2. Where is He?

Destiny

Forced down the stairs and onto the couch, I found myself beside Aria, relief washing over me like a wave. She seemed physically unharmed, but the turmoil in her eyes mirrored my own.

Our father, Victor, remained on his knees and so was our mother, her sobs punctuating the tense atmosphere. The room felt like a pressure cooker, ready to explode with the weight of the unknown.

A man who exuded an aura of command and control dominated the space, his presence casting a suffocating shadow over us. His eyes held an icy glare, revealing a mind accustomed to manipulation and power. His words dripped with a lethal blend of authority and impatience, demanding the information he sought.

"Time's up, Victor," the man hissed, his tone a venomous reminder of his control. "Tell us where Alpha Xander has fled to."

Alpha Xander was our pack Alpha. Did he leave us alone to fight this? I trembled as I realized the fact.

Dad's voice quivered as he finally spoke, his words dripping with both fear and a hint of defiance. "I don't... I don't know where he is. He left days ago, and I haven't heard from him since."

The man's gaze hardened, his patience waning. The room seemed to hold its breath as silence settled like a shroud.

"Think carefully, Victor," the man's voice grew colder, sharper. "Alpha Xander is a coward. He left you to die here, so lying for him isn't worth it."

Aria's hand pressed gently against mine, a silent gesture of understanding.

The man pointed at our mother this time. "You! You must know where he is."

Mom trembled, her voice choked with fear as she stammered, "I-I don't know what you're talking about. I swear, I have no idea where he is. I am not trying to save him."

The man's face twisted into a sinister smirk, a clear sign that he wasn't buying her words.

I exchanged a worried glance with Aria, silently communicating our shared determination to protect each other and survive this terrible ordeal. We were in this together, and we needed to do whatever it took to come out unharmed.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, Victor. Where-is-the-Alpha of your pack? Answer carefully, now," the man sneered again. 

Fear mingled with defiance as Dad met the man's gaze, the room hanging on his response, our futures hanging in the balance.

His voice quivered as he stammered, "I swear, I don't know anything about his whereabouts. I'm telling you the truth!"

The man's patience appeared to weaken as he grew increasingly agitated. He took a step closer to Victor, his presence looming over him like a dark shadow. 

In a startling moment, the man's hand flew out, grasping Dad's jaw harshly. My breath was taken away, and my heart raced as I watched in terror. With a cruel twist of his fingers, a thin line of blood appeared on Victor's face, and an iron-like stench filled the room, mixing with the thick tension that saturated it.

Aria held onto my hand firmly, her silent way of showing our joint terror. The space seemed to close in around us, trapping us there with no way out. Dad flinched in evident pain, his gaze never leaving the antagonist's icy irises.

The man smiled maliciously, seeming to savor the fear glowing from his victims. It was as though he drank it in.

Anger flickered inside me. They had no right to hurt us on behalf of Alpha Xander. "Why don't you as his Beta? Beta Damon? He ought to know where Alpha Xander is."

"Beta Damon is dead," the man announced.

A strangled gasp escaped Dad, his shoulders sagging under the weight of the revelation. "No... Damon... He was loyal." Tears welled up in Dad's eyes, his voice quivering as he finally admitted defeat. "I... what about the rest of the pack? Our friends, our families?"

"They are all dead," the man's words hung in the air like a death knell, each syllable a gut-punch of despair.

A chilling numbness enveloped me as his words settled in, a realization that brought a wave of disbelief crashing over me. Every face, every connection, wiped out in an instant. The pack that had been our family was obliterated.

Panic gripped my heart like a vise, its cruel fingers squeezing tight. What was to become of us now? Were we destined to join the fate of the fallen, victims of this ruthless invasion?

The man's grin twisted into something more sinister as he seemed to revel in our shock and vulnerability. What would these men do to us now? Were we mere pawns in a game whose rules we didn't yet understand? The unknown loomed, and the shadows of our future felt darker than ever.

"I don't believe this. You killed everyone?" Aria breathed.

"Believe it, Sugar. We own you now, and we can decide your fates," he cackled.

"What will happen to us?" Mom asked.

"If you don't know anything. You are no use to us. I guess I will have to kill you too," the man declared.

The man's threat hung in the air, causing a chill to run down my spine.

"Please don't!" Mom cried. "There has to be another solution. Maybe we can work something out!"

The man scoffed. "I have no use for rats like you," he said, looking at Aria and me. "Now, you two girls, on the other hand, might be useful."

My heart raced as the man's attention shifted to Aria and me. Fear mingled inside me as I realized that our lives were now hanging by a thread. "We don't know anything either," I said.

The man's gaze lingered on me, a sinister smile curving his lips. "Of course, you don't. But you two can prove to be more valuable than you think. We can always use more money and some would pay a good amount of money for young girls like you."

I didn't like what he was insinuating. I could see neither did Aria as she shifted uncomfortably.

"What do you mean by that?" Aria's voice trembled.

"Slave auction," he grinned.

"NO! You can't sell our daughters!" Mom screamed and tried to run toward us, but one of the men kicked her back down on the floor.

"Mom!" Aria cried out.

I didn't make a move as I didn't want them to hurt me or my mother more.

The man stepped closer to us and grabbed my arm roughly. "Don't worry, girls. You will fetch a good price at the auction," he said with a sinister laugh.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. All I could do was stand there and try to keep the tears from falling.

Aria and I locked eyes, and she gave me a slight nod as if to tell me that everything was going to be alright. I knew it wasn't, but it gave me some sort of comfort. Even in the darkest of moments, Aria was there for me.