Chapter 1

Reina

I’d lost count of how many times I’d stumbled while trying to run through the dark forest. The cold rain hit my skin, mixing with the blood trickling from the wound in my shoulder.

I winced when my injured shoulder brushed against a branch. My breathing was getting heavier, but the voices echoing in my head were even harder to bear. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I remembered my parents.

“Run!”

“Run, and don’t look back!”

I stopped behind a large tree and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hold back a sob.

I was soaked from head to toe, my clothes clinging to my skin. Every movement of my left shoulder sent a sharp pain through my body.

I could still hear their voices.

It was as if I could turn around and see them standing there, guns in hand, protecting me. Mom had been right beside Dad, just as she always was.

I lowered my head and braced my hands against my knees, struggling to catch my breath. My hands were trembling. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the cold or because I was terrified of what might happen to us.

We had tried to fight back, but there were too many of them. It seemed like I was their main target, so when Mom and Dad saw an opportunity, they forced me to run.

I had barely made it into the thick forest when the gunfire started. Thankfully, the bullet had only hit my shoulder.

I let out a bitter laugh.

“Lord…”

My voice was barely audible.

I looked up at the dark sky. Thick clouds covered most of it, leaving only a few small patches of sky visible before the rain swallowed them again.

“Lord, w-why?”

My lips trembled.

“Why did You let this happen?”

The only answer I got was the sound of rain hitting the trees.

I let out a quiet, humorless laugh. I must have looked crazy, talking to a sky that would never answer me.

Why them?

They had spent their entire lives looking out for other people. They had done nothing but protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.

I closed my eyes.

My hand pressed against my chest as I finally broke down. I didn’t know if I would ever see them again. I didn’t even know if they were still alive or if those bastards were already hurting them.

A rustling sound behind me made my eyes snap open.

I stayed still.

Then I heard footsteps approaching.

I took a slow breath and carefully peeked around the tree.

Lightning flashed, briefly revealing a figure moving between the trees.

A man.

And two more behind him.

I glanced down at my trembling hands. I had no idea how much longer my body could take this, especially with a bullet wound in my shoulder.

Then I remembered Dad’s warning.

Never try to match your enemy’s strength. Find their weakness. Think before you act.

As the footsteps drew closer, I could almost hear his voice again.

Everyone has a weakness, sweetheart. No matter how strong they seem.

The man stepped out from behind the trees.

“Found her!” he shouted.

My body stiffened.

He raised his gun, and I immediately took off running.

A gunshot rang through the forest. The bullet hit a tree beside me, sending pieces of bark flying. I ducked and quickly changed direction, but he caught up to me faster than I expected.

He grabbed my arm.

I gasped in pain and tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.

“Stop fighting,” he said with a grin.

“Let me go, asshole!”

He let out a short laugh.

“You should’ve listened to your parents.”

Something twisted painfully in my chest at his words.

He tried to drag me closer, but that’s when I saw my chance.

As he pulled me toward him, I drove my knee into his groin.

He stumbled backward, swearing in pain. I didn’t give him time to recover. I grabbed his gun hand and forced it away from my body.

He fought back, but I refused to let go. We struggled for control of the weapon, both of us trying to overpower the other.

“Let go!” he shouted.

“Go to hell!” I snapped back.

My back slammed against a tree, sending another wave of pain through my injured shoulder.

For a moment, my strength faltered.

That was almost enough for him to take the gun from me. He pulled harder, desperate to regain control.

With what little strength I had left, I twisted my body and used his momentum against him.

His grip loosened.

The gun slipped from his hand and fell into the mud.

We both looked down.

I moved first.

I snatched the gun from the ground and fired at both his knees.

He screamed and collapsed, clutching his legs.

I turned just in time to see the other two men approaching.

I didn’t hesitate. I fired at them, letting my anger take over as I emptied most of the remaining bullets in their direction.

Both men fell to the ground.

I turned back to the man crawling away from me. Every time his injured knees dragged against the wet leaves and mud, he let out a pained groan.

I kicked him in the face, forcing him onto his back.

His clothes were covered in mud, and blood was running down his legs.

“F-fuck you!” he spat.

“We’re not done yet.” I gave him a cold smile.

“Who ordered you to kill us?”

He froze. The color drained from his face.

“I don’t know! We were just following orders!”

He hadn’t sounded nearly as confident a moment ago.

I pressed the gun against his forehead.

“Wait! Wait!” he cried.

“You’re not from here. What country are you from? And who ordered you to do this?” I demanded.

“W-we’re from Spain. All I know is that they want to take the Monteverdes’ position. But I don’t know who’s actually giving the orders.”

I studied his face, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth.

I was about to question him further when I heard more footsteps approaching.

Fuck.

This wasn’t the right time to get caught up in another fight. I had to survive first.

With that thought, I turned and ran again. I had barely taken a few steps when I glanced back at him one last time.

“If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you,” I muttered.

He nodded frantically, looking terrified.

Even though I was growing weaker by the second, I forced myself to keep moving. But the wound made it difficult to run, and I had to stop several times just to catch my breath.

A few seconds later, another gunshot rang through the forest.

A sharp pain tore through my side.

I grabbed the spot instinctively.

Blood.

The bullet hadn’t gone deep. It seemed to have only grazed my side, but even that was enough to make my knees buckle.

I fell face-first into the mud.

For a moment, I couldn’t move.

Then I heard the rustling behind me again. They were getting closer.

I forced myself to get up.

“Not tonight…”

I didn’t know who I was saying it to. Them? Myself? Or God?

All I knew was that I couldn’t die yet.

People had sacrificed their lives to give me a chance to survive.

I pushed myself to my feet and tried to run again, but my legs could barely carry me. All I could manage was a slow, unsteady walk.

I wasn’t giving up.

I would find the people who had done this to us, no matter what it took.

My vision was slowly fading, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other.

Eventually, I made it out of the trees and reached the side of the road.

I stopped for a moment.

The footsteps behind me grew louder. They were getting closer.

I pressed a hand against my side. The blood beneath my fingers was still warm.

Stumbling along the roadside, I struggled to keep myself upright. Every step sent another wave of pain through my shoulder and side.

Then I heard someone shout from the forest.

“Hurry! Find her! Search everywhere! Don’t let her get away!”

My heart lifted when I spotted a car approaching in the distance.

I forced myself to raise a hand.

“Please…”

I wasn’t even sure the driver could hear me.

The car slowed as its headlights fell on me. I squeezed my eyes shut against the bright light, but I couldn’t take another step.

My knees gave out, and I collapsed onto the road.

The last thing I felt was the cold pavement against my body.

Just before everything went dark, I caught a glimpse of someone rushing out of the car.

Then I blacked out.