Chapter 6

I woke to the sting of cold, hard tiles against my cheek. Something… no everything was wrong.

My ribs burned, the dull throb spreading through my side like a slow, creeping poison. My head pounded, heavy and disoriented, but the taste of blood was sharp and metallic on my tongue—impossible to ignore.

For a moment, I stayed still, hoping the pain would fade if I didn’t move. But it didn’t.

The sharp ache in my ribs worsened when I shifted, and fear followed close behind.

Cracked ribs. Maybe worse.

The thought coiled in my stomach like a viper.But I ignored it.

My fingers brushed my forehead, flinching at the dried blood crusted over my skin. And the realisation hits bad.

No one had come to help me. Not a single soul.

They’d left me here, broken and bleeding on the diner floor, like trash waiting to be swept away.

Talk about humanity.

Its really dead.

No one wants to deal with the murder of an ugly begged in a diner.

Gritting my teeth, I planted my palms on the ground, forcing my body to move. Pain clawed through me as I pressed against the wall, using it to steady myself as I struggled to my feet. My legs wobbled beneath me, and the breath I sucked in came sharp and shallow. I wanted to scream, but I swallowed it down.

Not here.

Not now.

Lilly….I need to find her.

Where did they take her? What if they do something to her…. the horrors of what all they could left me sick at my stomach.

My heart drummed in my ears.

I reached the door and stepped outside to see it was dark. The streets were nearly empty, the soft glow of lanterns casting distorted shadows on the cobblestones.

A clock in the distance chimed faintly—it was past midnight.

Hours. I was out for hours.

“Lilly,” I croaked, my voice barely louder than a whisper. I swallowed hard, ignoring the way my throat scratched raw. “Lilly!”

I stumbled in the direction they took her, my vision swimming and eyes moist.

The cold air bit at my torn clothes, stinging the exposed cuts and bruises beneath. My ribs screamed in protest, but I forced myself onward, scanning the empty streets for any sign of her.

I stopped the first person I saw—a woman bundled in a shawl, her steps hurried. “Please,” I begged, gripping her arm before she could pass me. “Have you seen a girl? Dark hair, brown eyes—she was dragged out of the diner—”

I was desperate.

I needed a clue. Anything.

The woman’s eyes darted to my face, and the way she recoiled hit harder than any blow I’d taken tonight. Her gaze lingered on my scar, her lips curling in disgust, before she ripped her arm free and muttered something under her breath. She hurried away without a second glance, clutching her shawl tighter as though I carried the plague.

I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

The next man I approached barely looked at me before shaking his head, his expression blank and indifferent.

It was the same with the next. And the next. Every rejection chipped away at the fragile hope I clung to, but I refused to let it die.

“Someone, please!” My voice cracked as I called out to the darkened streets. “She’s in danger!”

Silence answered me, heavy and suffocating and I feel the held tears dripping down my eyes. My legs faltered, but I forced myself to keep moving, my ribs threatening to give out with every step.

Finally, an old man sitting on the steps of a boarded-up shop looked up as I staggered toward him. His face was worn, lined with age and hardship, but his eyes—sharp and calculating—met mine without flinching.

“Girl,” he said, his voice raspy. “What’s happened to you?”

“Three men,” I gasped, the words tumbling out in a rush. “They took my friend. Dragged her out of the diner. I don’t know where they went—please, sir, do you know anything? Can you help me?”

His frown deepened as he studied me. The silence stretched, suffocating, before he finally said,

“I saw them.”

Hope lights in my chest, my eyes snap up.

“ I don’t know where they took your friend. But if they’re the kind of men I think they were, there’s only one man who might help you.”

“Who?” I asked, desperation thick in my voice. “Who is it?”

“The Alpha King,” he said quietly, as though the name itself held weight. “Write a letter to the royal court. If your case is important enough, it might be heard.”

A bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop it, and the sound scraped against my throat.

A letter?

Seriously?

Waiting for someone to read it?

Lilly didn’t have that kind of time. She could be forced or worse rap-

No. I didn’t have that kind of time!

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, I can’t wait for a letter. I can’t wait for permission to ask for help.”

Without another word, I turned away from the old man and stumbled forward.

This was the last resort. I need to try.

I pushed my tattered body to its edge and finally my staggering steps stop to look up at the huge castle in the distance.

A little more Eve… Come on.

By the time I reached the metal doors, my legs were barely holding me up. I raised my fist and slammed it against the cold steel, ignoring the way my ribs screamed in protest.

“Help!” I yelled, my voice hoarse. “Please, I need help!”

Two guards appeared from the shadows, their armor glinting under the torchlight. They took one look at me—at the blood on my face, the torn clothes, the scar—and their scowls deepened.

“Step away from the gates,” one of them barked, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. “ Leave!”

“Please!” I begged, my voice breaking. “They took my friend—she’s in danger!”

The second guard stepped forward, his hand grabbing my arm. “I said, step away—”

“ I won’t dammit! They took her! Help me dammit!”

I screamed, my patience on edge and the guard was taken back for a second. He blinked to sigh.

“ Book an appointment and come tomorrow -”

“ No! I don't have time! Please! Just for a minute. I need to talk to the Alpha King.”

“ Woman. He is the Alpha King. Not a man you met on the street-”

“ I don't care! Get me in dammit!”

I start banging on the doors. Not caring about the blood lining on my palms and the guards sigh to come out. I thought they were helping when they gripped my arm and start dragging me out.

My body ached with the wounds, but I squirmed. My tears fall like a waterfall.

“ Let me go! Aghh!”

My hope was diminishing. My limbs failing when suddenly a cold commanding voice cut through the tension like a knife.

“ Leave her.”

The guards froze, stepping aside as a man emerged from the shadows. His tall figure was imposing, and when I look up my heart froze.

“Eve?” Beta John’s voice softened, his brows furrowing in confusion.

“What are you doing here?”

Relief flooded me so suddenly that my knees nearly gave out. I caught myself on the gate, my voice trembling as I whispered,

“They took her, Sir. They took Lilly. Please, I need your help. Please!”