Angel's POV
I didn't know how long I'd been walking.
Hours? Days? Time had lost all meaning in this endless forest. My legs trembled with each step, my vision blurring out . The ceremonial dress - once white, meant for the most sacred day of my life - was now torn and filthy, stained with dirt and blood from where branches had scraped my skin.
My stomach cramped with hunger. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten. Yesterday morning? Before the ceremony that never happened? Before my entire world shattered?
Mama. Papa. Agnes.
I chanted the names in my mind like a song, each one bringing a fresh wave of pain that threatened to bring me down.
I stumbled over a root and caught myself against a tree trunk, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My body was giving up. I could feel it - the way my muscles refused to cooperate, the way my heartbeat felt sluggish and wrong.
Just a little further. Just a few more steps.
But my legs had other ideas.
They folded beneath me, and I collapsed at the base of an enormous oak tree, its roots creating a natural alcove. I curled into myself, hugging my knees to my chest, and let the sobs come.
They'd been building for days - held back by the will to survive, by the desperate need to keep moving, to stay ahead of whatever horrors were behind me.
Now they broke free like a dam bursting.
I cried for my parents. For their warmth, their laughter, their unconditional love that had been the only light in my dark, lonely existence.
I cried for Agnes and her baby.
I cried for myself. For the girl who'd thought she'd finally found a place to belong, only to have it ripped away in the cruelest twist of fate imaginable.
Fated to Alpha Terrell.
Even the thought of his name made me want to vomit. The monster who'd killed everything I loved. The beast I was supposed to what? Love? Accept? Become his bride?
I'd rather die in these woods.
My eyelids grew heavy. I knew I shouldn't sleep. Every survival instinct screamed at me to stay awake, stay alert. But my body had reached its limit.
Just for a moment, I told myself. Just close your eyes for a moment...
But the darkness swallowed me whole.
*****
I felt a painful kick against my ribs.
"Oi! Wake up!"
I jolted awake with a gasp, my hands flying up defensively. Pain radiated from my side where I'd been kicked. My eyes struggled to focus in the dim forest light.
There were men everywhere. At least seven of them, forming a circle around me.
And behind them, a large wooden carriage. Through the barred windows, I could see faces - women's faces, pressed against the openings, their eyes hollow with despair.
Slave traders.
Terror shot through me, paralyzing me instantly.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" The man who'd kicked me crouched down, his breath reeking of alcohol and rot. He had a scar running from his temple to his jaw, and his smile revealed several missing teeth. "Lost, little bird?"
I scrambled backward until my spine hit the tree trunk. "Please. I don't have any money. I don't have anything…"
"Oh, we can see that." Another man laughed, gesturing at my torn dress. "Looks like someone's already had their fun with you."
"Should we take her, Boss?" A younger man - barely more than a boy - peered at me curiously. "She looks pretty worn out."
The scarred man - their leader, apparently - stood and circled me slowly, studying me the way someone might examine livestock at market. His eyes lingered on my body in a way that made my stomach turn.
"She's fat," a third man said dismissively. He spat on the ground near my feet. "No one's gonna pay good coin for a fat girl. We're wasting time."
"There's barely enough space in the carriage as it is," another added. "We're already over capacity. Look at the size of her - she'd take up room meant for three."
I was instantly filled with hope. Maybe they'd leave me alone. Maybe…
"She can walk." The Boss finally decided.
"Walk?" Someone protested. "Boss, we've got three days of travel ahead. She'll slow us down…"
"She'll keep up, or she'll be left behind." The Boss grabbed my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him. His fingers dug into my cheeks. "Won't you, girl?"
I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened painfully.
"I have a customer," he continued, still studying my face, "who specifically requests girls like her. Big. Soft. Plenty to grab onto." His smile turned predatory. "He'll pay triple my usual rate for the right merchandise. This one? She's perfect."
My blood went cold. "No. No, please…"
"Oh, she's perfect alright," the younger man said, and there was something cruel in his enthusiasm. "Old Lord Harwick will definitely want this one. Remember what he said last time? 'Bring me something I can really sink my teeth into.'"
The men laughed, the sound making my skin crawl.
"Lord Harwick?" Another trader shook his head. "That perverted bastard killed the last three girls you sold him."
"Not my problem what happens after the sale." The Boss released my face and stood. "But he pays in gold, and that is all that matters."
"She looks like she might die before we even get there," the dismissive one argued. "Look at her. She's half-starved."
"Then we'll feed her." The Boss kicked my foot. "Get up."
I didn't move. Couldn't move. My body felt like stone.
"I said, GET UP!" He grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet with brutality. I cried out as pain shot through my shoulder.
"Please," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "Please, just let me go. I won't tell anyone. I'll just…"
"You'll just what? Die in these woods?" The Boss laughed. "At least with us, you'll live long enough to serve a purpose. That's more than most girls like you can hope for."
"Boss, seriously, look at her dress." The young one pointed. "She was gonna be a nun or something. You really want to mess with church property?"
The Boss's eyes narrowed as he examined my white ceremonial gown. For a moment - just one brief, shining moment - I thought he might reconsider.
Then he spat at my feet. "I don't see a collar on her neck. No vows were taken. She's fair game." He shoved me toward the front of the carriage. "Besides, the church doesn't pay ransoms. They'll pray for her soul and move on."
"What if she's married?" someone asked. "What if someone comes looking?"
"Does she look married to you?" The Boss gestured at me with disgust. "No ring. No husband. Nobody wants a girl this size, and we all know it. She's probably running away from some village that was trying to marry her off to an old farmer who needed free labor."
Each word was like a knife to my chest because he was right.
Nobody wanted me. Nobody would come looking. Even Mother Superior had let them take me without a fight.
I was alone.
"Tie her wrists," the Boss ordered. "And someone get her some water. Can't have her dying on us before we reach Harwick's estate."
The men grabbed me, wrenching my arms behind my back, as they tightly tied my wrists with a strong rope.
"Walk in front where we can see you," the Boss instructed. "Try to run, and I'll break both your legs and drag you behind the carriage. Understand?"
I nodded mutely, fresh tears falling down my cheeks.
"Can't hear you."
"I understand," I choked out.
"Good girl." He patted my cheek mockingly. "See? You're learning already. You'll make Lord Harwick very happy."
From inside the carriage, I could hear the women weeping. Some of them pressed their faces against the bars, watching me with hollow eyes.
They'd probably fought too, at first. Probably begged and pleaded and cried.
Now they just stared.
The young trader brought me a waterskin, holding it to my lips. I drank desperately, not knowing when next I'll see such luxury.
"Move out!" the Boss shouted.
The carriage lurched forward, and I stumbled after it.