Chapter 3 First Time in The Big City.

Emilia POV.

The Eldorian guards' flashlights flickered wildly through the dense forest as I sprinted through. "I see her!" one of them bellowed, "she's heading for the docks!" Their heightened sight and unreal sense of smell turned them into relentless predators—making it impossible to hide, I had to keep running. I made it to the docks as planned, but another group of guards cut me off, forcing me into a corner.

"Didn't you hear me, Diana framed me!"

"Innocent people don't run You hunter wench!" one of the guards snapped.

Fear washed over me as I instinctively reached for my sword.

"Move another one of those fingers and I'll shoot them off!" the guard yelled.

I ignored his warning and continued to reach for it, but just as he claimed in his threat, he let off a shot in my direction before I could grab it.

I managed to dodge the bullet, so instead of ripping through me, it struck the lock of a cargo container behind me. With no lock, the doors swung around freely.

"I won't miss again, stand down!" He warned.

I didn't have time for conversation. The boat; my only hope of escaping the island, had already started pulling away. It was now or never.

I quickly concocted a plan in my head, it was flawed and very unlikely to succeed but it was my only idea.

I dropped the daggers I had attached to my belt and knelt as though I intended to surrender. My trembling knees helped to sell the farce even more. As soon as Diana's men let down their guard, I charged towards the open cargo container and leaped in.

The guards unleashed a barrage of shots, most of them either missing their mark or hitting the cargo container's doors I lodged shut with my knife.

The boat was headed back to the mainland. I couldn't quite see where we were but I knew we had arrived when the boat came to a halt. A crane picked the container up off the boat but instead of the gentle landing I expected, the container was dropped, causing me to hit my head against its side.

"Shit!" I blurted out inadvertently.

"Did you hear something?" A voice from outside questioned.

"It seems we have a stowaway," another voice said, this time from a woman, "Check all the crates!"

My anxiety escalated as I heard footsteps and creaking sounds from people searching the containers. I held my breath, trying to stay hidden.

After a few tense minutes, the noises subsided. Thinking they had left, I cautiously moved towards the container doors to make my escape. However, just as I reached for the knife holding the door shut, I heard footsteps on the other side – they had found me.

"Hey Kayla, the lock on this one is broken!" one of the people yelled.

Cornered, I silently drew my sword, preparing for a confrontation. As the doors swung open, I charged to attack.

"Woah, we're not looking for a fight," the man said, attempting to defuse the situation.

Still uncertain of their intentions, I kept my guard up. The woman I had heard earlier approached the container.

"Come out; we're not gonna hurt you," she said reassuringly.

Reluctantly, I sheathed my sword and cautiously approached them. They led me to their boathouse and offered me some food. I stared at it unsure of whether I could trust them or not. "You aren't hungry?" The woman asked.

"No I am, it's just—" I said, "Who are you?" I asked between bites.

"I think we should be asking you that, sweetie," the woman, Kayla, said with a smirk. "But we'll answer you first. I'm Kayla, and he's Lucas. We're into import and Export"

After a brief hesitation, I shared my name, "I'm Emilia."

Kayla then gestured for Lucas to leave the room, saying, "Leave us girls alone; we have some talking to do. In the meantime, you can go set up the room for our guest."

Kayla and I sat across the table from each other, and she asked, "So, why were you hiding in our cargo?"

While I finished the rest of my food I told her about the events that led me to this point

"Wow, this Diana woman really screwed you over, didn't she?" Kayla remarked.

"Yeah, she—" I paused, realising something alarming, "I never told you her name was Diana."

"Everyone knows the Lunarborn's alpha daughters name is Diana" she replied.

"Yes but the alpha has two daughters. How did you know which one I was talking about?" I inquired.

Our eyes locked for a moment, and then both of us unsheathed our weapons. I swung my sword, cutting the table in half, but Kayla rolled away just in time.

"You work for Diana!" I yelled, feeling betrayed.

"Sweetie, everyone does," she replied with a hint of resignation.

I wanted to attack again, but I couldn't, something was wrong. My sword felt heavier, and so did my body. It was as if an immense weight was crushing me, blurring my vision and impeding my movements.

"What did you do to me!" I shouted.

"Oh, that's probably the sedative in your food," Kayla chuckled. "It really works fast, doesn't it?"

"Argh!" I exclaimed, trying my best to resist the effects.

"Lucas, be quick with the chains!" Kayla commanded.

With each passing moment, it became harder to move, speak and even breathe. Eventually I blacked out. In my hazy state between consciousness and unconsciousness, I overheard snippets of their conversation.

"We could've just used poison instead of sedatives," Kayla said.

"You know Diana wants her alive," Lucas replied.

"Yeah well, poison would've been more fun"