Chapter 4

Sophia's POV

But to my astonishment, the pain of the bullet never came. Instead, I heard a sharp thud followed by a loud groan. Cautiously, I opened my eyes to find another masked man standing between me and the leader, who now clutched his hand in pain.

"What the hell? Who are you?" the leader growled massaging his wrists. 

The new masked man fell to the ground, begging the leader. "I'm sorry boss. I didn't mean to hurt you. I brought urgent news and it was the only way I could stop you." He explained. 

"It better be good, or you'll die together!" He yelled, still massaging his wrists as they walked far from me, forming a circle and having a meeting.

While they backed me, I wriggled and struggled to break free but still, the ropes were just too tight!

They finished their little conversation and turned to face me, laughing evilly. "Looks like you aren't going to die by my gun after all," the leader said, pointing it to the sky. 

"Sedate her! We have a change of plans." He ordered the rest of his men.

"No, please. Don't sedate me! I'll walk quietly, I promise." I begged 

The leader ignored my pleas, and one of his men approached with a syringe in hand. My heart raced as I felt the cold, metallic tip of the needle against my skin. I knew that once they sedated me, I would be at their mercy, and who knew what they had in store for me?

"Please, you don't have to do this," I pleaded, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I won't cause any trouble. Just let me walk with you."

The man hesitated for a moment, seemingly torn between following orders and showing mercy. But ultimately, he injected the sedative into my arm, and the world around me began to blur. My body felt heavy, and my senses dulled as the drug took effect.

With my consciousness slipping away, I could vaguely hear the leader instructing the others to leave me conscious for now. 

I was half-dragged, half-supported by two of the men. We walked for what felt like hours without rest, till we ventured deeper into an unfamiliar part of town.

Finally, we arrived at what seemed to look like an abandoned building and as we made our way through the dimly lit corridors, I caught a glimpse of a woman standing in the shadows. 

"Who's she?" I mumbled, my words slurred from the sedative.

The leader chuckled darkly. "Oh, she's someone special, just for you," he said cryptically.

"She's the one?” the lady asked, covering her nose as she scanned me from hair to toenail. 

"Yes. We've brought her here as requested. You know the drill so give me my money and let me be on my way." He said, impatiently stretching out his arms. 

"You're sure she's the Alpha's daughter? I mean, she smells and looks like she's going to die any moment from now…" I heard the lady question the man.

"She's the one. Do you want her or should we finish her off? The leader growled ready to turn back.

"Wait!" she called back. "I'll take her." She said and checked her bag for money.

"Who is she? Why did you bring me here?" I wanted to yell, but the sedative was too strong for my weak body to battle. "Just let me die already!"

"Hey, Sophia!” the leader called walking towards me. "You don't want to die right? Here's your chance. But if our paths cross again, trust me, you'll face death from something worse than my gun!” he said then men threw me to the cold hard floor. I landed with my head on the ground and the room spun as I lay on the cold, hard floor, my vision getting disoriented even further. 

"Sophia?" I heard the woman approach, her voice closer now. "Don't worry, you'll cope just fine!”

Her words struck me hard. Who is this woman? What did she mean by I'll cope just fine? What's her relationship with those men? What was their agreement? Why did the men sell me to her instead of killing me? 

More and more questions rippled in my head and although I desperately craved answers, I was in no condition to challenge her or question the lady.

When I woke up, I found myself in a room, bathed and dressed in new clothes, with a throbbing head. Where am I?

I was about to step out of the bed when I heard footsteps approaching and I immediately lay back on the bed, pretending to be asleep.

Just like I expected, the door opened and from what I could hear, two people entered. The lady they sold me to and someone else. 

"Is she the one?" I heard a man's voice. 

"Yes. Daughter of the late Alpha and Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack, Sophia." The lady told the man my name.

"Status?" 

"Sick and malnourished but with proper treatment, we can get her back in shape for you, sir." She responded again and I tried to open my eyes to see who they wanted to get me back in shape for and why.

"How long will that take?"

"I can't say. But it wouldn't take long." The lady answered and the room fell silent. After a few seconds, I heard the opening and closing of the door. 

I opened one eye to check if the coast was clear, and when I didn't see anyone around me, I sat up, my heartbeat racing in fear. I just left the clutches of my mad stepfather, I could risk getting myself tangled with someone else. 

"Door or window?" I mumbled, trying to figure out a way to get myself away from this, and eventually headed to the window to get a layout of the building I was in before I did something stupid like jumping down a story building.

Luckily, it wasn't a story building, and jumping out the window seemed like a good plan.

With a deep breath, I climbed the window and was about to jump down when I heard a deep, masculine voice behind me. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned, making me flinch and lose my balance.

Just as I was about to fall, I felt his arms on my waist and I landed on his chest with a thud. His skin was so cold, I wondered if he was a normal wolf even though his scent was like that of a normal wolf but with a kick. 

I expected him to throw me on the bed and lash out at me but instead, he took feather-like steps and sat me on the bed gently. “Even if you want to escape, shouldn't you get healthy first?" He questioned, sitting across from me on the chair. 

"I- I'm sorry," I whispered, not wanting to anger the man. 

"Why do you want to leave? Did she maltreat you while I was away?" He asked and I played with my fingers. 

"No, she didn't… I think. I just woke up…" I blurted out the truth for some unknown reason. 

"And you decided to jump out the window? I think you need to get checked out," he grumbled and stood up to walk out.

"Wait!" I called out and walked to him. Despite the fear inside of me, something about him made me feel comfortable and when I stood in front of him, I fell to my knees. "I'm sorry for trying to run away. Please don't kill me," I begged.

With his cold finger, he raised my chin to make my eyes meet his and for the first time in my life, I felt butterflies in my stomach. 

"As long as you behave like a good little wolf, I don't think we'll ever get to that," he said and walked out. To my surprise, he didn't lock the door or the windows or even order someone to watch me and it left me wondering who he was and what he and that lady planned to do with me.