Chapter Six
685 Words
Sal's frightened eyes locked with mine from beneath the grill.
"Elisa..." he whispered, his voice shaking so badly it almost broke my heart. "Please... what's going on?"
For a second, I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to confess that I wasn't just the quiet waitress who washed dishes, that monsters were real, and that I had spent months running from them. But I couldn't. If he knew the truth, he would only be in more danger.
I forced a small, shaky smile. "You'll be okay. Just stay here. Don't make a sound. I promise I'll come back for you."
His eyes filled with tears. "You don't have to do this alone."
"I know," I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. "But you have to trust me."
He nodded slowly. "I do."
Those two simple words almost made me cry. I squeezed his rough, wrinkled hand one last time, then stood up. The smile vanished. The kitchen suddenly felt freezing, and every muscle in my body went tense. I could hear the panicked breathing of the customers, the soft sob of a little girl, and the crunch of broken glass beneath heavy boots.
They were getting closer. A table crashed to the floor. A woman screamed, and I could hear people praying and begging. Each sound stabbed into my chest. They were only here because of me.
I reached across the prep table and wrapped my fingers around the biggest kitchen knife I could find. It was cold and heavy in my grip. I looked at my reflection in the blade—I barely recognized the girl looking back. She was pale, messy, and terrified, but beneath that fear, there was something fierce. Something that refused to kneel again.
The kitchen door creaked open. The man in the black suit stepped inside, his polished shoes silent against the tiles. Helooked around as if he owned the place, then his dark eyes settled on me.
"There you are," he said with a cruel smile. "I was wondering how long you'd hide."
"I'm not hiding," I said, my voice steady despite the pounding in my chest.
He glanced toward the grill, his eyes lingering there for a second. My heart almost stopped. Please, don't look again. Don't find Sal.
Fortunately, his gaze moved away. He looked back at me, his expression amused. "You've caused quite a scene."
Behind him , there is chaos. Tables overturned, coffee covering the floor, and customers huddled together in terror. Rage burned inside me. "You said you only wanted me," I said, my voice rising. "Then let them go. They're innocent."
"They're witnesses," he said, his smile fading. "And witnesses are inconvenient."
My stomach dropped. "No. You can't."
"And who's going to stop me?" he taunted.
"I will."
For a heartbeat, he stared at me. Then, he let out a laugh—cold, cruel, and blood-freezing. "You? The rejected Luna? The broken wolf? The girl whose own mate threw away?" Every word hit me like a slap. Images flashed through my mind: Kaleb, my sister, the entire pack laughing at my humiliation. The man saw the pain on my face and stepped closer. "I knew those memories would still hurt."
"Don't come any closer," I warned, lifting the knife.
He ignored me. He took one step, then another. Desperate, I swung the blade, but he was faster. He caught my wrist with a grip so tight I cried out, and the knife clanged to the floor. Before I could move, he shoved me against the stainless-steel counter. Pain exploded through my back, and I gasped as he grabbed a handful ofmy hair and forced my head back.
"You know what your Alpha ordered?" he whispered, his lips curling into a grin. "Bring you back alive. But he never said you had to arrive... unbroken."
His hand tightened, and tears filled my eyes from the agony.
Then A deep, growl echoed through the diner.
Every wolf in the room froze. The man holding my hair slowly turned toward the back door. Another growl shook the building, louder and closer this time,
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