Crown Of Blood And Lies

Chapter 17: Man In The Shadows

{Avina}

The drive back to the capital felt like driving toward a cliff edge, each mile deliberate and terrifying. But I did it. I gripped the steering wheel and didn't turn back. The familiar roads wound through the forest, and I forced myself to focus on the asphalt ahead rather than the memories lurking in these trees.

I was pulling into the parking area near my shop when I heard it—a girl's cry, raw and desperate, cutting through the morning air.

I killed the engine and grabbed the bags of produce, moving quickly toward the sound. Around the corner of the bar, I found her slumped and another girl against a brick wall, the first girl's face streaked with tears. Beth and Samantha, two girls who work at the bar and often visited the shop. Samantha sat beside her, one arm around her shoulders, looking equally distressed.

"Beth?" I knelt down in front of them. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

Beth looked up at me, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "Avina," she sobbed. "I… we… don't know what to do."

"There's this man," Samantha said, her voice shaking. "He's been coming to the bar. He's an alpha, and he… he's been watching Beth. Touching her when she brings him drinks. And when she tried to tell the manager, he just laughed it off. Said it was part of the job. Of being a female."

My hands clenched into fists. "What does he look like?"

"Black hair," Beth whispered. "Blue eyes, sun-kissed skin tone and he has a snake tattoo on his arm. He also had a small scar over his left eye. He said… he said he'd be back today. That he expects to see me there. If I don't show up…" She trailed off, but the implication hung heavy in the air.

The snake tattoo. The words hit me like a physical blow, dragging me back to the forest, to the rogues, to the dark-skinned male's hands on my neck. My vision swam for a moment, and I had to force myself to breathe.

“I think… he’s part of that rogue pack. Their sign is a coil snake, just like his tattoo was,” Samantha added quietly. “We’re terrified. We don’t know what to do. We can’t afford to lose our jobs, but we can’t… we can’t go back there if he’s going to be there.”

I looked at these two girls—customers I’d known for months, young women just trying to survive in a world that seemed determined to hurt them—and something hardened inside me. The fear that had been clawing at my chest since yesterday began to transform into something else. Something protective.

“You’re not going back there alone,” I said firmly. “Not today. Not while he’s there.”

“But what can you do?” Beth asked, desperation in her voice. “He’s an alpha. He’s dangerous.”

I thought of the rogues in the forest. I thought of the one pinning me to the ground. I thought of Dutton’s gun and the way those men had fallen. I thought of the hairpin in my hair, still carrying the weight of the Blood King’s seal.

“Let me handle it,” I said. “I’ll come with you to the bar. I’ll make sure he doesn’t touch you again.”

“You can’t fight an alpha male, Avina.” Samantha protested, fear sharp in her voice.

“Maybe not,” I admitted. “But I can try. And I’m not letting him hurt you without a fight.”

I helped them both to their feet, my mind already working through what I’d need to do. I was terrified—genuinely, bone-deep terrified. But I was also angry. And anger, I was learning, could be just as powerful as fear.

Beth and Samantha went in first, slipping through the employee entrance to clock in for their shift. I waited a few minutes, then pushed through the front door.

The bar was already loud—voices layered over the crack of pool balls and the thud of darts hitting the back wall. Young men clustered around tables, drinking too early, laughing too loud. A few others sat alone at the bar.

I took a stool near the end of the counter where I could see the whole room. My heart hammered against my ribs as I scanned faces, looking for the snake tattoo Beth had described.

Where is he? Which one of these bastards thinks he can prey on vulnerable girls?

Across the room, Beth and Samantha moved between tables with trays balanced in their hands. They hadn’t seen me yet. Good. I needed to spot him first.

The hairpin sat cold and sharp in my pocket—the Blood King’s seal pressed against my hip. I figured it was a better spot for it right now. If anyone saw the seal, they'd all bolt and I'd never find the guy. I kept searching. Face after face. Looking for the predator.

Then something shifted in the air.

A scent hit me—musk and sandalwood, sharp and clean, cutting through the stale beer and sweat that filled the room. My stomach clenched. My heart, steady a moment ago, kicked into a frantic rhythm that made my ribs ache.

My throat went dry.

I froze, my gaze darting around the bar. Where was it coming from? The pull was instant. Visceral. Like my body recognized something before my brain could catch up. But I couldn't identify the source.

What is this?

The feeling intensified—a charged energy crawling across my skin, raising the hair on my arms. It felt wrong. Predatory. But also... something else. Something I couldn't name.

I forced myself to keep scanning faces, searching for the snake tattoo Beth had described. But the pull kept distracting me, tugging at my attention like an invisible thread.

Focus. Find the threat. Find him.

Then I saw it—movement in a dark corner booth tucked into the VIP section. A man leaned forward, his face barely visible in shadow.

But his eyes—

His eyes were locked on me. Bright blue, almost as bright as mine.

The pull slammed into me with full force. There. That's where it was coming from. I could feel his gaze burning into me across the bar, intense and unrelenting. My throat went dry. My hands gripped the edge of the counter, knuckles white. Then something happened, the corner of his lips curled upwards on one side. A dangerous, deductive smirk that made my knees weak.

Who is he? Why is my body reacting like this?

I couldn't look away from those eyes in the shadows. Couldn't breathe properly. The noise of the bar faded to a dull roar as the connection pulled tight between us—