Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Chapter 115

Selena

I stared at her in disbelief. There was not much time to keep arguing back and forth.

The guards were already recovering, and I could hear more shouting coming from the direction of the slaughterhouse.

If we remained on the dock, we would both be captured again.

"Sally, please."

"No, Selena. We can escape together. We’ll find a way to get Celeste, and then we’ll find the others and tell them everything that happened."

I looked at the river. The water was moving quickly beneath the wooden platform.

It was deep enough to carry someone away from the dock, although I had no idea how far the current would take us.

It was our only chance.

I tightened my grip on Sally’s arm. "Forgive me, Sally."

Before she could understand what I meant, I pushed her hard. She stumbled backward, her arms flying out as she lost her balance.

"SELENA!"

I gave her another shove, forcing her off the plank. Her body disappeared into the river with a loud splash.

For a moment, I watched the water close over her before her head finally emerged.

She was alive.

I leaned toward the edge. "Swim! Sally, swim away!"

But before I could say anything else, something hard smashed across the back of my head.

A sharp burst of pain exploded through my skull. My vision turned white.

I stumbled forward, my hands reaching for the wooden railing, but my fingers failed to catch it.

The world tilted.

I heard someone shouting, though the words sounded distant and distorted. Then everything went dark.

I didn’t know how long I was unconscious.

When I began to regain awareness, the first thing I felt was pain. My head throbbed so violently that I could barely open my eyes.

The sounds around me came in fragments, and for a few seconds, I couldn’t remember where I was.

Then I heard the shouting. The dock.

I forced my eyes open and saw that the situation had changed.

The captives who had managed to free themselves were now being subdued.

Several lay on the ground, while others were being dragged back toward the line.

The guards had regained control, and those who resisted were being beaten into submission.

A man was screaming as a guard struck him with the handle of his weapon.

I tried to move, but a sharp pain shot through my head.

"Get up!" Someone grabbed my arm.

I barely managed to stand before the guard pulled me forward.

My wrists burned.

I looked down and realised the chains had scraped my skin open. The metal had cut deeply into the flesh around my wrists, and blood had begun to gather beneath the restraints.

I clenched my teeth as the guard dragged me toward the others.

"How many do we have?" a man shouted.

The bargemaster had finally freed himself from the fishing net. His clothes were soaked, and his face was twisted with anger.

"Count them properly!" he barked.

One of the guards began moving along the line, checking the captives. "One, two, three..."

I lowered my head, trying to steady myself. My vision was still blurred, and the pain at the back of my skull made it difficult to remain upright.

The bargemaster continued watching as the count was completed. Then his expression changed. "Where is the other one?"

The guard looked around. "What?"

"One is missing!" He turned toward the river. "Someone escaped!"

My heart began pounding knowing they were referring to Sally.

She had made it into the water. I prayed she had followed my instructions and swum away from the dock before the guards noticed her absence.

The bargemaster cursed loudly. "Release the hounds!"

One of the guards hesitated. "Into the river?"

"Did I stutter? Release them and have them search the water. I want whoever escaped to be brought back here this very minute!"

The guard hurried away.

I lowered my head further, forcing myself not to react. If they found Sally, everything we had risked would have been for nothing.

I could only hope she was already far enough away.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching horses.

The slaughterhouse gates swung open and everyone turned to watch.

A carriage drawn by grey horses entered the compound, its wheels rolling over the uneven ground.

Several men accompanied it, and the guards immediately began moving aside to make room for it.

I kind of recognised the carriage before it had fully stopped.

Lord Kavanagh hurried down the steps from the loading dock.

His earlier confidence had disappeared, replaced by an eagerness that made him look almost desperate to receive whoever was inside.

He approached the carriage and bowed respectfully. "My lord."

I stared at him as the carriage door finally opened and a man elegantly dressed stepped out of the carriage.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I knew that face even if my eyes were to be shut tightly.

I knew the coldness in those eyes and the way his shoulders remained straight even as he descended from the carriage.

Before me stood Alpha William... My father!

I had imagined many possible people arriving at the slaughterhouse.

I had expected Lord Hawthorne, perhaps another nobleman connected to the business, or even someone sent by the Great Council.

But I hadn’t expected it to be my own father.

Lord Kavanagh remained bowed beside the carriage, waiting for an acknowledgement but Alpha William ignored him.

His eyes moved across the dock, passing over the guards and the captives until they finally settled on me.

I couldn’t look away from his cold face.

He stared for a moment then a grin slowly spread across his face.

A cold shiver travelled down my body at his reaction to setting his eyes on me.

I had seen that expression before, and I knew better than to mistake it for happiness.

My father had found me. Again!

This was the second time he had managed to find me inside Blackbourne territory.

The first time, Alpha Kael had been there but this time, there was no Alpha Kael to save me.