Chapter 51

VALERIA’S POV The guards gripped my arms like I was some wild animal, dragging me down the dimly lit corridors toward the Shadow Fang dungeons. The cold, damp air wrapped around me, sending a shiver up my spine. My steps faltered, but I forced my legs to keep moving. I wouldn’t let them see my fear, even if it bubbled just beneath the surface. This was it—the place I had only heard about in hushed whispers as a child. The dungeons were reserved for the worst criminals, the irredeemable. And now, I was going to be one of them. The iron bars creaked open, and they shoved me inside a small, dark cell, slamming the door shut behind me. The metallic clink of the lock echoed in the confined space, making Vyara growl low in my mind. The air was thick with a strange, faintly acrid smell. Wolfsbane. Of course. Dimitri wouldn’t leave anything to chance. My body already felt heavier, slower, like the strength I had worked so hard to build was being drained away bit by bit. I clenched my fists, st