The Moon Goddess' Chosen

361 Cruel World

Beatrice rushed through the little town in search of a way she could evade the figures she’d just spotted entering the inn she’d escaped. It was a miracle they hadn’t noticed her escape. No doubt they had been tracking her scent as well. ‘It doesn’t matter, I need to keep going before they catch up to me,’ she encouraged herself. It could be that the two of them had simply been in the area, but the woman wasn’t taking that chance either.

After her time spent in torture, she knew the lunatics that were after her. She knew she was supposed to run as far as she could from them. Knowing the Rogue King, he’d probably sent them after her. ‘He’s trapped after all, but... if he really did command them, that’s one hell of a range for his mind link to make,’ she shuddered at her thoughts.

Beatrice noticed a bakery that had just opened and rushed in, desperate for someone who could help her, “Hey, you’re not supposed to be in here unless you’re going to buy something,” the baker inside yelled at her, putting away his apron.

“Please, kind sir. I need to make it to the Sirius capital. It’s very important. If you would only point me in the right direction, I’ll be out of your hair,” Beatrice tried hiding the panic in her voice. Faking calmness when being pursued by some of the most dangerous alphas on the planet was no easy feat... and she failed miserably.

“Oh, what are you running away from? Are you a criminal? Are you one of those that escaped in Lycaon? I heard that lot’s full of scumbags of all sorts that would just love to swindle whoever they sink their teeth into,” the man spat at her. Her appearance did not help her case and she couldn’t blame him. Seeing no chance of getting through to the man, Beatrice turned to exit the bakery.

“Sorry for wasting your time, sir,” she yelled back at the man and rushed out of the bakery, making yet another attempt in a restaurant she found a couple of blocks over. The same story played over with the waitress inside. This one threatened to call the pack warriors on her if she didn’t leave the restaurant.

With panic written all over her face, there was no one willing to believe her. She wasn’t normally frightened by her adversaries, but that notion had been shaken during her time in captivity. She’d endured more pain than she’d experienced in her whole life alone and she didn’t want to go back to that.

When she realised asking for help would get her nowhere, she did the only other thing she knew that could get her as far as possible from Samson and that obnoxious little kid. She shifted and ran. She ran as fast as her paws could carry her which wasn’t nearly as fast as an alpha was capable, but what else could she do... It’s not like she could just look for the alpha of this peaceful pack and tell him that two generals of the Rogue King were after her.

Knowing those brutes, they would lay waste to the entire pack just to get to her. Beatrice didn’t even know if they’d been ordered to recapture or kill her. The latter scared the wits out of her.

.....

Listening to the sound of the river, she ran upstream and went ever so close to the river bank. She made sure to keep the river in sight, but never once rushed out from the cover of the trees.

Even with the distance she kept between her and the two alphas, fear pulsed through her body with heart-throbbing intensity. She felt like everything she was doing was futile. The two wolves that were after her were vicious and, in every possible way, merciless.

After escaping the Rogue King, she was convinced their orders were absolute. She was to be killed on sight and so, she used the adrenaline rush to push herself even faster toward the capital. She had to make it to the Capital.

...........

“Would you like to elaborate on what she was looking for while she was here?” Samson asked the scared she-wolf before him. The woman was shaking so much that she had barely managed to get any information through her lips. It was a common reaction he came to know from people who were witnessing murder for the first time.

“Sh-she was looking for a way to leave the town,” the woman said to her.

“Oh, and where was she going?” the man asked. It was only now that Carla realised the woman being chased was probably important, for she was in a hurry to go to the capital.

Sensing her hesitation, Samson sighed, “Do you want me to kill another one before you’re ready to tell me everything without leaving out a single detail? And honey, don’t lie to me. I can tell when someone’s lying by simply listening to their heartbeat. Trust me, from how you’re shaking right now, you’re incapable of lying to me,” the man threatened. Carla didn’t need to know how dangerous this man was... The mere fact that he still sounded normal after snuffing out someone’s life told the whole story. Murder was only second nature to him.

The situation changed the moment everyone in the room realised how dangerous the two really were, “Benji, try learning a thing or two about being a gentleman.” The man flashed the boy behind Carla a disgusted look, “I think we’ve made our point.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun. One moment, you have your hand on another man’s heart, the other moment, you’re trying to protect a woman’s dignity. Honestly, make up your mind. You’re either a crook or not,” the kid responded, stomping back to the front of the counter.

“You forget that none of us is a crook in the slightest. Now would you butt out of my interrogation? She was just about to spill everything,” the man spat.

“Well, the woman said she was going to a pack to the east of the Sirius capital. I don’t know which exact...”

“Do you have a death wish, woman?” Samson asked the woman in a dangerous voice, “Speak the truth or one more of your customers dies. If I get too bored, I might just kill all of them.”

“No, please don’t. The woman was going to Sirius, but that’s all she told me. I swear. She didn’t say much, but she had to get there as soon as she could and it was urgent,” Carla explained.

“Well, did you tell her where to find transportation then?” the man asked.

“No, I didn’t. She wasn’t dressed like some of those rich nobles that can afford that kind of transportation,” the woman replied.

“So you sent her away without giving her direction, huh? Surprisingly, you’re not lying this time. So I will take your word for it. One more thing though... which way did she go when she left the inn?” the man asked Carla.

Carla pointed the man in the opposite direction she’d seen the woman going in an attempt to delay them at least, “And here I thought we were starting to become best friends.”

Carla watched in horror as the two brutes snapped the necks of two more of her customers like it was nothing before walking out of the store, “That’s for lying to me.” Tears streamed down Carla’s cheeks when she saw the horror that had unfolded before her. Her mind was on the verge of collapse. One moment, they were alive and well... and the next, their bodies were lifeless before her, never to move again and their lives staring off into nothingness.

The rest of the customers started to panic, keeping their distance from the dead bodies. Carla shakily walked out from behind the counter and approached the two that had been assaulted last, feeling for a pulse. Just as the man had said, their bodies had gone cold and there wasn’t a pulse to indicate life. ‘Rogues... and they are after that woman,’ Carla surmised, ‘But what can anyone do against those monsters?’

As Carla silently mourned her deceased friends, she sent a silent plea of forgiveness, for she couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. She wasn’t going to interfere with this manhunt. There simply wasn’t something she could imagine that could be done to save the innocent woman she’d selfishly sent away from her inn, ‘I’m sorry,’ she lamented, both to the three that had lost their lives and to the woman running for her life.

It was obvious to her... that the woman that was being hunted would be dead by sunset. After all, when the two mysterious men were leaving, she’d noticed a crimson glint from behind the sunglasses they wore. They were alphas... Generals of the Rogue King himself. A pair of arms wrapped around Carla and pulled the weeping receptionist into a firm embrace...

...The world can be a cruel place...

.................