Kenneth was the Alpha, a leader whose authority was absolute within the pack. His childhood friend, Agnes, had once been accidentally locked in a storage unit for three days.
To punish me, he locked me in a faulty walk-in freezer—where the cold gnawed at the bones like a starving beast.
He left me with nothing but a piece of bread the size of my palm before sealing the heavy metal door behind him, his wolf’s golden eyes reflecting nothing but indifference.
Unbeknownst to him, the walk-in freezer wasn’t actually faulty.
Not long after he left, the cooling system roared to life, its hum the sound of impending death.
A sharp, icy mist filled the chamber, creeping across my skin like the claws of a predator.
I howled, my voice shifting between human and wolf as I slammed my fists and claws against the steel walls.
My breath turned to frost before my eyes. My wolf instincts screamed at me to shift. If I not shifted, I would suffocate before I froze.
Kenneth glanced at the calendar. His expression became even colder.
“It’s been three days. Irene still refuses to admit her mistake. That vile woman!”
Agnes walked up to Kenneth from behind. She gently massaged his shoulders.
“Why don’t we just let it go? Irene didn’t mean to lock me in the storage unit.”
Irene didn’t mean to lock me in the storage unit,” she said sweetly, her scent—a blend of honey and deceit—lingering in the air.
Kenneth turned around and took Agnes’s hand. His expression softened.
“As my wife, how could she be so cruel? She locked you in the storage unit and now refuses to take responsibility by apologizing. Such arrogance. Someone like her is unworthy of being the Luna of the pack, let alone being respected. If only Irene were as understanding as you.”
“Irene only did it because she cares about you. She’s afraid I’ll take you away from her, so she locked me up as punishment, hoping I’d stay away from you.”
Kenneth was silent for a moment before calling his secretary inside.
“Has Irene given in and apologized?”
“No, Kenneth. There’s been no sound from the freezer. Should we let her out first? What if something bad happens?”
“Keep her locked up until she begs for mercy!”
Kenneth waved his hand impatiently. His expression turned dark. The secretary left, and Agnes smirked in satisfaction.
My soul hovered nearby as I let out a bitter laugh.
‘Kenneth, you’ll never get the apology you want as I’m already dead,’ I thought.
I had died three days ago.
That so-called faulty freezer was once used to interrogate and freeze prisoners from neighboring packs. When it broke down due to a short circuit, no one bothered to repair it.
The pitch-black walls were covered with deep claw marks and stained with dried blood from those who had been there before me.
After they locked me inside, for some reason, the freezer powered back on.
A cold white mist spread rapidly, and within moments, the temperature plummeted to negative fifty degrees.
I screamed desperately for help, but no one answered.
At first, I could still hear faint voices outside the door, but my pleas were met with nothing but indifference.
“Alpha Kenneth ordered you to reflect on your actions, Luna Irene. Please don’t make things difficult for us.”
“Just open the door! The freezer powered back on. It’s too cold and dark in here. Get the pack’s healer now!”
However, nobody responded outside. They had all left.
I wrapped my arms around myself and searched for anything to keep warm.
I clawed at every inch of the walls, hoping to find a hidden exit.
I forced myself to overcome my fear of the dark and cold. When I couldn’t bear it anymore, I jogged in circles to keep my body from going numb.
But all I found were the frozen claw marks and dried blood of past victims. I still couldn’t find a way out.
When I finally realized I was going to die here, I felt a sharp pain in my heart.
At some point, I saw something curled up in the corner.
It was my corpse.
My lifeless body lay there with my eyes wide open in despair. My claws were exposed, torn and bloody, and my nails were broken off, revealing the white bones beneath.
Fresh claw marks that were smeared with my blood covered the walls.
I tried to approach my corpse, but the next second, an invisible force yanked me away. I was teleported directly to Kenneth’s side.
It felt ironic and ridiculous to observe him and Agnes while they interacted with each other.
‘Kenneth, you wanted my life in exchange for an apology. I hope we’ll never meet in the next life.’
I hovered beside them, watching as Kenneth and Agnes gazed into each other’s eyes. Their affection was overflowing.
My heart ached.
“Kenneth, come with me to the art exhibition tomorrow,” Agnes said.
“Alright, you should get some rest for now.”
Just as Agnes turned around, there was a clap of thunder outside.
The pitch-black walls were lined with deep claw marks and dried blood. My breath came in ragged gasps as I dug my nails into the frozen steel, my wolf howling in agony inside me.
My limbs turned stiff, my heartbeat slowing.
The cold was no longer just around me—it was inside me, gnawing at my core.
