Chapter 12. Freedom at Last?

Alison’s POV

A sharp, searing pain throbbed through my skull as I woke, my eyes fluttering open to the sight of cold, cracked stone below me. I tried to reach for my head, to touch the aching spot, but my hands were bound tightly to my legs, keeping me curled in a fetal position. A gag pressed against my mouth, rough and biting into the corners, muffling any sound I tried to make.

I was trapped. Somewhere dark and damp, with a chill that seeped into my bones. The last thing I remembered was stepping out of my room’s bathroom, humming some tune in anticipation of the wedding I was invited to be Xander’s plus one, my mind light and hopeful. Then… then something hard and cold had slammed into my head, and I’d blacked out. Now, here I was, waking up to what felt like a nightmare.

I twisted, wriggling as much as I could against the ropes binding my limbs, panic clawing at my insides. This wasn’t some accident, someone wanted me here, bound and helpless. The thoug