Chapter 9 She Got Away
The long drive back from Benetta’s estate had been quiet, almost unnaturally so. Not because the world outside had calmed, but because Liam hadn’t allowed himself to react. From the moment the butler’s voice broke through the call and delivered the news, something inside him had shifted—He hadn’t spoken for the rest of the journey.
The Bentley came to a smooth halt beneath the palace portico. Before the engine had fully stilled, the doors were already opening. Servants moved with quiet urgency, but no one dared speak first. The head butler approached, steps quick yet careful, his composure stretched thin beneath the weight of what he had to report.
“Alpha—”
Liam stepped out of the car without acknowledging the greeting. His coat remained draped over his shoulders, untouched by the waiting hands. He walked past them, each step measured, controlled.
“Who the hell gave her permission to leave?”
The butler faltered. For a brief moment, words seemed to abandon him. His lips parted, then closed again as he struggled to find an answer that didn't exist.
“She… didn’t request permission, Alpha,” he admitted finally, his voice lowered. “Miss Skylar left her chamber on her own. There was no formal notice. No escort assigned.”
Liam stopped. The movement was slight, but it was enough to freeze the air around them. He turned his head just enough for the butler to feel the full weight of his gaze.
“She just freaking walked out,” Liam howled low.
“Call the council betas,” he said as he crossed the threshold into the palace. “Every one of them. And contact every Alpha within Estines’ territory.”
The staff scattered at once, orders moving faster than footsteps. By the time Liam reached the main corridor, the palace was already shifting into motion.
“Seal the exits,” he added. “No one leaves the city without inspection. Also … deploy the internal units.”
The words didn't need further explanation as he ascended the staircase, he pulled his phone from his coat. The call connected almost immediately. By then, several officials had already gathered, summoned in haste. The betas stood waiting, tension evident in the rigid lines of their posture. Liam stopped before them.
“Spread this,” he said. “Skylar Avery Miles is a contract worker under the Palace. She has violated the terms of her agreement and fled. Use whatever resources are necessary,” Liam continued. “I want updates within the hour.”
Within minutes, the order began to spread beyond the palace gates, carried through official channels and quieter ones alike. And that night, Estines began to close around a single name. Liam remained where he stood for a moment after they had gone.
The corridor fell quiet again, a faint pressure pulsed behind his eyes. It had been hours. Yet the absence had already begun to press against him in ways he couldn't ignore.
The noise crept back first. Distant at the edges of his awareness—footsteps, voices, heartbeats that didn't belong to him. Liam exhaled slowly, forcing the sensation down. This wasn't about her; it couldn’t be.
The streets of Velmora District—one of Estines’ busiest commercial arteries—were still alive despite the late hour. Neon signs flickered above crowded storefronts, their reflections stretching across damp pavement. Vendors packed away their goods while taxis lined the curb, engines idling as they waited for the last wave of passengers.
But for Skylar, it all felt distant. She kept her head down as she walked.
A black jacket hung loosely over her shoulders, far heavier than it should have been. She had pulled the hood low, the brim of a borrowed cap shadowing most of her face. The disguise was simple, imperfect—but it was all she had.
A dull ache lingered in her stomach, sharp enough to remind her that something inside her had gone wrong. She pressed her arm tighter against herself and kept moving. The realization settled into her thoughts with quiet certainty; Someone inside that palace had tried to harm her.
A soft breath escaped her, unsteady despite her effort to keep it even. She had endured everything—Liam’s control, the contract, the suffocating sense of being owned—because she believed it was the only way to keep Jesse safe. And still, all of that nearly cost her life. If she died in that place, she couldn’t even imagine what Jesse could do without her.
She kept walking, didn’t know where she was going. Her hand moved instinctively toward her pocket. The phone felt heavier than usual when she pulled it out, the cold surface grounding her just enough to steady her fingers.
The phone slid from her side before it even touched her ear, the realization hit her hard with hollow and desperate feeling ass she remembered that Jesse wasn’t somewhere she could reach. He was under Liam’s supervision.
Skylar let out a small, broken breath.
“Fuck... fuck, fuck…”
The word came out unsteady, barely above a whisper, her voice trembling in a way she couldn’t quite control. Her eyes burned faintly, but no tears came.
Skylar closed her eyes briefly, her breath catching in her throat. Every path; every choice she had led somewhere dangerous. She could go back and let someone poisoned her to death, or stay keeping distance from Liam even though it meant breaking the contract. She knew Liam wouldn’t even let her doing this without preparing worse consequences.
But then she looked down at the phone for some fleeting seconds. The next second, she threw it to the trash as she stepped away from it, pulling her jacket tighter around herself, the fabric wrapping close as if it could shield her from more than just the cold.
“I thought there was a human lost in Estines.”
Skylar jerked slightly, her body reacting before her mind caught up. She stopped mid-step, the motion stiff, controlled only by effort.
“Your scent isn't there, Miss.”
Slowly, carefully, she turned her head just enough to see without drawing attention. A taxi idled at the curb.
A man leaned slightly against the frame, one hand resting casually on the top of the door as if he had been waiting there longer than she had noticed. The man watched her for a moment, as if measuring the silence she gave him.
“Need a place to hide?”