Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Chapter 69

Aria’s POV

Cold.

That was the first thing I felt. Bone-deep, teeth-chattering cold.

My eyes opened slowly. Everything was blurry. Gray. Wrong.

Where was I?

I blinked. Once. Twice. The world refused to come into focus.

Gravel bit into my cheek. My fingers were numb against rough pavement. The smell of wet earth and gasoline filled my nose.

A road.

I was lying on the side of a road.

How did I get here?

I tried to move. Pain exploded through every muscle. My arms. My legs. My back. Everything screamed in protest.

"Ah!" The cry escaped before I could stop it.

For a long moment, I just lay there. Breathing. Trying to remember.

The kidnapping. The bag over my head. The woman’s voice. The bitter liquid forced down my throat.

Then nothing.

Complete emptiness.

How long had I been unconscious? Hours? Days?

And where was I now?

I forced myself to roll over. The movement sent fresh waves of agony through my body. I gasped. Waited for it to pass.

The sky above was gray. Overcast. No sun to tell me what time it was.

Get up, I told myself. Get up. You can’t stay here.

My arms shook as I pushed myself to sitting. The world spun violently. I pressed my palm against the gravel. Waited for the dizziness to fade.

When I finally looked around, my heart sank.

I was in the middle of nowhere.

A narrow road stretched in both directions. Empty. No cars. No buildings. Just trees on either side. Dense and dark and endless.

No signs. No landmarks. Nothing to tell me where I was.

"Hello?" My voice came out as a croak. "Is anyone there?"

The wind answered. Cold and indifferent.

I was alone.

Completely alone.

My hands moved instinctively. Checking for injuries. Running over my arms, my legs, my torso.

Pain everywhere. A deep, aching soreness that went down to my bones.

But no cuts. No wounds. No blood.

Just pain.

What had they done to me?

I lifted the edge of my shirt. Looked at my stomach.

The baby.

Oh god. The baby.

My hands pressed flat against my belly. Still flat. Still unchanged. I couldn’t feel anything different. Couldn’t know if—

No. I couldn’t think about that. Not yet. Not here.

One thing at a time.

I tried to stand. My legs wobbled like a newborn deer’s. I grabbed a tree branch. Steadied myself.

Every muscle screamed at me to lie back down. To rest. To give up.

I ignored them.

Something was wrong.

Beyond the pain. Beyond the fear. Beyond the confusion.

Something inside me felt... empty.

Hollow.

Like a part of me had been scooped out and thrown away.

*Artemis?*

The name formed in my mind automatically. The same way I’d called to my wolf a thousand times before.

Silence.

*Artemis, are you there?*

Nothing.

No warmth. No presence. No familiar voice answering in my head.

My chest tightened.

*Artemis!*

I called louder this time. Threw the thought out with everything I had.

Still nothing.

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