Riley’s POV
I looked at Cane and Caden and said, "Take me to the dark cells."
They both stared at me like I had gone crazy. Cane shook his head fast.
"No way," he said. "You are not serious. You can’t go there."
Caden stepped closer. "Riley, that place is not for you. It’s dangerous down there."
I crossed my arms. "I am serious. I want to see Gunnar right now."
Cane rubbed his face with his hand. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn? We just told you it’s not safe. The curse, the prophecy, all of it. Gunnar does not want you there."
"I don’t care what he wants," I said. "He is my mate too. I have the right to see him."
Caden sighed loud. "Baby, please listen. The dark cells are full of bad energy. It can make you sick. Gunnar went down there to protect you."
"Protect me?" I laughed a little but not because it was funny. "By hiding from me? That is not protection. That is lying."
Cane walked to the window and back. "We are trying to keep you safe. You have been through too much already. Ethan, the baby, everything. Just let us handle this one thing."
I shook my head. "No. I am tired of people handling things for me. First Ethan, now you two. I am done."
Caden tried to touch my arm but I moved away. "Riley, if you go down there the curse might get worse with perceiving your scent. It could hurt you. Gunnar will be mad at us if we take you."
"Then be mad," I said. "I am going with or without you."
Cane raised his voice a little. "You don’t understand how bad it is! The dark cells are old and deep. Things live down there. Bad things. Gunnar is already fighting the curse. If you get close , you might just be worsening things for him."
"I am not a little kid!" I shouted back. "Stop treating me like I will break. I am stronger than you think."
Caden looked at Cane then back at me. "We know you are strong. But this is different. This is a fucking cursed place to be. We don’t even know everything about it yet."
I put my hands on my hips. "Then tell me everything. Stop hiding pieces. I hate that."
"We are not hiding to hurt you," Cane said. His voice got softer. "We love you. We marked you because we love you. Let us carry some of this alright."
I felt my eyes get hot but I did not cry. "If you really love me then take me to him. Right now."
They argued with me for a long time. Cane kept saying it was too risky. Caden kept saying Gunnar made them promise. I kept telling them I was part of this bond now and they could not leave me out.
It went back and forth. My voice got louder. Their voices got louder. At one point Cane hit the table with his hand. Caden walked around the room like he could not stay still.
But I did not give up.
Finally I looked at both of them and said, "If you do not take me to the dark cells right now, I will cut off the mate bond between us. I am not joking."
They both froze.
Cane’s face changed. "Riley... you wouldn’t."
"I will," I said. "I mean it. Take me or lose me."
They looked at each other for a long time. Caden rubbed his eyes. Cane looked like someone punched him in the stomach.
At last Cane said, "Alright. It’s not like we have an option but you stay between us the whole time."
We left the room and went down many stairs. The passageways were dark and cold. The walls were made of old stone. Some parts had small lights on the side. Water dripped from the ceiling in some places. The air smelled wet and old. We walked for a long time. The path went deeper and deeper underground. Sometimes it got so narrow we had to walk one by one.
My heart was beating fast the whole way.
When we finally got close to the dark cells, we heard a very loud growl. It shook the walls around us and heavy dust fell from the ceiling.
Cane turned to Caden and me fast.
"We should get out of here from this point, no further."
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