~Zarek's POV~
My mistake was getting my eyes off what I was doing for a few seconds. My mistake was allowing the angelic beauty cloud my senses so much that I lost track of where I was and what I was doing.
One minute, I had the upper hand and I was tearing through Duke Princeton's soldiers like they were nothing but rag dolls and the next minute, I was howling out in pain because one of the soldiers had preyed on my distraction and stabbed me between my ribs.
I doubled over in pain as I struggled to breathe but the pain only lasted for a short while before anger like none other surged through me. Adrenaline kicked in, and even though I could still feel the red hot sensation of the knife stuck in my midriff, I teared through them like a crazed animal.
I was just about to land the final punch to Duke Princeton when suddenly, Dahlia's smell hit my nostrils again. I snapped; "How many times do I have to tell you to—?!"
My words got stuck in my throat and my eyes widened when I noticed that she was being pressed against a large soldier with the face of a beast, and that this so-called soldier had a knife pressed into her neck.
He growled at me; "Let go of the Duke now or I would plunge this knife into her throat and leave her to choke on her own blood!"
At the sound of his voice, my chest tightened. Even the way Dahlia's eyes widened in fear had me shaking with both anger and confusion. Hell, this was exactly why I wanted her out of here!
The next few minutes were a blur of activities and while Dahlia's pleading voice was the only thing I heard, I couldn't bring myself to let go of the Duke, especially not when Orion was currently sneaking behind the soldier holding Dahlia discreetly.
"Please…" Dahlia said again but I ignored her, focusing my attention instead on the Soldier.
"I'll kill her… Alpha." He growled again and with feigned nonchalance, I spat; "Then do it… because like it or not, I'll kill the Duke."
Dahlia's eyes widened and mine thinned in response. In one swift move, Orion appeared behind the soldier, cutting him down like he was nothing more than a fly and I almost whimpered in relief when I saw Dahlia stumble away from his fallen body.
Taking Duke Princeton out then was pretty easy but as soon as I did that, the weight of the cuts and stabs I had been dealt with hit me like a freight train. A muffled groan escaped my lips as I stumbled to the floor…
…And blacked out.
*
~Daliah's POV~
One minute, I was wondering why everyone had something despicable to say about what kind of devil had bought me and my daughter, and the next, I was agreeing with them.
I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe the amount of blood splattered on the floor and the amount of decapitated bodies I found littered all across the room. The unbearable stench of blood assaulted my nostrils, almost making me gag but still, my discomfort was not enough reason for me to take my hands off Amara's eyes, and thankfully, the sweet child didn't seem to care.
I saw my new master stop to glare at me and then as if possessed by an entity of some sort, he yelled at me; "Go!"
But I couldn't. I felt rooted to the place. Both due to fear and panic. I was however just about to flee when I suddenly felt a hard tug on my upper arm and soon enough, I was shocked to find myself being pressed against a black, large soldier who was currently pressing the blade of a knife into my neck.
He growled at my new master; "Let go of the Duke now or I would plunge this knife into her throat and leave her to choke on her own blood!"
At his words, my eyes widened. I glanced up just in time to see my new master cocking his eyebrow at us.
The world seemed to tilt at that moment and all I could think about was my impending doom. So I pleaded. I pleaded with tears streaming down my face until coherent words wouldn't form on my lips.
"Please…" I croaked out but I had no idea what I was asking for. My throat burned and my eyes stung as more tears streamed down my face; but my master wouldn't bulge. He wouldn't even move.
"I'll kill her… Alpha." The soldier growled again, eliciting a whimper from me.
Despite my obvious discomfort, my master didn't cast a glance at me or at the man holding me. He never even tried to release the overweight man and I knew at once that I was doomed.
Baring his teeth at the soldier, in a way that caused my skin to crawl, he tipped his head to the side and spat; "Then do it… because like it or not, I'll kill the Duke."
My heart fell. All these while, I made sure that my hands on Amara's eyes never dropped. I'd rather die than allow her to witness the grotesque madness this place harbored.
A small cry escaped my lips when I felt the knife's blade press even harder against my skin, so hard that I was sure that a trail of my blood must've formed on it. I squeezed my eyes shut, half expecting this to be my end when I suddenly heard a painful grunt.
The weight of the man behind me suddenly dropped, making me stumble, but before I could fall to the floor with Amara still clutched in my arms, a pair of large burly arms caught me and I let out a breath as my eyes instantly shot open.
My eyes quickly roved around the room and a shudder escaped me when I saw the overweight man now lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood and with a gaping hole now in his chest. The burly soldier holding me captive earlier was also sprawled on the floor now— dead; and with his face slashed open.
…And I was in the arms of— a strange man with sandy blonde hair and eyes so gray, it nearly looked like a stormy cloud. My breath caught in my throat as I was suddenly filled with an overwhelming amount of fear, but before I could panic, he helped me gain my footing and smiled softly at me.
"Hey, step outside…" he said softly, "…you'll find two bodyguards by the door, wait with them. This place is no place for a woman."
His words, and the tone with which he used to speak to me surprised me immeasurably because I had only seen him a few minutes ago butchering people like they were nothing but cattle. His soft eyes didn't leave my face even for a second and I was only snapped out of my trance when I heard my master grunt behind us.
"Zarek what the—" His beta began to say but stopped when Alpha Zarek fell to the floor with a loud bang.
I screamed.