Trigger warnings in this episode!! Please be advised!

Aleigha woke up in complete darkness. The cold floor underneath her made her shiver. Reaching out with her hands, she felt around her into the darkness. She could feel the rough tile on the floor. A sick feeling plummeted into her stomach. She couldn't be where she thought she was. She knew she was barefoot; she felt the cold floor on her bare feet. Feeling her clothing, she could feel that she had been stripped of her clothing and put in the light fabric that prisoners were given.

She looked around her, having to squint her eyes to see into the darkness. She didn't see anything at first; her eyes needed to adjust. Once her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, she saw the outline of cell bars as she squinted to see through the dark shadows. She realized she was right; she was in the cells. She wondered why she was a prisoner for escaping the camp and killing the leader and the second in command. It wasn't something she thought would get her into trouble. From what she knew of them, it was a good thing.

Standing up inside the small cell, she inched her way to the cell door. It was so dark that she couldn't see if there was anything in the cell with her. Her legs felt weak from whatever Medic Kaul had given her. Her legs felt like jelly, as if they wanted to collapse onto the cold floor. She wondered what it was that Medic Kaul had injected her with. "Merrick!" she called, her voice sounding hoarse. "Guards! I want to talk to my mate Merrick!" she called. Each word burned her throat. She also couldn't help the desperation in her voice.

The guard came out of the office at the end of the hall and banged a club against the bars.

"Silence!" he yelled at her. His eyes narrowed in anger. Aleigha wasn't expecting his treatment. She didn't know what she did to be placed in the cells or why they treated her like the enemy.

"Why am I being detained?" she asked him through the burn in her throat. "My mate is Merrick, Council Leader Vorik's shuttle pilot. I want to see my son and mate. Why am I here?" She didn't understand what had changed. She had tried to escape the camp for the last three weeks but was unable. They watched her like a hawk. There was nothing she could do short of killing them all to get away.

The guard sneered without a word, opened the door, and swung the club at her as hard as he could, hitting her in the head. A sharp pain spread through her skull, and the heated liquid of fresh blood ran down her face. Her vision dimmed before everything went dark.

Her last thought was, 'What did I do to deserve this treatment?'

When she awoke again, she could feel the heat on her face; the sun was out. She felt dizzy, like she had a concussion. Dried blood on her head had dripped down her face where the guard had hit her. There was pain in her skull, telling her there was damage on the inside. She didn't want to yell again.

When she looked toward the cell door, Merrick was standing there watching her. His face was blank, his eyes cold as he watched her. She could see the bond had severed. Raw hatred washed through his features before he turned and walked away, not saying anything.

She leaned against the wall of the cell. Her Tears fell, burning her skin. She didn't know what had changed or how. She had been stuck for the last three weeks as a prisoner in the human camp in front of the dome. She wanted to go home, but couldn't. She watched constantly for an opportunity to get away. There never was one. They watched her, making it impossible to get away. She tried several times but was unable.

She couldn't stay alive with her mate, who no longer loved her. She could see it in his eyes that he would never let her see her infant son again. She couldn't handle such cruelty. At that moment, she made a decision. She wouldn't let him suffer her presence. If he wanted her gone, she would go away for good. Without her mate and son, she had nothing to lose. She just needed to find a way to do it. It would end her suffering and appease his hatred for her. She didn't know what she did for him to hate her or what she did to sever the mating bond. Maybe he found a way to sever it and not her. She didn't know, and she knew no one would explain it to her.

She scanned the cell with her eyes, her body staying still, not sure what to do. It was completely empty. Since it was daylight, she could see her cell clearly. It was too dark at night. There was no furniture, nothing. There was nothing, only herself. The only thing she had was her clothing and the bars to tie it to. She figured she would wait until night. There was less of a chance of being stopped. Someone who acts but with no real intent waits for someone to find them. She didn't want to be found.

The guard came to the cell and pressed a tray of something that resembled slop through the food slot in her door. "I don't need that," she told him quietly. "I don't want that. I won't be here long enough to eat it."

She could tell in his features that he didn't know what she was talking about. Nor did he care. She could tell he thought she would be released. She knew she wasn't. She knew the moment she looked at Merrick and saw hatred in his eyes. It was over. She wanted to end the suffering. Both his and hers. She couldn't live. Not with her mate, not loving her anymore. She knew he wouldn't even bring her infant son to her so she could see him one last time. She was as good as dead to him. She knew that when it was night again and too dark for the guards to see inside her cell, it would take only moments, and she would be dead.

The guard snickered at her as he walked away, leaving the tray of slop at the cell door.

Aleigha waited, not touching the tray. It had been picked up nearly an hour later. Another one had been left before it got dark. When that one was picked up, it was already dark. She leaned against the wall of the cell and waited.

The darkness finally enveloped the cell. She could barely see, so she knew the sun hadn't completely gone down. With a fingernail, she tore open the skin on her hand and used the blood to write to her mate. Her own blood was all she had. She needed Merrick to know why. She needed to say goodbye to him so her spirit wouldn't be trapped in the cell. This was her way of completing her unfinished business. She had to explain and say goodbye.

My Dearest Merrick,

I tried to get away for the last three weeks, but I was watched to the point I couldn't sneak away.

Coming back to a mate that no longer loves me rips my soul in half. Being imprisoned for trying to save us is too much. I will not force you to suffer my presence any further. Perhaps you will find another if you didn't already while I was gone. From your last visit. I could only assume you had found another.

With my entire heart and soul, I love you.

When night fell completely, and she could no longer see into the darkness, she ripped long strips of fabric from her clothing, weaving them together and creating a long strip of braided rope. Tying the end, she made a woven noose.

Slowly, she inched her way to the bars of her cell, trying to avoid her message to Merrick. She didn't want to mess it up. She needed him to be able to read it.

Tying her braided rope to the bars as high as she could reach, she stood, waiting. She was afraid.

She was afraid of the pain of death, but she just couldn't live with knowing the one person she loved the most hated her.

With a firm resolve, she placed the homemade rope around her neck and slowly fell to her knees. The pressure on her neck from her own weight made the noose feel tight on her neck. She tried to ignore it, her mind focusing on her mate and son. Memories flooded her with the times they spent together. Her method was the only way in an empty cell; she used her weight on short strips of fabric to end her life. She felt suddenly weak. She knew that what she was doing made her weak, but she couldn't live without her mate and son.

Mixed with the memories that flooded her mind, the scenery around her began to fade, and the lights dimmed. It was only the light in her memories, but that light still dimmed, fading into complete darkness.

Her throat burned, wanting air but not getting any.

Her body convulsed, fighting death until the light around her turned into a pinprick growing smaller until everything went dark.

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