Bella's POV

I slept with one eye open. I didn't trust any of these people. At least they didn't hurt me physically, but they were starving me instead. My stomach was growling. I needed to eat something urgently. I caressed my stomach, promising my child I would find something to eat as soon as I could. The door of the cell opened with a squeaky sound, making me jump to my feet. In came Dane with a cup of steaming coffee, smelling like the heavens. The coffee, not him. My stomach growled. I was famished. I could almost taste the bitter yet smooth flavor of the coffee on my tongue.

He stood right in front of me. I had to throw my head back to lock eyes with him. Goddess that coffee smelled so good. For a minute, I thought he was going to hand it to me. He just smirked. I felt the need to kick him in the shins if he weren't this stupidly tall. He doesn't look anything like his brother, though. Even their hair color is different. Dane's hair is sandy blond, and his handsome brother has dark, wavy locks falling on his forehead. I shook my head. This was not the time for that.

Dane pointed at me with one finger, like I was some sort of misbehaving kid. "Do yourself a favor and start talking. You don't look good at all." I rolled my eyes at him. I was tired of repeating myself. What would it take for him to believe me? I forced myself to repeat it again.

"I'm tired of repeating myself, and you won't believe me. I found him lying on the ground, and then I..." He didn't even blink. He definitely didn't believe me, and he'll never do. They will just starve me to death or leave me in prison forever. I couldn't trust his brother to wake up and help me. He probably doesn't even remember me. He was badly wounded, and who knows when he will wake up. I will probably be dead by then. I can't use my ring either. They would hunt me down to the end of the world.

Dane's semblance changed. His brow furrowed. Someone was mind-linking him. He let his coffee cup drop and turned on his heel darting towards the exit. What a waste of coffee. The guard locked me up again. A few minutes passed. I don't even understand why they apprehended me. The most sensible thing to do was to thank me for helping Dane's brother. Instead, they were treating me as a conspirator. Just exactly, who is this supposed brother of Dane?

I can't stay here any longer. I will not leave my fate and my child's at the hands of these lunatics. I always had the utmost respect for warriors because my father and brothers were warriors themselves, but these warriors are nothing like my family. My family would never target innocent civilian women. I needed to escape now.

I had been hearing a lot of noise coming from outside for a while. It was building up with every second that passed. Could it be that the warrior has woken up? My heart started thudding. There was no way to know if he would jump to the same conclusion as the rest of them. My plan to escape wasn't the best, but I was going to try or die trying. It was now or never. I dropped to the floor, clutching my abdomen, screaming in pain.

"What's wrong with you, woman?" The warrior hit the cell's bars with a baton. He furrowed his brow in annoyance.

"Help me, please! It hurts!!" I gave it my all to my impromptu performance. I heard his keys hitting the bars noisily. He was opening the cell.

"Don't you dare die on me, woman. He's awakened, and if you had anything to do with his attack, he would want to be the one who finishes you." I found strength in those words and putting into practice everything I learned from my brothers, I grabbed him by the wrist, stealing his baton. I hit him right in the face. He was barely trying to react when I already had him in a chokehold. He was desperately trying to pull the button off of his neck, but soon he passed out.

I grabbed his keys quickly and my bag. They had left it with me after they had searched the contents. I locked the cell with the guard inside and threw the keys out of his reach. I grabbed the only cloak I had inside my bag and put it around my shoulders. With the hoodie, I covered my hair and most of my face. My jaw almost dropped when I saw the huge crowd gathered outside, and it seemed that more people continued to arrive. I sneaked past them, mixing with the crowd. It made it easier for me to pass inconspicuous. Soon, I was outside of that dreadful place.

I was going to have to use my ring again to gain distance from them. I couldn't shift to my wolf form while pregnant. I wished myself to be close to the nearest town. I needed food and a warm bed. Luckily, the warriors didn't take the little money I had inside my bag. It would be enough to stay in a hotel for a few days.

When I registered in the hotel, I didn't give them my real name. I was sure Jasper would be scouring the earth for me. The werewolf Parliament would never give him the rights of my father's pack without me. He is not a blood relative. He must be desperate. It gave me some kind of satisfaction imagining him losing control. My wolf has been quiet after everything that we went through. The death of my family, Jasper's betrayal, and then being kidnapped and imprisoned. Only the baby is keeping us from crumbling. I can't lose it. It would destroy me and my wolf.

I ordered room service before I took a most-needed bath. When I came out, the food was already there. Everything tasted so good. The pancakes, eggs, bacon, fresh coffee, and delicious fruit. I hadn't been eating well for so many days. My heart squeezed. I prayed so much for a baby to now neglect my pregnancy. The Goddess knows it is not my fault. I'll do better now. Hopefully, Jasper and Dane won't find me here. I needed to try to look for my family first. If I don't find my brothers and my father, I will go to the Parliament to expose Jasper's betrayal of the mate bond and prevent him from taking over my pack. He could never have it.

I went straight to bed after I ate. I was exhausted. My head and my heart were still in turmoil, but when so many things were going on in my life, I couldn't even pick a problem to overthink about it. I fell asleep as soon as I placed my head on the pillow. I was safe for now. Tomorrow, I will search for my family.

Chad

My mouth felt parched. My head was going to explode, and the incessant beeping close by was making it worse. I opened my eyes, but the bright light in the room hurt my eyes. It took me a minute to adapt to the brightness. Where am I? I looked around, trying to recognize this place. It looked like I was in the pack's hospital. My wolf just woke me up. He's been complaining about Dane, nonstop. 'Dane, the idiot, he has imprisoned her, and you wouldn't wake up!' Said my wolf Cobalt with a snarl. No wonder my head throbs. He is utterly enraged. 'What are you talking about, Cobalt?'I asked. 'The fair woman who saved our lives, Dane imprisoned her! Do something!' The same anger started to build inside me as well.

'Dane, where the hell are you?! I'm awake! Report to me now!' I was still grudge, so the mind link went broadly to every member of Mountain's Peak pack. Great! In seconds, I was surrounded by doctors, and the buzzing of people outside was insane.

"How are you feeling, my King?" One of the doctors asked me. My head felt like a ton of bricks when I sat up. "Please, my King. You should be careful. Don't overexert yourself. You've been unconscious for so many days, out in the open." Days? I need to speak to Dane. I need to know what happened while I was unconscious. "Do you need something to eat now, King Chad?" The soft voice of the Dr. called me again.

"Later, but I will need in advance something stronger, like a bottle of scotch." I grabbed my head after I pulled off some of the needles in my arm. The Dr. gasped. "The throbbing on your head will subside in a few. Your body is still adapting to be conscious and moving again after a long time. We'll leave you for a bit while they bring your food and... scotch." She smiled softly.

As the doctors were leaving, Dane appeared by the door. He was agitated. "I told you already you can't go inside Alpha Terrence. The Lycan King will address his subjects once he is ready!" Dane growled.

"As a member of the council, I am entitled to see the Lycan King! I need to send a report affirming that he is in good health!" Said Terrence, not giving up.

"See? That's your problem there. You are an entitled prick." Said Dane, already losing his patience as he wrestled with the door trying to close it, but Terrance's protuberant belly was on the way.

"If you step one foot inside this room, Terrence, I'll throw you to the dungeons for a week!" I snarled. That seemed to discourage him. Dane entered, closing the door on Terrance's face.

" King Chad, it is good to see you awake." Said Dane, but he still had a look of concern on his face. 'Tell him to bring her.' Cobalt demanded. 'Easy Cobalt, I need him to tell me first what he knows.' Cobalt huffed annoyingly. He was overprotective of the mysterious woman already.

"How long was I out? How is everything around the pack?" I asked, feeling a little weary, I had never been unaware of what goes around me. My pack and country were my main priorities since I still hadn't found my mate. It's a matter that sometimes makes Cobalt feral.

"Well, after we won the war, we took our dead and the wounded back home as you ordered. That was five days ago. After the third day, when you never showed up, we started a search party." That long ago? I shuddered internally.

"I was ambushed on my way back after I separated from the 3 Alphas of the White Claw pack. I was attacked by 6 wolves, and I didn't recognize from what pack they were. They had the intention to kill me. I killed most of them, I was cornered near a cliff. The ground was loose, and I ended up falling to the bottom of the valley. Cobalt is strong. He gave me enough strength to run to the middle of the forest. It wasn't long after that that I fainted from exhaustion. If it wasn't for that woman, I would've been eaten by the beasts of the forests." Dane gulped suspiciously.

"Where is she, Dane? The woman that tended to my wounds and took care of me for days?" Dane went pale. I didn't like that at all. It seems Cobalt was right.

"Dane...! I know I didn't dream of her. I was barely conscious, but the few times I could open my eyes for fleeting seconds, she was always there. Pressing wet linens on my forehead. Cleaning my wounds, making me take sips of herbal teas. She saved my life, the life of your King. Where is she?!" I boomed.

"S... she is in one of the cells. We thought that she was at fault." He croaked. I never knew Dane's face could redden.

"She's what?!" I got up from the bed abruptly. I grunted when a sharp pain crossed through my abdomen. "Bring her here immediately, Dane! I can't believe this!" Even my wolf was outraged. I could feel his anger on behalf of my mysterious woman. My? Dane sprinted out of the room to fetch her. In all the years of knowing my friend and Beta, I had never seen him look so embarrassed.

I hope she can forgive us for her unjust treatment. I can't remember her features well, but I do remember the effort and dedication she took with my care. 'Throw him to the dungeons. Make Dane pay.' Cobalt, he is our Beta. He did it unknowingly. We will apologize to her, and we'll treat her as a guest of honor."' Cobalt wasn't fully convinced, but he settled for now.

Dane was taking longer than expected, and soon, Cobalt started complaining again. 'If he hurt her, I will take over your body and kill your beta.' Dane wouldn't. He has a soft spot for all women. He was raised by three of them. He wouldn't hurt her with a feather. I was about to argue with Cobalt when the door finally opened, revealing Dane alone. Cobalt snarled inside my head.

"Chad, she's gone. She knocked out her guard and escaped. I sent werewolves after her, but they couldn't find her. Which is weird because she has to cross the forest to get to the nearest town. She couldn't have done that in half a day, let alone an hour. The people I sent after her couldn't even trace her scent. I am sorry, I thought I was doing the right thing. If I had known, she would've been treated accordingly."

"Dane, I had always trusted your judgment. Of all the times you could've messed up, it had to be this time. If Cobalt kills you, don't blame me. He is pissed. I'd suggest you just step outside for a bit before he takes over and follows through." Dane stepped back.

"I will find her, Cobalt. I give you my word. She couldn't have gone so far. She is a little thing, and she doesn't know the forest as well as we do." Cobalt was not talking to him.

"A little thing that managed to knock out a trained warrior. You're not making sense, Dane. What did you tell her that made her run away? Forget it, don't answer that. She probably was scared to death, imprisoned in a strange pack. She was ready to risk it all when she decided to attack a warrior. She felt that she was in a life-or-death situation!" I felt sick, and Cobalt was ready to shift.

"I'll go search for her with you, Dane. Maybe if she sees me, she won't run again." 'Yes, let's go look for her, but no Dane.' Said Cobalt. I glanced towards Dane. He was on top of Cobalt's shit list for sure. 'We're taking Dane. He knows her.' Cobalt huffed again.

"Are you sure you should be traveling right now, Chad? It's almost going to be night. We should wait until tomorrow. You have still not recovered completely. Remember, we still don't know who was behind the attack. Now that you're awake, your wolf and you can heal faster. Tomorrow we should go to the nearest town." He was my Beta for a reason. He was always looking after my best interests. He was right. Tomorrow, I will feel better, and I will search under every single stone for her. The Lycan king will personally go fetch her.

Bella's POV

I walked around the forest most of the morning, searching for possible clues. I also went to the spot where I found the warrior. He was definitely not attacked at this place. He came running from the mountain. There were only his footsteps and mine here. What huge feet he has. I chuckled. 'What do you think, Anaisha? Should we go to the mountain?' She seemed to ponder for a bit. 'Yes, but be careful and disguise your scent.'

I did, as Anaisha said, disguising my scent with the scent blocker I always carry with me. My stuff was well hidden within the cave. Nobody would know I was staying there. I kept walking until I reached the edge of the mountain. The battlefield was on the other side. All the warriors had to cross this mountain on their way back. I felt I was closer to getting answers.

I started climbing the mountain when halfway there, an overwhelming feeling made me stop. Tears started dripping from my eyes. What am I doing? This place is dangerous for me to be out here, alone and pregnant. If it was just me, I wouldn't care. The need to find my brothers is strong, but I shouldn't be putting my baby at risk. I should just go back to White Claw Pack and ask Uncle Conner to send a search party back. The conditions here aren't bad. I still wonder why Jasper lied about it.

I started descending when I heard voices close by. I specifically bought my cloak in a color that could easily blend with the bushes. I remained still. All I could hear was my heart thudding. 'Rogues.' Anaisha shivered. 'We'll be alright, Anaisha. They can't scent us.' They were too many. Their rotten smell was making me nauseous. All the bad decisions I have been making with haste, and at the heat of the moment, came rushing through me. I should have revealed my identity to the warriors. Now that I think about it, they didn't seem as bad. Well, compared to the rogues.

I remembered my ring at that moment, and just when I was about to bite my finger, two rogues pounced at me. Fuck!! 'Don't show them you're afraid, Bella; they thrive on the fear of others.' The two rogues grabbed me by the arms and lifted me easily from the floor.

"We got her!!" Yelled one of the rogues. A chorus of hoots came from everywhere. The two rogues by my side started snickering. They carried me all the way up the mountain. They had tents, and there were more rogues. They were at least 20 of them. My captors held me in place as a burley rogue who seemed to be their leader gave me a once over. He stared at his phone and then back at me.

"Would you look at that? It is her!" He said that to no one in particular. "What a delightful coincidence, Luna. You came straight to my den. There's a considerable bounty upon your safe return. Did you know?" The rogue smirked while he continued to bite a piece of straw. Tie her hands and watch her. I've heard she likes to run away." They all laughed.

The skinnier rogue was tying my hands while the other one held me. "This is a nice ring! I think I'm going to keep it." The rogue tried to pull the ring off of my finger, but the ring stayed in place no matter what he did.

"Leave her alone, Roy!! Their rogue leader yelled. "Bring her over. " They sat me unceremoniously on a stool next to him. The rogue kept staring at me. "You know, I'm in serious need of a mate myself. I like to call myself the rogue king." He put a strand of my hair behind my ear. He definitely was no king. He just looked plain evil, that's why the others obeyed him.

"How much is the bounty for my safety return?" I emphasize the safety part. This guy looked creepy, terrifying and creepy, and somehow not fully sane.

"We could have a little fun, your Alpha doesn't need to know." My heart thudded. He laughed like a madman. I'm sure I could somehow hurt one of my fingers and smeared my blood on the ring. I just have to wait for the right moment.

"Come on, Luna, what's the name of your Alpha? So he can come to collect his delightful prized possession, and I can get my money. Greg didn't give us all the details. The fool thinks I'll share the money with him." He huffed.

"He lied to you. My ex-mate doesn't want me. He has taken a mistress. There is no bounty for my safety return. He threw me out of the pack... ah!" My head turned to the side with the strong impact of his slap. My eyes stung, fighting tears.

"Don't think you can lie to me, wench. What Alpha in their right mind would throw out a woman like you?" He grabbed my chin and inhaled deeply. "Unless you want to stay with me, is that it? I could get used to your delicious smell." His eyes roamed over my body.

"Don't sweat." I hissed. He got up and pinched my chin really hard. I'll give you a couple of hours to reconsider. We have plenty of time. Nobody is coming to your rescue. We saw you arriving alone. A bit of a daredevil, I must say, or stupid. Either way, I know you're lying. Your mate will want all this hot stuff back." He waved a hand up and down my body. "The name is Gunner. Asked for me when you make your decision."

He walked away from me while staring at his phone. "Fuck!" He growled. "He survived! Greg failed to mention that. No wonder he was in a rush to leave. What will I say to the boss now?! We lost a great opportunity!" He started kicking stuff and growling. The other rogues moved out of his way while he was ranting. He grabbed one of the rogues by the neck and snapped it. Goddess, he killed him just because he could. He is a monster. Suddenly, going back to Jasper didn't sound as bad. I wanted to say something, but Roy put a finger on his lips and shook his head.

"Everything went smoothly with the other three. Why did they have to ruin it?! They had one job! Kill the man, that was it!!" He snarled. Was he talking about the warrior I found? All the rogues were scampering, and Gunner was like a bull on a rampage. He grabbed another rogue and tore his neck. He was getting dangerously closer to me. I stood on my feet and tried to run away. As long as I smear some blood on my ring, I will be fine. Gunner turned his head toward me, his eyes were red.

"Where do you think you're going?!!" He grabbed me by the hair, making me fall to my knees. I started screaming as his grip tightened.

"Gunner, the money, remember. No harm to the Luna." Said Roy with a gulp. "Do not intervene, Roy. I will teach some manners to this slut. She'll learn not to run from her man next time. Another slap on my face left me seeing black spots. Oh Goddess, my baby. 'Anaisha, the baby!' 'Don't faint, Bella, use your ring!'