Chapter 5

_Leah's POV_

I didn’t know how many days had passed but I was in constant pain. The cuts on my back, sides, and arms never stopped burning. The guards came once in a while, dropping scraps of food that were barely enough to keep me alive. A piece of old bread, a cup of dirty water and nothing to heal my wounds. My skin had become raw, and I could feel the infection starting to set in.

Fever raged through my body, making me shiver uncontrollably. Sweat poured from my forehead, but I was still cold, so cold. I didn’t know how much longer I could take it. My whole body ached. The fever brought on strange dreams, visions of my past life, of what could have been. I had once been hopeful. I had once believed that my mate, Kayden, would love and protect me. How foolish I had been.

Now, there was nothing left for me. No love. No future. Only pain.

I lay on the hard, cold floor, staring up at the ceiling. I was too weak to move, too tired to cry. My body was failing and I knew that I was going to die soon. The thought didn’t scare me anymore. In fact, it brought a strange kind of relief. Death would be a release from this suffering, and at least I wouldn’t have to feel the constant sting of rejection and betrayal any longer.

My thoughts drifted in and out of focus as the fever took hold of me again. I could hear voices in my head, faint and distant. Was it the Moon Goddess calling me? Was she finally answering my prayers?

A soft noise broke through the haze of my mind. It wasn’t the usual clank of guards’ boots or the metallic scrape of keys. It was quieter, more deliberate, like someone trying to be careful. I blinked. I was struggling to focus. The door to my cell creaked open, but it wasn’t the guards.

A figure stepped inside. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with golden hair that glimmered even in the dim light of the cellar. His eyes, a striking shade of blue, locked onto mine. I felt my breath catch in my throat. He wasn’t wearing the uniform of the guards, and for a moment, I wondered if I was hallucinating.

“Who are you?” My voice was barely a whisper, weak and broken.

“Don’t be afraid, my queen,” he said softly while taking a step toward me. “I’m here to help you.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding. Queen? Was this some kind of cruel joke? I tried to move away from him, crawling backward across the cold stone floor, but my body was too weak to get far. My limbs trembled with the effort.

“I’m not your queen,” I said. “You’re mistaken. Please, just leave me alone.”

He knelt down beside me, his movements slow and gentle, as if he didn’t want to startle me. “Leah, I know what they have done to you, but I swear, I am here to take you away from this place.”

I shook my head. This had to be some kind of trick. “Why should I trust you? You’re probably just another one of them.”

His gaze softened, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I saw something I hadn’t seen in so long. Compassion. “I’m not like them, Leah. My name is Tariq, and I have been watching, waiting for the right time to save you. But we need to go. Now.”

“Tariq?” The name sounded familiar, like a whisper I had heard in a dream. But it didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense anymore.

I tried to push myself up, to stand, but my legs gave out beneath me. Before I hit the ground, Tariq’s strong arms wrapped around me, catching me just in time. His touch was gentle, careful not to press on my wounds, and for a moment, I felt a strange warmth radiating from him. It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in so long; comfort and safety.

“Why… why are you helping me?” I asked, my voice shaking. “I don’t even know you.”

“There’s no time to explain everything right now,” he said, his eyes darting toward the door. “The guards will notice I’m gone soon, and they’ll come looking. We need to get out of here before that happens.”

I nodded, even though my mind was still spinning with confusion. I didn’t have the strength to argue. I didn’t have the strength for anything anymore. All I wanted was to get away from this place, to escape the nightmare that had become my life.

Tariq shifted me in his arms, carrying me effortlessly as if I weighed nothing. He moved quickly but quietly, making sure to avoid the patrols as we slipped out of the cellar. I rested my head against his chest.

The cold night air hit me like a shock as we stepped out into the open. The scent of the forest surrounded us, fresh and alive, so different from the damp, suffocating air of the cellar. I took a deep breath, my chest aching, but the crisp air was a relief.

“We’re almost there,” Tariq whispered as he carried me into the cover of the trees. His movements were swift and careful, his eyes constantly scanning the area around us. He was focused and determined.

Once we were deep enough into the woods, Tariq gently lowered me to the ground, making sure I was resting against a soft patch of grass. I winced as my wounds protested the movement, but I didn’t cry out. The pain was a part of me now, as familiar as breathing.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice filled with concern as he knelt beside me.

I nodded weakly, though I wasn’t alright. My entire body felt like it was on fire, and the fever had taken hold of me again, making everything blur at the edges. “I… I don’t understand,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why are you doing this? Why are you calling me queen?”

Tariq’s blue eyes met mine. “Because you are a queen, Leah. You don’t remember yet, but you’re meant for something greater than this. Kayden and Selena, they have tried to break you, but you’re stronger than they know.”

I stared at him, confusion swirling in my mind. “I’m no queen,” I said, my voice trembling. “I’m just… I’m just an omega.”

Tariq shook his head. “You’re so much more than that. And I promise, I’ll help you remember who you truly are. But for now, we need to get you to safety.”

I didn’t know if I could believe him. Everything in my life had been shattered, and now this stranger was telling me I was something I couldn’t even fathom.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered, my throat tight. “I’ve lost everything. How can I be anything more?”

Tariq reached out, his hand hovering just above mine as if he was afraid to touch me. “I know it feels like that now,” he said softly, his voice filled with emotion. “But you haven’t lost everything, Leah. You still have a future. You still have a destiny. And I’ll help you find it.”

His words were like a lifeline, something to hold onto in the storm of my mind. For so long, I had believed I was nothing. That I was destined to live in the shadows, to be weak and forgotten. But now, for the first time, someone was telling me otherwise.

“Why… why me?” I asked, my voice trembling with uncertainty.

Tariq’s gaze softened as he looked at me. “Because you’re special, Leah. You’ve always been special. And I’m going to prove that to you.”

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on me. Could it be true? Could I really be something more than the broken girl Kayden had left behind?

Before I could say anything else, a distant howl echoed through the trees. Tariq’s expression tensed, and he stood up quickly, scanning the area around us. “We need to move,” he said, his voice low. “They’re coming. Can you walk?”

I tried to stand, but my legs wobbled beneath me, too weak from the fever and the pain. Tariq caught me before I fell.

“I’ve got you,” he said softly, lifting me into his arms again. “I won’t let them take you back.”

As he carried me deeper into the forest, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time. There was a glimmer of hope.