When the Hidden Luna Rises novel Chapter 7

**Chained by Fate**
**Eliza Rowan**
**Chapter 7**

When Kelsey stirred from her restless slumber, an overwhelming scent of antiseptic invaded her senses, sharp and sterile. The air around her felt heavy, almost oppressive, as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She found herself in a cramped infirmary room, the kind that seemed to have seen better days long ago. The walls were marred with cracks that resembled a spider’s web, and the flickering overhead light cast erratic shadows that danced ominously across the peeling paint.

A nurse, her hands rough and unyielding, was busy administering an IV. Kelsey winced slightly but found herself strangely detached from the sensation. Pain had become a distant echo, muted by the numbness that had settled deep within her. Her wolf, usually a fierce presence within her, lay curled up in a corner of her mind, silent and subdued.

“Serves you right,” the nurse muttered under her breath, her voice laced with disdain as she continued her work. “Stealing from the Alpha’s house? You really have a death wish. You don’t mess with the Stormclaw Pack.” Each word dripped with contempt, and Kelsey felt a flush of anger rise within her, but it was quickly quelled by the weight of her situation.

Kelsey’s lips were parched and cracked, blood seeping from the fissures. She tried to speak, her voice a mere rasp, “Can I make a phone call?” The request felt feeble, almost pathetic, but desperation clawed at her.

The nurse paused, her gaze flickering up to meet Kelsey’s. There was a flash of surprise in her eyes, quickly replaced by a look of incredulity. “A phone call? Do you even know where you are? This is the medical wing of the Werewolf Police Precinct. You’re a thief, Miss Evans. Once you manage to drag yourself out of that bed, a cozy spot in the detention center will be waiting just for you.”

Kelsey felt a dull ache tighten in her chest, a reminder of the gravity of her circumstances. “I… I just want to see Ryan,” she murmured, the name slipping from her lips like a prayer.

The nurse let out a scoffing laugh, a sound that felt like a knife twisting in Kelsey’s heart. “Still clinging to that fantasy, are you? Alpha Ryan Mitchell is off on vacation with his fiancée, Claire Sullivan. You really think he’d waste a second on someone like you?” The nurse pulled out her phone and thrust it forward, the screen illuminating a photo that felt like a dagger to Kelsey’s soul.

There stood Ryan, bathed in sunlight, a radiant smile on his face as he held an umbrella over Claire, who looked blissfully happy. The tenderness between them was palpable, a stark contrast to the emptiness Kelsey felt inside. In that moment, the wound in her chest felt as if it had been ripped open anew, raw and bleeding.

“Please… let me call him. Just one call,” Kelsey pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion, desperation spilling from her heart.

The nurse eyed her, taking in the shattered expression on Kelsey’s face. With an exasperated sigh, she finally relented, “Fine. I’ll ask my superiors.” Her tone suggested that she was doing Kelsey a favor, but the truth was far more complicated.

Half an hour later, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, the nurse returned with a begrudging allowance for one call on her own phone. Kelsey’s hands shook as she grasped the device, the weight of the moment pressing down on her.

Beep! The call ended, leaving a chilling silence in its wake.

The officer shot Kelsey a dismissive glare as he reclaimed the phone. “See? I told you she’s lost it. A complete waste of time.” With that, he tossed the phone back onto the table and turned away, leaving Kelsey engulfed in a heavy silence.

Stunned, Kelsey sat on the sickbed, her gaze vacant and fixed on the floor, her thoughts swirling in a tempest of despair. Ryan had never been so final, so absolute in his rejection. Tears began to fall silently, each one a testament to her pain. Within her, her wolf let out a low whimper, not of sorrow, but of a simmering anger pushed to its limits.

A week later, the heavy iron door clanged open with a resounding boom that echoed through the stark hallways of the werewolf detention center. Kelsey was escorted inside, her body still weak and unsteady, stumbling slightly as she walked.

The warrior behind her spoke in a cold, detached tone, “Get in. The Alpha says to reflect on your actions for a few days.” His words were devoid of compassion, a reminder of her place in this unforgiving world.

With a finality that sent a shiver down her spine, the door slammed shut behind her, sealing her fate within these cold, unforgiving walls.