Chapter 43 Under Watch
Lyanna
I stared at the guard with a small frown. Who was he? What did he want?
“Well,” he said lightly, as if we were simply passing time, “you’re the quiet one.”
I didn’t react.
He stepped closer. Not enough to draw attention. Enough to corner.
I took a step back on instinct, keeping my eyes on him. What did he want?
“I’ve been watching you.”
My fingers stayed loose at my sides. Still.
“You don’t speak. Don’t answer. Don’t even startle when called.”
A pause.
Then—
His hand snapped up. Fingers cracked sharply inches from my ear. The sound split the air.
I didn’t flinch, no matter how hard my heart pounded against my chest.
He suspected me. For some reason, he suspected me.
I tilted my head slightly and signed, slow and deliberate.
I cannot hear you.
Silence stretched between us.
Then his grip closed around my wrist. Hard. Too hard.
“Let’s try something else,” he murmured.
His voice dropped, losing its casual edge, turning into something colder.
“And see if you’re worth all the trouble.”
My heart slammed once against my ribs. Heavy. Violent.
No. I wouldn’t let this happen.
I struggled, even knowing no one would come to my aid. I couldn’t rely on Elias—he would be leaving soon, and he was nowhere near us now.
His fingers dug deeper into my wrist.
Pain flared, sharp enough to make my vision flicker, but I forced my face to stay blank, my body resisting without drawing too much attention. If I made this loud, if I made this obvious—
No one would help me. He dragged me another step toward the trees. The darkness there felt thicker. Waiting. My pulse spiked.
No.
My free hand shot forward, grabbing at the edge of the wagon behind me, fingers slipping against rough wood. He yanked harder. My grip broke. Splinters scraped across my palm.
“Thought so,” he muttered, voice low against my ear. “You’re not like the others.”
My stomach twisted.
His grip shifted, sliding from my wrist to my arm, hauling me closer to his body as if I weighed nothing.
“You've offended the wrong people,” he went on. “You only have yourself to blame.”
Triune.
The word didn’t leave his mouth, but it coiled beneath his tone. Testing. Prodding.
Hunting. Cold spread through my chest.
I shook my head, quick, frantic, signing with my free hand. I do not understand. His eyes flicked to my fingers. Then he smiled. It wasn’t kind.
“Let’s see how long that lasts.”
He pulled. Hard.
My feet stumbled over uneven ground as he dragged me off the path, into shadow, away from the light. Panic surged, hot and choking. My heart slammed so violently it hurt.
No one would see.
My breath came faster, sharper, and I twisted suddenly, lunging forward instead of resisting—just enough to throw him off balance. His grip faltered for half a second.
I turned and sank my teeth into his hand.
Hard.
He swore, jerking back, and I tore free, stumbling forward before breaking into a run. I’ll run away now.
The wagon—
If I could just reach it—
My lungs burned as I pushed harder, ignoring the pull in my legs, the ache low in my abdomen. I could feel the child shift, unsettled, and fear sharpened into something desperate.
Please—
A hand slammed into my waist. The world lurched. The breath ripped from my chest as he hauled me up, my body jolting violently against his hold. Pain exploded through my stomach, sharp and deep, stealing what little air I had left.
I bit down on the scream clawing up my throat so hard my jaw ached.
No sound.
My hands flew to his arm, nails digging in as I tried to wrench free, but his grip only tightened, locking me against him as if I were nothing.
“Got you,” he hissed.
Spots danced at the edges of my vision. The wagon was right there. So close.
And yet—
Voices. Too many. I looked up. The other alphas had noticed our struggle and were walking up.
“Well, well.”
Another alpha stepped into view, gaze sliding over me slowly.
“That’s her, isn’t it?” he said. “The one the commander’s been calling to his tent.”
Heat flooded my face—humiliation, fear.
Another one laughed under his breath. “Been wondering what makes her so special.”
My stomach dropped.
I stilled in his hold, forcing myself not to draw more attention, even as my pulse screamed in my ears.
Around us, movement shifted.
Other alphas.
Hands reaching.
Pulling.
An omega stumbled out, her resistance weak, her voice breaking into a muffled cry before being cut off.
My chest tightened so sharply it hurt.
No.
I squeezed my eyes shut for half a second.
Ruben.
His name echoed in my mind like a prayer.
I saw him the way he had been before—warm, alive, smiling, his hands steady on mine. Then the memory twisted.
Fire.
The raid.
The thought of his body hitting the ground.
The smell of iron.
My breath hitched.
Help me.
Please.
For the child.
A hand brushed my cheek, dragging me back.
“Look at me,” the alpha holding me muttered, grip tightening at my waist.
Pain shot through my stomach again.
My fingers curled instinctively over it, protective, even as I forced my face still.
“Think she’ll scream?” one of them said casually.
“Everyone screams,” another answered.
Laughter. Low. Expectant. My throat burned.
I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.
Not for me. Not for this child.
The alpha shifted me in his grip, adjusting as if preparing to carry me further into the trees. Cold dread settled deep in my bones.
Then—
“What is the meaning of this?”
The word cut through everything.
Cold, ruthless.
The laughter died instantly.
The grip on me didn’t loosen—but it stilled.
Slowly, the men turned.
Elias stepped into the dim light, his presence quiet and devastating all at once.
He didn’t raise his voice.
He didn’t need to.
His frigid gaze swept over the scene—over the alphas, the omegas being held, the ones trying not to cry, and finally—
Me.
It lasted less than a second.
But I felt it.
The tension in it.
The restraint unravelling.
Then it was gone.
“Are you so ruled by your cocks,” he said evenly, “that you cannot travel a few weeks without disgracing yourselves?”
No one answered.
No one moved.
The alpha holding me shifted slightly, uncertain now.
Elias took a step closer.
“Release them.”
The omega nearest to me was dropped first, stumbling back toward the wagon. Another followed.
The arm around my waist loosened.
I pulled away instantly, backing up, my legs unsteady but holding.
Elias didn’t look at me again.
“You will answer for this,” he continued, voice low. “All of you.”
One of the men muttered, “Commander, it was just—”
Elias’s gaze snapped to him.
The man fell silent.
“Regulation,” Elias said. “You know the consequences.”
There was no shouting.
No drawn weapons.
He turned slightly, addressing another guard, one who had stayed back, untouched by what had happened.
“See to the omegas,” he ordered. “Now.”
The man nodded immediately, moving to gather the women, his movements efficient, careful.
I stood where I was, trembling despite everything I did to stop it. My hands hovered near my stomach, not quite touching, afraid to feel if something was wrong.
My gaze lifted.
Found him.
Just for a moment.
Elias was already looking at me.
His expression was tight.
His fist clenched, then unclenched. Eyes narrowing as it roved over me.
As if something beneath it strained to break through.
I wanted to tell him everything the man had said.
The word pressed against my ribs.
But I couldn’t. Not here. Not like this. Too many eyes. Too many ears.
The moment stretched—
Then he looked away first. Gave another order. All those involved were to be rounded up and moved to the end of the caravan line. To be punished at the nearest post.
Then he moved on.
Like nothing had happened. Like I was no one. The space he left behind felt colder.
I swallowed, forcing my breathing to steady, forcing my body to move when the others did.
Blend in. Disappear. Survive.
\-\-\-\-
That night, sleep didn’t come easily. My body ached, my heart refused to settle. What if the man came back? What if he already sent word to the triune?
When it did, it dragged me under too fast.
Ruben stood in front of me, whole, unbroken, his hand reaching for mine. I ran to him, relief crashing through me so hard it hurt.
“You’re safe,” he said.
But his voice warped.
The ground shifted.
Blood spread beneath his feet.
His hand slipped from mine.
I tried to hold on.
I couldn’t.