𝑹𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏

C H A P T E R 16

RAVEN

"No, please don't hurt her." Avianna wailed, clawing at the ground. Jax was trying to hold her down but couldn't since he was weak himself.

I was going to get myself punished.

once again.

"Shut your mouth before you get it too!" Avianna
wallowed back in the corner of the cell, crying silently.

I whimpered silently at my hands that had been tied together. By the look on Matteo's face, I knew this was going to hurt a lot more than before.

An hour before, Alessandro had ordered that all of us attend our training and practice what we had learned to Matteo. It was routine by now. But avianna refused and lashed out at him. Already knowing the punishment that was gonna come with this, I offered myself instead.

I would be whipped and left there for days upon days without food or water, which was already not good enough for me since I had been rapidly losing weight. I had always wondered why he chose us. Did no one care enough to help us to get out of here?

I was then thrown into an empty cell after the cufflinks were taken off of me. Only one window was inside at the top of the cell, barely letting in any air. There were also no beds on the inside, which meant that I had to sleep on the cold ground with no heat whatsoever to keep me warm.

Matter stood there, leaning against the doorframe, smirking cynically, "This will teach you to shut your mouth next time," with that, he leaves me, shivering on the cold hard ground.

By the looks of it, I was sure I was going to get hypothermia.

A few days had passed and I had been there starving all night and day. No one had come to check up on me or bring any food to eat. And worse of all, I felt as though I was going to be unconscious any second now.

I shuddered from the cold air. My lips were probably cracking right now from the dehydration. I could barely raise my arm to swat of a few flies that had landed on my skin since I was so cold, I could barely move.

My eyes started closing involuntarily. I fought hard trying to keep them open, even though I knew there was nothing left here for me. Would they just leave me, a child, to die and they would do nothing about it.

It felt as though the world was punishing me for something I didn't do.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I felt my body start to shake harshly. I refused to open my eyes knowing that what was going to happen next would be terrible.

Would I even still be alive?

Or would I wake up and see my mother after six years.

Raven!

Why did that sound so real?

Raven!!

It sounded familiar to me.

"Raven!"

I jumped awake, frightened as I had just been doing something wrong. I look around and saw all my brothers surrounded me on my bed.

I gulped inwardly.

Had they been watching me this whole time?

Did they know what I was dreaming about?

"Are you okay? You were crying in your sleep." Luca asked frantically, patting my forehead for any signs of fever. I gently touched my face and felt a patch of wetness on my cheeks. I rubbed it away trying to avoid the bruise on my cheek.