Chapter 195: Betrayed
Third Person POV
The warrior’s leather-gloved hand gripped Rebecca’s arm tightly, dragging her out of the room before her mind could even process his panicked words.
"Move! Fast!" the guard yelled over his shoulder to his partner.
The hallway outside was total chaos. The quiet, sunlit hallways Rebecca had walked through just an hour ago were now ruined. Alarms screamed through the stone walls, loud and sharp. Terrified servants dropped trays and glass vases as they fled toward the back staircases, while mothers clutched crying children tightly against their chests and rushed toward the underground safe rooms.
"Keep her close!" the lead warrior shouted, his face dark. "Alpha Kane ordered us to get her to safety!"
They ran toward the big middle staircase, but before Rebecca’s feet could touch the top step, a loud blast shook the air.
BOOM!
The stone floor under them shook wildly. The shock wave knocked Rebecca off her feet, slamming her shoulder hard against the railing. Pieces of glass fell from the high windows above as thick black smoke poured into the hallway. The smell of burning wood and fire filled the air, making her cough hard.
Fear filled Rebecca’s chest, hot and heavy. Her hands quickly went down to protect her belly, shielding the weak new life growing inside her.
Through the rising smoke, loud growls echoed from the big hall below. Huge animals—wolves with dark fur and blood-red eyes—were crashing through the broken windows. But they were not alone. Fighting next to them were cruel tiger shifters, their huge striped bodies jumping over stone pillars, claws out and dripping with fresh blood.
What none of the terrified pack members knew was that the attack had been made possible by someone they trusted.
Alpha Kane was miles away at the border, drawn into a carefully planned distraction by a group of rogue trackers.
He had no idea that his own trusted Beta had betrayed him.
Hours before the attack began, the Beta had secretly opened the hidden passages beneath the estate, allowing dozens of enemy fighters to slip directly into the heart of Kane’s territory undetected.
"Hold the line! Protect the stairs!" Kane’s loyal warriors roared, shifting into their massive wolves and throwing themselves directly into the path of the attacking beasts.
Loud bites, breaking bones, and painful howls filled the hallway. Blood splashed across the white walls.
Rebecca backed away in terror, pressing her back against the smoke-covered wall. She felt completely helpless.
Under normal circumstances, her wolf would have surged forward, lending her supernatural strength, speed, and claws to defend herself. But now, her wolf remained locked deep inside her, suppressed by the heavy silver collar around her neck.
For the first time, Rebecca truly understood just how vulnerable the collar had made her.
She was practically human, trapped in the middle of a war between monsters.
"This way! The back door!" the warrior holding her yelled, his sword covered in fresh blood as he struck down a dark wolf that tried to jump at them.
He grabbed Rebecca by the wrist and pulled her down a small side hallway, along with three other women—two pregnant pack women and a young servant girl who was crying hard.
"Hurry! We just need to reach the iron door!" the warrior yelled, pushing them toward a heavy metal door at the end of the hall.
They were only ten feet away when the wall to their left blew up completely.
Wood pieces and broken stones rained down on them. The warrior guarding them was blown backward, his body crashing hard against the floor, motionless.
Rebecca screamed, falling to her knees as thick smoke filled her eyes and lungs. Through the smoke, three big men stepped out of the fresh hole in the wall. Their eyes glowed with fierce tiger energy, their skin covered in dark tattoos.
"Look what we have here," one of them said, his voice deep and rough. "A fresh group of prizes."
The servant girl tried to run, but one of the attackers moved with terrifying speed. He caught her by the hair and dragged her backward before throwing her to the ground and binding her wrists with thick rope. The other two women were roughly forced into line, crying and begging for mercy.
"No! Get away from me!" Rebecca gasped, trying to crawl backward on her hands and knees.
The largest attacker stepped over the rubble, his heavy boots stopping directly in front of her. His sharp eyes traveled over her before settling on the thick silver collar gleaming around her throat.
A cruel smile spread across his scarred face.
"Well, well. Look at that collar. An Alpha’s special little slave."
One of the other attackers suddenly stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the silver collar around Rebecca’s neck.
"Wait."
The biggest man stopped.
The attacker studied Rebecca more carefully before his expression suddenly changed.
"The royal collar," he muttered. "I know who she is."
Rebecca’s blood ran cold.
"What are you talking about?" the other man asked.
"The Alpha King’s slave," he said, staring at her in disbelief. "The woman everyone’s been talking about."
A dark smile slowly spread across the biggest man’s face.
"Well, well..."
His gaze traveled over Rebecca before settling on the royal silver collar locked around her throat.
"We came here looking for prisoners," he murmured, grabbing her roughly by the arm. "Looks like we just found ourselves the most valuable one."
"Don’t touch me!" Rebecca cried out, trying to kick at his legs.
Before she could hit him, his huge hand reached down, grabbing her shirt collar roughly and pulling her up to her feet. She fought hard, scratching at his hands, but he did not even flinch.
"Shut up, girl," he growled.
Rebecca’s heart slammed painfully against her ribs. Panic seized her as her hand instinctively moved toward her stomach again.
My baby.
The thought was louder than the screams and explosions surrounding her.
She couldn’t let anything happen to her child.
"Please," she whispered, suddenly stopping her struggle. Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at the giant man. "Please, don’t hurt me."
He pulled back his heavy, leather-covered fist.
Rebecca’s eyes went wide in fear as she saw the hit coming. She tried to move away, her hands going up to cover her head, but his fist hit the side of her face with hard force.
Pain burst behind her eyes, hot and blinding. The world spun wildly, the screams of the dying packhouse fading away. Rebecca’s legs gave out, and her eyes went completely dark as she fell into total unconsciousness.