Chapter 21

Ella POV

The cold blade moved away from my skin, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever that deep voice belonged to had just saved me. It seemed, from the reaction of the kidnappers, that they feared this man—maybe he was truly their leader.

If not their leader, then certainly someone important enough to frighten them into silence.

"I don't know what possessed you to do this," the man said, "and I know that rogues aren't known for their honor, but surely you're not so stupid as to do something like this in the Southern Kingdom's territory."

I could hear the kidnappers responding to him, though I couldn't make out their words. They were suddenly speaking very softly, which proved that they were afraid.

"I don't want to hear your excuses," the man snapped. "You will never attempt something like this again. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," several of the men responded.

"You're going to take these three women back where they belong, unharmed. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do it immediately," he said. "And never let me see your faces around here again."

As soon as he finished speaking, we were pulled from our chairs. Judging by how much more gentle the kidnappers were as they loaded us into the car, I assumed that the man was still standing nearby, watching.

None of this made sense to me. Who was our mysterious savior, and how did he know what was happening? Who had decided to kidnap us in the first place?

It was possible that someone had seen us in the bridal shop and decided to seize the opportunity, but it seemed too strange to me.

I got my hopes up that they wouldn't try something else once we were driven away from the man who had ordered our release. The car was so quiet; all I could hear was the sound of the motor as we drove for what felt like hours.

The only other sound was someone crying. I was sure that it was Amanda. It didn’t make any sense though; why was she upset now that we had been rescued? Had she really wanted them to hurt me?

Eventually, the car came to a stop. I heard struggling and grunting before I was grabbed by my shoulders, yanked out of the car, and thrown onto the ground.

I landed hard and fell against someone who was already lying on the ground. Then the car sped away.

I lay there for several seconds, waiting for something else to happen. When nothing did, I sat up. "Mom, Amanda, are you here?" I asked.

"Right here, darling," my mother said.

Amanda's only answer was a sob.

"Are they really gone?" I asked.

"Yes," my mother said. "Hold still; I'll untie your hands, then you can untie us."

I felt my mother's hands on mine, and after a few seconds of struggling with the rope, it fell to the ground, and my arms were freed.

I pulled off my blindfold and looked around us. We were in a forest, and there was no sign of a car or anyone else nearby.

I quickly untied my mother, and then together we lifted Amanda off the ground and untied her. She was sobbing and wouldn't say anything to either of us, no matter how many times we asked if she was hurt.

Finally, we gave up on asking and started to walk. My mother and I both recognized where we were; we were just on the border of our packlands. It would only take a little while for us to get home.

Since we were near the border, it didn't take long for us to find a patrol guard. The first guard we saw was a young man who looked shocked at our sudden appearance. When my mother explained what had happened, the man rushed to get a car for us and drove us back home.

The relief of being safe in my own territory with our guards was something that almost brought me to tears. I don't think I had fully realized how frightened I was until the ordeal was over.

When we arrived at the house, the front door opened, and my father rushed out before we were even out of the car. He wrapped my mother in a tight hug.

"We're okay," she assured him, "just shaken up."

"Let's get you inside," he said, putting his arm around my shoulders and kissing my temple. I leaned against him as we walked into the house.

"How did this happen?" he asked once the door had closed behind us.

"I don't know," my mother said. "They must have replaced the driver with one of their men."

David suddenly walked into the room, and his eyes widened with shock as he saw me.

We made eye contact, and I glared angrily at him without making any attempt to hide my hatred.

"Where were you?" I demanded.

"What?" he asked. I saw that he had a tote bag in his hand.

"Is that the ransom money?" I asked, pointing to the bag. "Were you just going to keep it for yourself? Is that why you're still standing here and never showed up at the drop point?"

"What are you talking about?" he said, looking from me to Amanda. "They didn't tell me where to make the exchange."

"Liar!" I shouted. "I heard them call you. They were waiting for word that you'd shown up, but you never did."

He shook his head and stepped towards me carefully. "Ella, I swear I never heard where I was supposed to go. I gathered the money as soon as they told me the amount, and I was trying to figure out where I could find you."

I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks. David stepped forward and tried to touch me, but I pulled away from him.

"That's not true," I said. "They were going to slice my face open and send you pictures as punishment for you not showing up."

David looked genuinely horrified by my words, and he dropped the tote bag full of money onto the floor, pulling me into his arms.

His remorse meant nothing to me, nor did his apology, but I didn't let that show. I pulled away from his embrace and wiped my face on my sleeves.

"I think it's best you leave," my father said, stepping towards David with rage clear on his face.

"But I—"

"Now," he ordered.

David stepped towards the front door, then paused and looked at Amanda. "Do you want a ride home?" he asked.

She nodded without a word and hurried after him as he left the house.

My father stepped up and wrapped his arms around me, and I let my head rest against his shoulder as my tears continued to fall.

"The wedding is close," my father said softly. "Do you still seriously intend to marry him?"

I looked up at him in surprise. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Something strange is going on with David," my father said, glancing at the door. "I can't say what it is, but something doesn't feel right."

Part of me felt relieved that he had noticed David's odd behavior. It reassured me that when I did break my engagement, my father would support my decision.

"Don't worry," I replied softly. "I have everything under control."

Third Person POV

"It doesn't make any sense!" Amanda screamed in outrage. "How does Ella keep slipping away from danger lately? It's like she has some guardian angel suddenly looking over her shoulder!"

"It doesn't matter," David’s mother said firmly. "It's too late for Ella to save herself from what we have planned."

"Are you sure?" David asked. He wasn't convinced that his plan to marry Ella and take her power from her was actually going to work, not after so many things had backfired on him.

"We're rushing," his mother said. "We just need to calm down and take our time. We will have plenty of opportunities after the wedding, and there are plenty of options available to us at the moment. We only need to be patient."

At her words, David smiled. She was right, of course. They had all the advantages on their side. Ella didn't suspect the truth; it was only a matter of time before all of her pack's inheritance rights became David's.