Chapter 5| Run, Even If It Kills You

~Daphne’s POV~

My eyes opened slowly, my gaze blurry. The smell of antiseptic filled my nose, and the hospital room’s fluorescent light cast an eerie glow on my pale face. I tried to sit up, but Alpha Theo’s voice stopped me. 

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked, making me lay back down. "What happened to me? Why am I here?" I asked, my voice shaking. His expression changed immediately. 

"You were rushed in because you were bleeding profusely." My heart raced as I heard what he just said. "Wait...wait, I hope my baby is fine," I pleaded, my voice cracking as tears began to well up in my eyes.

Alpha Theo’s silence was deafening. My eyes locked onto his, searching for a little of hope. But his words crushed me instantly: "You lost the baby, Daphne."

The room spun around me as I felt my world shatter. The pain was a crushing weight suffocating me; I felt like I was drowning, unable to escape the torment.

The one thing I had promised to protect, to love, and to cherish was gone. I sobbed uncontrollably, thinking of what could have caused me to miscarry, but then a thought crossed my mind like a bolt of lightning. 

The only thing I had consumed today was the fruit juice Xena had given me. "Yes, Xena gave me a glass of fruit juice before the attack." I stammered, my eyes widening. 

"No, no, this can’t be happening,” I screamed. 

“Xena killed my baby." I couldn’t stop myself from crying. So if Alpha Theo hadn’t taken me away from that pack, I would have probably died there. 

"Fuck!!” Alpha Theo cursed under his breath. “I'm going to kill that bitch with my bare hands." He said this, clenching his fists. Did Xena intentionally harm me and my baby? 

Only the thought of it sent a chill down my spine. I felt destroyed. My baby, my precious baby, was gone. “I know how painful it is, but you should also be glad that you have nothing holding you back to The Moonstone Pack now,” he said. 

His words felt like a slap, bringing me back to reality. I was confused; one minute Alpha Theo acts like he cares about me, and the next minute he’s spitting out rubbish. 

Just then, the doctor walked in, “Would she be able to go home now?” Alpha Theo asked without sparing the doctor a moment. “I have a lot of things I need to attend to in my pack, and I can’t leave her here in another pack.” 

I didn’t know what to think; I just lost my baby, and he wouldn’t even let me rest. I couldn’t help but believe I was trapped at the mercy of a man who seemed to care little for my well-being. 

“She’s not too strong to leave right now because she wouldn’t be able to walk,” the doctor was saying when Alpha Theo interrupted him again. 

“You don’t have to worry, doctor; nothing’s going to happen to her,” he said. Alpha Theo's interruption and cold attitude got me feeling scared. 

"She needs rest and care, not a long journey back to your pack," the doctor protested, but Alpha Theo's expression remained unyielding. The doctor has no choice but to yield.

The thought of Alpha Theo taking me back to his pack was terrifying. My heart raced with fear, trapped and helpless. I couldn't bear the thought of being a prisoner again, not after Alpha Brycen and Xena's cruelty.

Escaping now was my only hope, but how? The windows were too high, and the floor was too far down. I was really trapped. As I stared at Alpha Theo, I noticed he kept shaking in a weird way. 

What was going on with him? I wondered. I watched as he rushed out of the room in a hurry, and then I knew this was my only chance to escape. I slowly got out of bed. 

I took a deep breath before slipping out of the room, my eyes looking left and right. The coast was clear. There was no sight of Alpha Theo or the Doctor. I moved swiftly, my legs trembling with weakness. 

"Come on, Daphne, you can do this," I whispered to myself. I refused to escape through the elevator, fearing someone was going to see me in the patient uniform, so I took the stairs instead. 

Each step was agony, and my body was screaming in pain. "Just a little more," I encouraged myself, gritting my teeth. The stairs were actually longer than I had expected. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker, making my heart beat faster. 

"No, no, no, you can’t go off now," I muttered, fear gripping me. I knew I couldn’t stop, so I increased my pace, my footsteps echoing. 

As the lights finally went off, I couldn’t see anymore, which made me stumble down the stairs, my body hitting the ground. "Ahh!" I screamed in pain. 

I knew I couldn't stop now, so I carried myself up, ignoring the pains I was feeling, and continued down the stairs, my hands outstretched in front of me like I was a blind person.

Finally, I reached the last step and pushed the door open. With a surge of adrenaline, I ran out into the night, my legs moving as fast as they could. I didn't even dare look back, fearing I might see Alpha Theo. 

"Keep going, Daphne, keep going," I panted, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I kept on running because I was determined to start a new life for myself. 

I had been walking for two hours straight, and it had taken its toll on me. I knew I needed to rest before I passed out. It was very dark and I knew it would be hard to find a place tonight.

Just as I was searching for a place to rest, torches flickered to life, pointing directly at me like prey. I knew I had to run because if they get a hold of me, I don’t know what they were going to do with me, considering they were men and I was out alone in the dark.

Something within me screamed, "Run!" And the moment I moved, the men yelled, "Come back here!" I ran into the nearby forest, my legs pumping despite my weakness. 

The men were chasing me, and I could hear their footsteps closing in. My vision became blurry, and I could feel myself gasping for air. I stopped the moment I felt a familiar sensation—blood trickling down my legs. 

"No, not again!" I cried out. “This can't happen…." I didn’t even finish my statement when I felt something hit my head, and then everything went black.

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My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the sunlight streaming through the window. I was relieved at the fact that I was alive at least. But my relief was short-lived, as my eyes met the two guards who loomed over me.

Their eyes gleaming with predatory intensity. "Where am I?" I asked, my voice trembling as I struggled to sit up. The guard's smirk grew wider. 

"You're in the silver pack, little one. We found you trespassing on our territory like a thief." My mind raced as I processed the familiar name. 

"Silver Pack..." My heart began to race as the pieces fell into place. There was no way I was in this pack. “How did I get here?” I cried. Just then, a cold, calculating voice echoed through the room. 

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here! It seems fate has brought you back to me without stress." I turned to see who the person was and then my eyes locked onto his.

My heart sank as I saw his imposing figure, his eyes glinting with a sinister light. "Alpha Theo," I whispered, my voice barely audible.