Page 93 of Royal Beast
“Rose!”
My voice echoes in the stillness, and for a moment, it sounds like the only sound in the world. I take a few more steps forward, my eyes darting from container to container, trying to figure out where they might’ve hidden her. I don’t know where to start, but I can’t stop moving. Every second feels like an eternity.
That’s when I hear it.
“Darcy!”
I freeze.
I know that voice. It’s Kellan, but it’s not quite right. He sounds like he’s been through hell, but when I turn toward thesound, I don’t see the bloody, broken version of him I feared. He’s harried, his clothes torn, but he’s standing. Not as bad as I imagined. Still, there’s a weariness in his eyes that makes my heart ache.
“Kellan!” I run toward him, my pulse quickening, relief crashing into me like a wave.
“Don’t freak out,” he says quickly, hands raised as though to stop me, but his voice is tight, his expression strained. “I’m fine. I’m fine,” he repeats, but I know that’s not entirely true. He looks past me, scanning the area. “Rose is still here. They put her in one of the shipping containers.”
I glance around at the men gathered to help look for her. Lucky and Rory are already moving toward a row of containers, Brody and Miles close behind them. They’ve all split up, combing the place like this is some kind of sick game, and we won’t stop until we win.
I follow Kellan to the nearest shipping container. He wrenches the door open, the metal groaning under the force, but it’s empty. My stomach drops. This is worse than I expected.
Kellan doesn’t stop. His jaw tightens and his eyes are already on the next container. “We’ll find her,” he mutters, and I can hear the resolve in his voice.
We don’t waste time on the next one, or the next. We tear through the containers like we’re searching for a needle in a haystack. But with every door that opens to reveal nothing, my chest tightens further.
“Rose!” I scream, my pulse thundering in my ears. I close my eyes for a second. She has to be here. I can’t lose her.
I turn back to Kellan, who’s already pulling at another container. His face is tight, his body still, but there’s something in the way he keeps moving forward, the way his hands grip the metal doors with purpose. It’s the same fierce energy in his eyes. He won’t stop. He won’t give up on her.
“Rose!” I call out one last time, my voice trembling as I fight to keep it together.
“Mommy! Daddy!”
I freeze.
Rose.
It’s faint at first, but then louder, stronger. My breath catches in my throat. I whip my head toward the sound, adrenaline flooding my veins.
“Kellan did you hear that?” I don’t wait for him to answer. I’m already moving, racing toward the direction of her voice. My legs are shaking, but I can’t stop. I won’t stop.
Kellan’s right behind me, just as desperate. “Rose!” he calls, urgency lacing his voice. I can see the same frantic hope mirrored in his eyes.
The next container I pass, I rip the door open, almost too fast, too recklessly. It’s empty.
But the voice calls out again, stronger this time, more certain.
“Mommy! Daddy!”
Kellan reaches the container just a moment before me, and with a force I didn’t know he had left, he throws the door wide open.
There she is.
Rose is curled up inside the container, her small body huddled in the corner. Her face is streaked with tears, and she’s trembling, but the sight of her—alive, breathing, still here—makes my heart soar.
I rush to her side, falling to my knees in font of her.
“Rose,” I whisper, my voice breaking as I pull her into my arms. “Oh, my God, baby, I thought…” I don’t know what I thought. All that matters is that she’s right there. She’s alive. She’s here.
“I was so scared, Mommy,” she cries, her little hands clutching onto me like she never wants to let go. Her sobs areragged and desperate, and I hold her tighter, trying to reassure her that she’s safe now.
