Sarah’s POV
No matter how I tried to call out, no matter how I sobbed and whimpered through the pain, I could only make
broken, muffled sounds–barely more than pitiful whimpers.
But even then, he wouldn’t spare me a single glance.
All my hope crumbled with his cold, unfeeling departure.
What was left behind was agony–gut–wrenching, bone–deep, soul–tearing pain that stole my breath and
blurred my vision with tears.
All hope shattered with his cold departure, leaving nothing behind but gut–wrenching pain that penetrated to
my marrow and filled my eyes with tears.
“Why?” The question echoed in my foggy mind. “Why did he leave so decisively? Is it because of his fiancée?”
Silence was my only answer.
I lay there, half–conscious, trying to process what had happened. Alexander had found us, rescued Thea… but
then he’d left me behind?
The sound of footsteps broke through my thoughts–heavy boots approaching, followed by a harsh curse.
“What the fuck? They told me to bring the money at ten for the exchange. What happened here?”
The dead weight was suddenly lifted off my body, and cold air rushed against my skin where the corpse had
been.
“Who did Scar Face and his buddy piss off to get shot like this?”
Another voice, impatient and gruff: “Shut up. Is the female still alive?”
I could have played dead. Maybe I should have. But something in me refused to give up.
I needed to live–for Aria. She was my reason now. No matter how broken I was, my daughter needed me.
So I didn’t hold my breath. I didn’t pretend.
“Well, look at that–she’s breathing,” the first voice said with surprise.
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+25 BONUS
“What are you waiting for? Get her out of here.” The second man was clearly in charge.
“She’s all bloody and filthy. Is she even worth taking?”
“Scar Face sent me photos before he died. Clean her up, and she’ll fetch a good price at auction. That pale skin
and those eyes–the collectors will go crazy for her. Especially with her trace of Omega heritage.”
My stomach clenched as I realized what was happening.
I wasn’t being rescued–I was being trafficked. One nightmare ending only for another to begin.
Alexander’s POV
The SUV moved swiftly through the night, its powerful engine humming beneath us.
The driver focused intently on the road ahead, while Jeremy shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat.
After several moments of hesitation, he finally turned to look back at me. “Alpha Alexander,” he said cautiously, “leaving that woman in a pile of dead bodies… it doesn’t seem right.”
Thea lay curled on my lap, her small face pale and damp with sweat. I gently stroked her hair, each movement
careful and tender despite the turmoil raging inside me.
When I addressed Jeremy, my voice remained as cool and detached as always. “What are you suggesting?”
“Sir, her hands and feet were bound, and she was gagged. If we leave her there, she’ll surely die.”
The word “die” triggered something in me–an unwanted flash of
memory.
Her desperate scream as we burst into the cabin echoed in my mind: “I’ll pay double whatever they’re giving you! All my money–everything I have! Just please, save Pudding!”
“PLEASE! She’s just a sick child!”
I remembered her face–half of it as pure and beautiful as moonlight, the other half splattered with crimson
blood when I fired that shot.
The way her tears mingled with that blood, creating a portrait both innocent and bewitching.
For a split second, something had crashed against my heart–a pain so unexpected and inexplicable that my hand had frozen mid–motion while stroking Thea’s hair.
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In the blink of an eye, I’d regained control, but the memory lingered.
+25 BONUS
Jeremy continued diplomatically, “Alpha Alexander, perhaps I should call someone to clean up the cabin? Two
dead bodies could attract unwanted attention if someone passes by and calls the authorities. It would be an
unnecessary complication.”
“Besides, I could tell the young miss is quite fond of that woman. If she were to die, it would deeply upset Thea
when she finds out.”
“The poor child has grown up without a peer group-
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