Gabriella’s POV
The car moved on its own, without any control of the wheel, and we crashed into a big tree. I opened my eyes and found myself in a dark room with my daughter sleeping beside me, sporting a few wounds on her body. “Estella! Estella!” I called. Trying to get on my feet, I noticed that I was also wounded and experiencing terrible pain.
“Don’t overexert yourself, Gabby,” Leah said to me.
“I need to get on my feet, look for my husband, and escape this place,” I added, still trying to stand, but the pain was so unbearable.
“You cannot rush your healing. Get a hold of yourself. I’m sure Nicklaus will come and save us. Have faith in him,” she said. But I was worried. What if something bad had happened to him? Did he survive the accident as well? I just couldn’t remain here as a captive to whoever attacked us and kept us here. I had to find a way out of this place by any means necessary.
I managed to stand on my feet and swallowed the pain as I walked slowly to the door. When I tried to open it, the door was already locked. Damn it.
I looked through the window. The place was guarded. What do I do now? How on earth can I get out of here?
Estella finally woke up and called me, saying she was scared. “Mom, I am so scared. Where is Daddy? Are we going home anytime soon?”
I hugged her and caressed her hair, saying, “Do not worry, my child. Daddy will come and save us, and then we can all finally go home. You don’t have to be scared. I am here with you, and no one will be able to lay a finger on you.” I assured her and kissed her cheek.
“Mom, I am hungry,” she cried out.
“Okay, can you do me a favor, child?” I asked, and she nodded her head.
“I need you to stay here. I will try to find a way out and then come back for you. Do not answer anyone unless you hear my voice or your dad’s voice.”
“Mom, please don’t go.”
“I need to go so I can find your father, and then we can go home so you can eat your dad’s special meal,” I said to her. But she hugged me, stopping me from leaving, and said, “Mummy, I am not a kid. I know there are bad people out there. Do not go. Let’s wait for Daddy and Uncle Mateo to save us.” She cried, and I had never seen my daughter so emotional before.
“It’s okay, my baby. I promise you nothing bad will happen to me. I just need to find the room they are keeping your father in or see if your father is also looking for us.” I encouraged her, and she finally let me go.
I looked through the window again, and I noticed the guards leaving. It seemed like they were changing shifts. This was the best time for me to escape this place and look for Nicklaus. I just hoped they hadn’t done anything to him.
I uttered an incantation, and my nose started bleeding. I am not in good enough shape to cast spells; it’s as if all my strength has disappeared. I tried again, and the same thing happened. I don’t think I can rely on spells to find a way out of here.
I broke my way out with a tool I found on the ground in the room. How careless of them. I held onto the hammer as a weapon while making my escape, but I was confused about which path to take. It was also dark, and tonight, there was a full moon. I must have been out with my daughter for a long time to wake up this late.
I avoided some of the guards while still trying to locate the specific place where they had imprisoned my husband. There is no way he would be in the woods; he must be locked up in one of these rooms. But which room could it be? I can’t afford to start guessing or to open each room one after the other.
While I was contemplating, I heard my daughter screaming for help, “Mom, Mom, help me.” Oh no.
I rushed, forgetting the pain, and saw my daughter being held by a huge man with his claws dangerously close to her neck. “Make a move, and I will end your beloved daughter.”
“Please don’t hurt my little one, I beg of you.”
“Do you think you can escape from here? How foolish of you when you know you are nothing but a worthless Omega who can’t even shift. I wonder how you can protect your subjects as their Luna.”
“Did you attack my family just to give me those lectures or what?” I questioned, not moved by his words.
“Drop the weapon now,” he ordered, and I slowly complied. Immediately, I was subdued by the other guards, and I received the beating of my life. What pained me the most was not the beating itself but the fact that my innocent child had to witness it, feeling helpless. She cried out, begging them to let me go.
“It’s okay, sweetie. It doesn’t hurt at all. I am stronger than you think, okay?” I forced a smile on my lips, but seeing my daughter’s tears only made me angrier.
Finally, they released me, and my daughter rushed to hug me. “Mom, does it hurt?”
“Not at all. I’m okay. Did they hurt you?”
“No, Mom.”