CHAPTER 50

CHAPTER 50
I pushed the wooden door, which was barely hanging on its hinges, and it let out a long, mournful creak.

Inside, the stench of mold, rotting wood, and decay struck my nose like a slap. My eyes strained to adjust to the heavy darkness that swallowed everything.

Beside me lay splintered remains of wooden beams—once part of a doorframe.

I picked one up with trembling hands, trying to play the heroine once again.

What I was doing was far too dangerous and reckless. I knew that.

But I couldn’t just let them take him—not right in front of my eyes.

I couldn’t lose another pup… I would never forgive myself.

Step by step, I ventured deeper into what seemed like the entrance hall, then into a ruined living area. I kept my eyes on the floorboards, many of which were warped and lifted, leaving gaping dark holes with no visible bottom.

“Miss Valeria!”

Edward’s tearful voice called from above. I snapped my head up and saw him at the top of the staircase, trapped between the shadows and the moonbeams pouring through the half-collapsed ceiling.

A man held him from behind, one arm wrapped tight around the boy’s neck, nearly strangling him, keeping him suspended in the air since Edward’s legs could barely hold him.

His legs shook in frantic spasms, his face flushed red with terror, his tiny hands clawing desperately at the iron grip choking him.

“Stay calm, sweetheart. Everything will be all right, Edward,” I tried to soothe him when I saw his face, wet with tears, contorted by fear and pain.

“Let the boy go, you bastard! What do you want? Money?!” I demanded.

“Heh… what a brave and selfless maid,” the man sneered. “Sacrificing yourself for the Alpha’s son. How much do you think Daddy would pay us for him?” His voice dripped with cruel sarcasm.

“If you know he’s the Alpha’s son, how dare you do this on pack territory?” I shot back, my mind racing to find a way out.

He only laughed darkly and spat out a bitter monologue about the Alpha, ranting about betrayal and vengeance.

“Valeria! Where are you?!”

Aldric’s voice suddenly rang through my mind, strong and urgent, sparking hope inside me. I had thought we were too far apart for the link to work.

“I don’t know exactly! An old house near the pack’s center—they have the Alpha’s son! Hurry, Aldric!” I screamed in my head while trying to stall the sadistic man upstairs, buying as much time as I could.

“Don’t do anything reckless, Valeria! I’m close. I’m following your scent! Please, little one, don’t put yourself in danger. Run if you get the chance!” Aldric’s voice pleaded in my mind.

I tightened my grip on the broken beam, terrified that if Aldric stormed in before I acted, the man might hurt the hostage.

“If you want him so badly… here, take him!” the man suddenly snarled, and before I could react, he hurled the child.

“Edward!” I shrieked, racing toward the base of the stairs, my heart hammering—only to realize too late that it was a trick.

I hadn’t noticed the other figures lurking in the darkness until they ambushed me from behind when my guard was down.

“Let me go, you bastards! Let me go! Aldric! Aldric!” I thrashed and fought, but the two men restraining me were far stronger.

Why did these horrors always find me? Why couldn’t wicked people just leave me alone?

Rage and desperation boiled inside me as I fought like a madwoman, screaming, kicking, trying to break free in the choking dark.

And then… something answered my unspoken plea.

Suddenly, black wings whipped through the air.

The deafening caws of ravens filled the ruined house as they dove from the shadows, claws and beaks slashing at my captors’ faces with vicious precision.

The men shrieked, stumbling, trying to fend off the frenzied birds that pecked at their eyes.

I felt their grip loosen as the flock swarmed them, feathers swirling wildly in the air.

As unbelievable as the sight was, I didn’t waste a second. I had to reach Edward.

Breaking free amid the chaos of wings and screams, I lunged toward the small figure lying motionless on the filthy floor.

But in my desperation, I made my gravest mistake.

I didn’t see the gaping hole in the rotten wooden floor.

My foot slipped into the void, and before I could react, I fell.

A high-pitched scream tore from my throat as I plummeted into the dark, the ravens’ cries echoing faintly above, unable to reach me this time.

I hit the ground hard, landing on my back. Dust billowed around me as pain exploded through my body.

But nothing compared to the agony that came next.

A deep, tearing pain ripped through my chest, unlike anything I’d ever felt.

The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth, overwhelming my senses.

My trembling hands searched for the source and brushed against something cold and solid.

A thick, rust-eaten iron rod had pierced straight through me.

“Damn it… what the hell happened with those crows?!” a voice above barked.

“What do we do with the King’s maid now? They said she might be dangerous!” another voice hissed in panic.

“Then why the hell did we go through all this to lure her out and take her? Idiots!” the first man cursed.

“Should we still ask for ransom for the Alpha’s son? They won’t pay for the woman now…”

“Forget it! Run—quickly! No, leave the boy there!”

Their voices faded in and out as my vision blurred.

I stared helplessly at the jagged hole above me, where three dark shapes lingered, watching like shadows from the underworld.

Everything began to fade—the pain, the sounds, the light.

Blood kept seeping from my wound, soaking the ground beneath me.

I was slipping away.

“VALERIA!!!”

A deafening roar suddenly shook the house, yanking me back from the suffocating blackness.

My King had come for me.