Chapter 4 Escape

Ally's POV

The chill of the ocean gnaws at my bones, an icy reminder of the life that once fluttered within me- now as still as the horizon at dawn. Saltwater mixes with my tears, each wave a crushing weight against my chest. My thighs were soaked with blood, and streaks of it coated my hands and hair, in just one moment the joy of my life was gone.

Dragging myself along the gritty sand, I leave a trail of despair as I crawl in agony back to the palace.

Nathan's feet pound down the hallway as he returns, his presence a storm cloud over the castle. Anticipation quickly becomes dread. He enters the room, his aura dark as a moonless night, his gaze piercing, ready for blood.

"Ally..." His voice is a low growl, a tremor before the quake.

"I- I lost the baby," I whisper, the words feel like shards of glass against my lips. My heart battered and bruised, still clings to the hope that he may offer any comfort.

But his eyes flash with fury, and a savage look overtakes his face. "You've ruined everything!" The roar of his voice strips the air from my lungs.

His hands are vices, cruelty incarnate, as they find my flesh, punishing not just my body but my soul. Each blow rains down like a judgment, his wrath the hammer and I, the anvil. He spares no part of me, his anger a relentless beast that seeks to devour any remnant of love or mercy.

"Please, Nathan...please," I beg through swollen lips, but my pleas dissolve in the void between us. There is no sanctuary here, no gentle wolf beneath the snarl and fang.

As darkness claws at the edges of my consciousness, I have one last thought - a desperate wish that the gentleness I once saw in him was real and not just another mask he uses for control.

I stand on the threshold of my home, once a sanctuary now? Another place of pain. Dawn, my wolf, paces restlessly within me, her whimpers echoing my despair. The door creaks open, revealing faces that once offered warmth and protection. Now they're etched with lines of allegiance and fear.

"Mother, Father..." My voice is a ghost of itself, a whisper in the chilling silence. "I need your help."

Their eyes, pools of sorrow and resignation, meet mine. My mother reaches out, her touch is feather-light upon my bruised skin. My father stands stoic, a pillar eroded by the relentless storms of our reality.

"Ally," Mother's voice cracks like ice, "You must keep going. For James, for all of us." Her gaze begs me to understand, to accept the twisted fate before me.

"Is my suffering the only thing that holds up the walls around you?" I choke on the bitter truth. "Do I not bleed enough to earn your compassion?"

"Ally," Father interjects, "Your pain is not yours alone. It's the pain of a pack. We bear it together, silently, so we may live."

Silently. The word echoes hollowly in my heart, a cavern where hope once resided. They ask for my silence, but it's my soul they want to pay for their needs.

My steps back to the sea are laden with the weight of their expectations, the gravity of their betrayal. The ocean beckons me, its dark waters a siren's call to end the agony with one final leap.

"Dawn, forgive me," I murmur, my toes curling over the jagged edge of the cliff. The wind howls in response, a mournful last sound of the life I'm leaving behind.

With a breath that might be my last, I step into the void.

The rush of air, the violent embrace of water, then... nothing.

Elliot's POV

The seaside air is a briny slap to my face, each wave crashing against the shore in rhythm with the emotions tearing through me.

I've been searching for hours, my steps frantic and aimless along the coastline, driven by the knowledge that Ally is somewhere out here, alone and hurt. Nathan's latest transgression, a celebration used to insult Ally, has pushed me past the brink of silent compliance.

My heart feels like a hammer in my chest, my adrenaline surging with every shallow breath. The moon casts its glow on the sand acting as the only light. But I've realised I don't care about my brother's power, I care about her, Ally.

I stumble upon her by accident, huddled against a rock formation, her silhouette barely distinguishable from the darkened landscape. "Ally!" The urgency in my voice is raw as I drop to my knees beside her, my hands trembling as they assess her condition. Her dress, once pristine, is torn and sullied, bruises marring her skin like grotesque artwork. My wolf, clawing at my insides, growls with a protectiveness that only compounds my fury.

"Elliot?" Her voice is weak, a mere whisper carried away by the wind.

"Shh, save your strength," I murmur, sliding an arm beneath her knees and another behind her back, lifting her with care. Her head lolls against my shoulder, and the scent of blood mixed with her natural fragrance overtakes my senses.

The hospital is sterile and unforgiving, fluorescent lights flickering as if in sync with my thoughts. I guard her through the night, a silent sentinel wrestling with my emotions. She looks so peaceful despite everything, the promise I made to her in the attic rises to my mind again, I will protect her even if it kills me.

As dawn arrives I am filled with hope, Ally stirs, her eyelids fluttering open. She gazes up at me with confusion, vulnerability etched into the lines of her face.

"Nathan?" she murmurs, her throat hoarse.

"It's me, Elliot, you're safe now," I assure her, though the words taste like ash in my mouth. To be truly safe, she needs to be far from here, far from us- the Chambers brothers who have brought her nothing but pain.

"Where... where is Nathan?" Her eyes search mine, seeking answers I'm scared to give.

I hesitate, the weight of my next words heavier than any crown. "He's not here," I say gently. "And he won't hurt you again, I promise."

She blinks slowly, tears welling in those beautiful eyes, and something inside me shatters. Unable to stop me, unable to continue this charade of detached concern, I lean closer, my voice barely above a whisper. "I can help you escape. Would you like to leave with me?"