TWO

ALAYNA’s POV

 “Then show me her dead body.”

Ezra’s words echo in my mind, it is like a cruel loop I cannot escape.

“Then show me her dead body.”

Ezra has never cared about me. He has always been distant, detached—cold, even when I tried to reach out to him. No matter how hard I tried, he never looked at me the way I needed him to. Not with warmth, not with tenderness.

But this is too much. This abandonment is too, too much.

Ezra does not care if I am dead or alive.

I just want to die.

But now is not the time.

I hear the crazed man with the golden eye dialling his phone again, frustration clear in his voice as the line rings. He is calling Ezra again. The ringing stretches out, long and endless, until the call goes to voicemail.

I do not need to see the man’s face to know what he is feeling. I can hear it in his growl. He is not happy, not one bit. Guess things aren’t going according to plan, Golden Eye.

“You call this man your husband?”

His sudden words hit me like a slap to the face and the anger inside me flares up, quick and hot. I want to scream, to lash out, but I cannot. I cannot even raise my voice to ask for help.

The man continues to mutter under his breath and tries to call Ezra once more. His gaze flickers from the screen to me, distracted for just a split second. And at that moment, I decide to take fate into my own hands.

Fuck Ezra. I will save myself. I will be my own knight in shining armour.

With a quiet gasp, I twist my arms free and taking an uncoordinated aim, I kick Golden Eye in his balls.

Bullseye!

The man grunts and doubles over, letting me go. Instinct takes over and I break into a run.

“NO!” the man’s scream rattles the hallway only for his voice to be immediately drowned out by roaring thunder.

I run, I run faster than I have ever run in my life. I do not look back. I cannot. If I do, if I let myself hesitate, I will lose this moment. Come on, feet! Come on, come on, come on!

Golden Eye is right behind me. He curses aloud but his voice is drowned by the rolling thunder. He is fast. Dangerously fast.

The hallway stretches ahead, empty tables lining the walls, chairs overturned like forgotten relics of a past celebration. The storm outside roars in the background, the flashes of lightning illuminating the hall in jagged, fleeting bursts.

Damnit feet, go faster!

Where is my wolf when I need her? If only I could shift…If only I could mind-link someone!

Then, ahead, I see it—a door, cracked open, just a sliver of light spilling out into the dark. My pulse spikes.

That’s it! That’s my way out!

I do not stop to think. I run toward it. My breath is ragged, but I do not care. I just need to get through that damn door.

“You can’t outrun me!” I hear him shout.

Without looking, I know he is coming, and he is coming fast. Frantically, I push myself forward. I do not know if I will make it. But I have to try. I have to keep going!

Three more steps, two more steps and with a final burst of energy, I finally reach the door, my hand grabbing the handle.

I yank it open. The door creaks, but it is enough. I push through, the rush of musty air hitting me as I rush through the door.

All I need to do is lock the door, all I need to do is -

“GOTCHA!”

The man leaps forward and pounces on me from behind. I fall to the ground on both my knees.

No, no, no!

The man closes the door behind me, and the room plunges into semi-darkness. My terror is complete.

I swing my body around. What do I do now?

My brows furrow, my eyes straining to see, and in the darkness of this damp, musty room. The crazed man lingers in the shadows, only his eye visible at first, gleaming in the dim light that filters through the grime-covered window. The moonlight is weak, barely enough to make out his features, but something in his hand catches the light, and I realize that he is holding onto his phone.

Hope stirs in my chest, and I inhale sharply, steadying myself. I need to remain calm. I just need to knock him out, get the phone and get help. Simple right?

“It seems like the great Alpha of the North does not care for you at all,” he says, his voice dripping with mockery.

I refuse to let his words wound me.

Golden Eye steps closer, the shuffle of his feet growing louder. He is close now, his shadow looming over me. I can hear the smugness in his voice as he continues.

“Maybe he’s forgotten about you already. He must have other things to occupy his time, things far more important than you. Other women maybe? Other bitches at his beck and call.”

His words are poison and I swallow back the sting of each syllable. Ezra will not be coming for me, not now, not ever. You’re on your own girl.

“You’re nothing to him,” he sneers, stepping closer. He smiles at me. It is a sickening smile.

“Does it hurt?” he asks, now kneeling before me on one knee, his calloused hand reaches out to grab my chin. He shakes his head, his voice soft, almost pitying. “Knowing he doesn’t care? It’s almost funny. I thought he would save you. But he won’t.”

 I mouth the words at him, “I don’t need Ezra.”

The man frowns, his lips turning downwards. “What did you say, bitch?”

“Screw you,” I mouth.

He twists his head, not understanding what I am saying.

This is my chance.

I spring to my feet and lash out my hand, hitting his golden eye with enough force to momentarily blind him.

“ARGH!” He falls backwards and shrieks, cradling his wounded eye.

The phone falls from his hand, clattering to the ground between us. Without a second thought, I reach for it, my fingers scraping across the cold floor, and snatch it up.

This is my only weapon now.

With the phone in my grasp, I glance out of the corner of my eye toward the far side of the room. There, in the dim light, I can make out the shape of a door.

This my sole chance. I need to take it.

The man groans, tries to get up and I do the unthinkable. Something I would never have done under any normal circumstances.

But this is not a normal circumstance. This man is holding me hostage.

With all my strength and with all my might, I slam the phone against his head. WHAM! The man grunts, falls forward and hits the wall in front of him.

And I hear a sickening crack.

Golden Eye slumps to the cold, damp floor face down.

All the chaos just seconds ago turns to dead silence. Then, under the pale glow of the moonlight and the flashing of lightning, I see something seeping out of the man’s head.

Liquid, dark red liquid.

Blood.

His blood…

My heart stops.

Goddess, did I kill him? But I did not smack him that hard. Or did I? I am not sure. I look down at his phone in my right hand, my hands trembling uncontrollably.

Is he dead?

I blink, once, twice and then thrice. Think, Alayna! Think!

The crackling of thunder jolts me back to my senses and slowly, I push a foot forward and gently nudge him at his side. He does not react. No grunt, no sigh, nothing.

I nudge him again, my teeth chattering from fear this time and maybe I nudged him a bit too hard because from his side pocket, a phone drops out and my lips part.

My phone.

Oh.

He had my phone in his pocket.

With quivering fingers, I bend over and quickly pick up my phone before shoving both phones - one mine, the other, his, into the pocket of my dress.

Then just as quickly, I back away.

I need to get help, I need to find someone to check on this man.

I turn around and force myself to walk towards the door. I reach the door, twisting the handle carefully. It turns without resistance, the door squeaks open and I stumble into the hallway, my knees hitting the stone floor with a thud.

Freedom.

I take a deep breath. The scent of rain mixed with muddied earth has never smelt sweeter.  

I look around, trying to orient myself. The dim light yellowish light spilling from the chandelier above tells me I am not far from the banqueting hall. The sounds of the storm—thunder, the rush of wind—fill the space, masking any noise that might come from inside.

Help...I need to get help!

I push myself up and with urgency, I run down the hall, back towards the banqueting hall.

I am almost there, almost at the double mahogany door leading into the great banqueting hall, when I run smack into someone’s chest.

Hard.

I would have flown backwards if not for the steady hands that quickly catches me.

No! Let go of me! Don’t hurt me! I’ll fight you! I’ll hit you again! I swear I’ll -

“Alayna?”

Huh?

I open my eyes. I did not even realize I had squeezed them shut.

Drake. Ezra’s Beta.

A full head taller, he looks down at me, his eyes wide with confusion. “Alayna, are you alright?” he asks.

I do not answer him. I cannot afford to waste time. Quickly, I grab his arm, pulling him toward the corridor leading back to the room where the crazed man had taken me hostage.

Drake does not question me and lets me lead him down the hallway.

The walk back to the goddess-forsaken room seems to take forever, truth be told, I do not want to go back there again. But I have to. I cannot leave the man like that. It is against the teachings of the Moon Goddess.

The door finally looms ahead and I stop dead in my tracks. Slowly raising my hand, I point a finger at the darkness beyond the door.

“In there?” Drake asks, peering ahead, scratching his ash brown hair.

I nod.

Drake steps in first and I follow suit behind his massive frame.

I expect to see the man still sprawled on the cold, hard floor.

I expect Drake to question me endlessly about what happened.

I expect the doctors to come and pronounce the man dead.

I expect Ezra to come marching with his face flushed with anger and demanding what I had done.

I expect to be tried at the Northern court for manslaughter.

But nothing prepares me for what greets us in the room.

Emptiness.

The man has disappeared.