftly.
The light came from an opening, which Theo could only put his hand through. When he stuck out his hand, he realized there was no water—there was air!
He quickly removed his breathing mouthpiece and pressed his face against the small opening. The moment he felt air instead of water, he took a deep, desperate breath. Theo filled his lungs for several seconds before stepping aside to let Dunken take his turn to breathe.
Their party lingered in that small opening for minutes, alternately breathing through it while Theo explored the nearby rock formation. Later, Theo found a bigger opening that led upward but wasn’t big enough to let the men through.
When Theo returned to the rest of the group, he linked with his sister, ‘There is an opening, but only you can fit in.’
Caroline nodded and followed his lead. When they found the opening, Theo helped push Caroline up. The rocks were so sharp that Theo’s sister incurred wounds, but they were trivial matters. Right now, what was important to them was getting air.
By the time Caroline made it through completely, she had screamed her mindlink, “I’m in. I’m - fuck, there are snakes! I fucking hate snakes! Theo, these snakes don’t look normal! They have golden skin!”
‘Golden snakes?’ Theo also breathed into the opening. Then he responded, “Listen to me. Snakes won’t attack you unless you react violently. Stay calm. We are going to find another opening and get to you.”
“Okay, just fucking hurry,” Caroline said.
“Can you look out and see if there is another access to your location?” Theo asked.
Caroline did not answer at first, but through the hold, Theo could see that Caroline was moving her flashlight. After a few minutes, she responded, “Yeah, I see another opening up ahead. It’s a bit far, but I’m sure there is an opening because of a reflection from here. I’m reluctant to go because the snakes are blocking my way. I think there are about twenty of them. Theo, these snakes are freaky. They are staring at me.”
“Just stay calm. I’ll check out the next opening,” Theo said. He rushed to swim further. When Theo realized his oxygen tank was empty, he held his breath for as long as he could. He used part of his portable oxygen tank but did not use it thoroughly, trying to save more oxygen just in case.
Theo had probably swam a hundred meters away when he finally saw another opening. Light seeped through it, and he immediately raised his body to breathe.
‘Everyone here!’ Theo called. ‘Just follow the rope. You may need to use the portable oxygen tank.’
The men advanced to the next opening, climbing slowly and steadily, using every ounce of their strength. Dunken went up first, and they all worked together to help Jacob, who was still recovering. King Arthur climbed up next. Rollin followed closely behind, with Baron right after him. Theo was the last to pull himself up. As he emerged, relief washed over him, thinking they were saved. To his dismay, golden snakes surrounded them, their sharp fangs glinting menacingly.
“Twenty? Are you fucking kidding me, Caroline?” Theo saw that there were probably a hundred, if not more, golden snakes. The creatures flashed fangs at them, forcing the werewolf men to compress together.
“They just came out of nowhere,” Caroline loudly said from where she stood. They could only see her shadow from afar, but her voice rang out in the cave.
“I guess our first fight is with snakes,” Jacob remarked. “Let me through; I at least have handheld blades.”
“I have a small knife with me,” King Arthur suggested. “Stay behind me.”
Just as King Arthur stood before Theo, the snakes suddenly became alert. The creatures were acting like humans, staring into Arthur’s eyes.
“What the fuck,” Dunken muttered.
“Are they looking at me?” King Arthur asked.
Even the snakes that surrounded Caroline rushed to their location. The golden serpents all raised their bodies to look at King Arthur.
The next thing they knew, the snakes became frantic, gliding around the cave. After a few seconds, some formed letters against the cave walls. About six serpents formed the words that read: [Mate].
“Mate?” King Arthur echoed.
“Mate?” all the men behind King Arthur echoed in confusion.