Bella barely had time to react before a hand yanked her up by the hair, dragging her off the ground. Pain ripped through her scalp, a scream tearing from her throat as she thought she might be scalped. The next moment, her body was slammed against the side of the van with brutal force.
Two powerful hands wrapped around her neck, squeezing the life out of her.
Her feet dangled off the ground as the third man, new to the scene, pressed her against the van, his grip tightening mercilessly. His face was a mask of fury, his voice a deafening roar.
“That’s my brother, you bitch! I’ll kill you!”
Spittle sprayed across her face as his rage consumed him. Bella struggled against him, her bound hands useless behind her back. Her legs kicked out instinctively, but he was too close, his body blocking her movements, leaving her completely defenseless.
Her lungs screamed for air. She had already been winded from the fall, and now she couldn’t draw even the smallest breath. Her vision blurred, dark spots creeping at the edges. The crushing force on her throat was sapping her of strength, and she could feel her body growing weaker with every passing second.
Then, suddenly, he was gone.
The pressure vanished, and she collapsed to the ground in a heap. Her knees buckled beneath her, unable to support her weight. She hit the gravel again, her body trembling as she gasped for air.
A fight had broken out nearby. She could hear the snarls and growls of wolves, the thuds of fists connecting with flesh. She forced herself to lift her head, struggling to see through the darkness creeping into her vision.
“I told you, no harm to her!” someone roared, the voice deep and filled with authority.
“My brother is dead! She killed him!” another voice bellowed in reply, raw with grief and rage.
Bella’s head lolled to the side, her chest heaving as she leaned against the van for support. Her lungs burned with each desperate breath she dragged in. Her eyes locked onto the man lying lifeless on the ground—the one whose throat she’d torn open with her stiletto. His brother knelt beside him, cradling the body, his cries raw and guttural.
Bella felt no pity, no remorse. These men had drugged her, kidnapped her, and left her children vulnerable and alone. They had brought this upon themselves.
The fight continued, the sounds growing more distant in her mind as adrenaline surged through her. Now, she thought. This was her chance.
Pushing off the van with trembling arms, she turned and bolted down the road, her body screaming in protest. Pain radiated from every part of her—her knees, her face, her chest—but she pushed it aside.
All she could think about was escape.
Surely she could flag down a passing car. In her state—covered in blood, battered, and bound—someone would stop and help her. No human could see a woman like this and not intervene.
But her hope was short-lived.
She hadn’t gotten far when she was tackled to the ground, the impact sending fresh pain searing through her body. Gravel tore into her already raw skin, and her knees took the brunt of the fall, pain shooting up her legs. She tried to cry out, but her voice was weak, her strength fading.
Rough hands grabbed her, yanking her to her feet. Two wolves flanked her, each holding her arms as they dragged her back toward the van. She tried to resist, kicking out weakly, but her body was too battered, her movements too feeble to make a difference.
“Let me go!” she croaked, her voice hoarse and desperate.
The wolves didn’t even flinch.
Her heart sank as she was hauled closer to the scene of the fight, closer to the nightmare she had been trying to escape. The van loomed ahead like a dark, ominous shadow, a reminder of how trapped she truly was.
But even as despair clawed at her, she knew one thing for certain: this wasn’t over. Not yet.
She would fight. Somehow, she would find a way.
The two wolves gripping her arms were relentless, their strength and size far outmatching her battered and exhausted body. They moved forward without hesitation, dragging her as though she weighed nothing.
Jay-la lifted her eyes, desperate to gauge where they were taking her. Her heart dropped like a stone as recognition set in. Fear seeped into every fibre of her being.
She was home.
Beyond the van, about 300 meters ahead, she saw the towering black gates of the Blood Moon Pack. One side stood open, the other closed, its dark surface emblazoned with the unmistakable red circle that symbolized the Blood Moon.
Her struggles renewed instinctively, panic flooding her senses. But the men holding her only tightened their grips, their hands like steel vices around her arms. Tears blurred her vision as they marched her closer to the gate, closer to the sleek black car that waited just inside. Its back door was open, a silent promise of what awaited her.
The sounds of fighting had stopped behind her. The eerie quiet sent another wave of dread through her. Jay-la’s tears spilled faster, her breath hitching as pain coursed through her battered body. Every step toward the gates felt like a step toward doom.
Fear of what was to come wrapped around her like a vice. If this was just the beginning, what awaited her on the other side of that gate? The thought was too much to bear. A soft, broken sob escaped her lips. She knew who would deal out her punishment, and the mere thought made her heart ache as much as her body.
Would she ever see her children again?
A hand fell gently on her left elbow, halting her march.
“Nice to see you again, Jay-la,” Beta Jackson’s voice cut through the suffocating silence. His tone was calm, almost soft, but it sent a shiver down her spine.
The two men released her instantly, stepping back without a word. Jackson took her arm, his grip firm yet devoid of malice. “I’ll take her from here, boys,” he said evenly.
Jay-la didn’t fight him. She couldn’t.
Jackson had once been one of her closest friends, someone she trusted implicitly. But that was a lifetime ago. Now, she couldn’t afford to trust him—or anyone in the Blood Moon Pack. Still, she knew better than to resist him. Few wolves in the pack could best Jackson in a fight, and she wasn’t one of them.
Pain radiated through her body with every step. Her face throbbed, her knees felt like they might give out at any moment, and the countless wounds littering her skin burned with every movement. She had no Kora to heal her, no wolf to ease her pain. All she could do was endure.
Jackson’s gaze bore down on her as they walked, but she kept her eyes on the ground. What could she possibly say to him? There was no plea that could sway him, no words that would make him betray his Alpha—his best friend. She knew that as surely as she knew her own name.
So, she stayed silent, letting the tears fall down her ruined face. She felt utterly broken, and she knew she must look it too.
Jackson sighed as they reached the car. Without a word, he guided her into the back seat and slid in beside her.
“Straight to the packhouse,” he ordered the driver.
Jay-la stared down at her lap, her hands still bound, her mind racing with fear and despair. Her fate was sealed. There was no escape now, no way out of what was coming.
All she could do was pray.
She closed her eyes and sent a desperate plea to the goddess, pouring every ounce of love and hope she had into it. Protect my babies. Keep them safe from harm. Please.
The car started to move, carrying her closer to whatever awaited her. She braced herself, knowing the worst was yet to come.
