10
Jasmine POV
I limped towards the security guard stationed at the entrance of the train station, my hands wrapped tightly around myself as shivers racked my body. The biting cold sank deep into my bones, worsened by the lingering heat of the engine I had just escaped. I hadn't realized how much pain I was in until I stood on my feet, every step sent agony rippling through me, my body screaming in protest.
But none of that mattered. I had only one goal, finding out if Treasure made it to the city, or I'd left him behind in the village. The mere thought of whether my son was in the city or still in the village made it difficult to breathe.
Standing and shivering before the lithe, tall guard, I flashed my identity form at him. The snithy cold wouldn't just let me fame boldness.
Travelers bustled in and out, their curious gazes flicking toward me. I met their stares with practiced indifference, pretending their scrutiny didn't weigh on me. But I chose to act impassive to their gaze. But, deep down, I wished I were one of them, just another passerby, spared from being imprinted with questionable eyes.
If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't have to sneak through the underbelly of a train. I wouldn't have to explain myself just to step onto the platform. More than anything, I wished my mother hadn't given herself to a stranger. I wished she had married first, given birth to me within the safety of love, and that I, in turn, had met my mate and brought Treasure into the world the right way.
"What happened to you?" the security guard asked in shock, switching his gaze between me and the form before him.
"I almost got killed during the fight in the village, but thanks to the soldier who shielded me," I said fluently, even though my teeth chattered repeatedly. I got every question and answer figured out while I was in the train's underbelly, so I wouldn't let the stupid cold have a hold on my words.
My heart skipped as some soldiers scampered past me. I listened to their steps, praying to the goddess they wouldn't break strides and jog back to me. A soft sigh of relief left my nostrils when their heavy footsteps were out of earshot.
"You're late," the security guard said, his doubting eyes still feasted on me, making me scared as they made me think he wasn't buying any of the things I'd said.
"I slept off, and the soldiers didn't notice me, or they did, but let me have the rest I needed due to the incident in the village," I replied quickly, hoping that would be our final interrogation.
"Hmm," he muttered and took the document, gazed over it, and gave it back to me.
The guard swiped his ID card and the door clicked open. Without waiting for his orders, I scurried into the station lobby. Finally, I made it passed him. I let out a heavy sigh.
Inside, a sea of towering figures blocked my view, making it impossible to spot Treasure. I craned my neck, but their shocked, lingering stares met me once again. By now, I'd grown used to them. All that mattered was finding Treasure, and figuring out how to vanish without drawing more attention.
The crowd swelled, shifting toward my direction. That was when I noticed it: they were all dressed in black tactical gear, identical to the soldiers who'd rushed past me earlier while the guard at the entrance interrogated me.
Seeing them now in greater numbers sent panic surging through me. Lila stirred, pacing restlessly. I forced myself to stay composed, to look indifferent, telling myself they'd ignore me just as the others had. If they hadn't noticed me then, they wouldn't cause a scene now, not when I was already inside.
My heart nearly stopped as the soldiers drew near, barely a breath of space between us. Fear locked my limbs, but I kept limping forward, deeper into the lobby. If they sensed my dread, I was done for.
Then one of them halted directly in front of me.
I froze. Before the moment could stretch and turn lethal, I sidestepped to the right, only to find another soldier stationed beside him.
A quick glance around the lobby told me everything I needed to know. The soldiers weren't just passing through, they were barricading the place, sealing it off. No one in. No one out.
As I stood there, unsure of my next move, a sharp voice cut through the air. "Show me your ID."
I turned toward the soldiers who'd issued the heart-stopping command. The one at the front, stern-faced and unyielding, was clearly in charge. Just as he demanded it of me, the others echoed the order to the travelers ahead. This soldier had been the first to block my path, his scowl etched deep enough to make my stomach twist. His name tag read Jason.
The cold sent a shiver down my spine, but it was the weight of his demand that made me tremble as if I were caught in the grip of a seizure. With nothing else to do but comply, I reached for the document and handed it over to him.
He didn't even glance at it.
"This is not an ID," he said flatly.
"This is what I have for now," I said. "Please go through it."
Other travelers were already moving to and fro, their IDs checked and cleared by the other soldiers.
Jason took the document and began going through it while I said, "I was a victim during the fight earlier today. A soldier died because of me—"
"How old are you?" he interrupted, not interested in what I had to say.
"Eighteen," I lied.
He looked at me, then back at the document. "How come you were eighteen two years ago, and eighteen this year?"
"The elder must have made a mistake because of the fight—"
"Even in the date," he interrupted, his brows furrowed furiously. "This form is two years outdated, just like your age."
"They are all a mistake," I struggled to say amidst the tremors I was in. "I swear by the goddess."
"I think I found one of them," he said under his breath, causing my heart to stumble countless times.
"I… I'm not who… whatever you're thinking… I swear by the goddess," I stuttered, tearing up.
"You need to come with me." Jason moved past me.
Thinking I'd finally seen a chance to lose the soldiers, the other soldiers blocked me. They ringed me, giving me no space to make a move. As if that weren't enough, two shifters came into the circle, forcing me to turn around. Then they grabbed me, dragging me forward. The ring of soldiers moved towards the exit, with me and the soldiers propelling me forward. I couldn't see behind the circle, and I was sure the shifters beyond the circle couldn't see me as well.
Though I had no strength left, I kicked and flailed, desperate to break through their wall of bodies. They didn't flinch. I tried to scream, but a punch to the stomach stole the sound from my throat. Pain paralyzed me. When another soldier stepped into the ring and tied a cloth so tightly over my mouth it could've made me scream from pain alone, all I managed was a pitiful moan.
My head hung low, vision too blurred to make out where they were taking me. Then they stopped. The circle broke, revealing a rusted, brown steel door so familiar, so cruel, it brought tears to my eyes. The train. They were taking me back to the village.
I wanted to beg them not to. To plead. But the gag strangled my voice, trapping the words in my throat.
All I could muster was a faint, muffled sound, something that might've been "Please… don't take me back there."
They hauled me into the train and cuffed me to the handrail. My legs gave out. I slumped, too weak to hold myself upright, the silver cuffs burning into my wrists as they kept me suspended.
"How many are you?" Jason asked.
One of them untied the gag.
"I won't tell you anything unless you let me go," I said weakly, my eyes barely open. I was playing into Jason's suspicion, if that gave me even a sliver of a chance to see Treasure, it was worth it. There was no use proving my innocence when I could turn the situation to my advantage.
"Look," Jason began, his voice low and tense, "I know life in the village isn't fair. No one wants to live there."
He paused, then continued, his tone darkening. "But trust me, anyone would choose that over being six feet underground. No one breathes down there. So, what's it gonna be?"
I whimpered, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks. His words dragged me back five years, to the day I tried to end it all, taking Treasure with me. But the moment I held my baby in my arms, that dark desire vanished. Now Jason had torn the memory open again, and with it, the realization: maybe it was time to stop fighting a world that had never been kind.
Treasure was the only reason I'd lasted another five years after meeting Alpha Rhys. But perhaps it was time to stop being selfish. He deserved anything but a broken mother. He deserved better. If he wasn't in the city, my Mom would make that happen as it had been her earnest desire.
Gazing at the shifter who threatened me with a fate I no longer feared, I whispered, "That won't break me. Either you let me off this train, or you get nothing."
"Fair enough." He turned, and the others instinctively stepped aside, parting to let him pass.
It was as if he'd mind-linked them, without a word, they all pivoted in unison and began filing out of the train.
"What if we don't find the others?" one of them asked from behind.
"We will," Jason replied. "It won't be long now."
I watched them go, clinging to a faint, foolish hope that they'd reconsider, turn around and accept my terms. But I knew better. Sooner or later, they'd realize the truth: I was the only one who had entered through the train's engine. And when they did, they'd come back, to finish what they started.
Suddenly, my nostrils flared as a scent drifted through the stale air of the train. My head snapped up, instincts kicking in. I didn't know where it came from, but I recognized it instantly. Musky. Alpha Rhys.
My stomach growled, but that was all. No fear. No panic.
I still remembered his letter, the way he warned me to hide, to stay away from him and Danica. Once, those words might have sent shivers down my spine.
Now, they meant nothing. Death didn't scare me anymore. I had nothing left to lose.
Even my son… he looked nothing like me. Nothing like Rhys. And for that, I silently thanked the goddess.
My mouth went dry the moment Alpha Rhys stepped onto the train. That overwhelming sensation I never thought I'd experience again, born of his mere presence, crashed over me like a violent storm. A familiar current of electricity surged through me, just like the first time we met in that quiet coffee shop. I despised myself for being a shifter, for still feeling something so intense for the man who once swore he'd end my life if our paths ever crossed again.
My eyes, already exhausted from too many tears, betrayed me once more. More spilled down my cheeks, triggered by the sheer vulnerability his presence stirred within me.
His expression said it all, perplexity, maybe even disgust. I couldn't be certain, but I clung to the certainty that he meant every word he wrote in that letter. He'd made himself clear. And now, he was walking toward me, toward where I stood frozen, heart pounding so violently, I was sure he could hear it.
From the inner pocket of his tailored suit, he produced a key, elegant and unfamiliar. The moment he held it up, my knees gave out. I collapsed against him, too weak to hold myself upright. His masculine scent, mingling with a bold cologne, made my head spin. I fought the feral urge to wrap my arms around him, bury my face in the crook of his neck, and breathe him in until there was nothing left. Instead, I pulled away and slumped into the nearest seat.
And then, as if determined to torment me further, he crouched before me with the grace of a predator. His smoky, gray eyes burned straight into my soul. The pad of his thumb brushed across my dry lips, sending a sharp pulse of desire straight to my core. I almost leaned in, almost parted my lips to take his thumb into my mouth. But I stopped myself. I tilted my head away, bracing for the worst. I expected him to snap my neck, to tear me apart. But none of that happened. The silence, the waiting, felt more dangerous than any blow.
Then, in a voice calm yet chilling to the bone, he spoke.
"Tell me you haven't been in the village these past six years."