Charles' POV

Surprisingly, prison life wasn’t as unbearable as I’d imagined, mostly because the beatings had stopped. In this cramped cell, even the discomfort seemed like paradise.

The food was terrible—barely edible slop, served three times a day just to keep me alive. But to regain my strength, I forced myself to eat it all, even wiping up the watery broth with bread until the bowl was clean. When the guards weren’t watching, I used the bed and walls for bodyweight exercises. My strength was returning, though the wolfsbane still prevented me from shifting.

The time had come to make my escape.

It was dinnertime, and I lay on my...