My Royal Runaway (ON HOLD)

02 | QUEEN

02 | Q U E E N

Without hesitating and without a word, I slammed the door shut in front of me and hurried to grab the little girl I'd rescued by the hand, my body trembling as I dragged her as quickly from the house as I could.

"M-miss? A-are you okay?" the girl sniffled, squeezing my fingers with fear. "You look scared. Was something bad in there?" I ignored her for a moment as we ventured outside and into the surrounding forest. When I was sure we weren't being followed, I stopped, casting a glance around before looking down to the little girl with a small smile.

"It's Sierra, isn't it?" I asked softly, remembering the name her parents had told me. She nodded when she looked at me and as she did, I tried not to focus on her quivering bottom lip or the tears cascading down her red cheeks. "Well Sierra, I promise you that I'll get you safely back to your parents. We just have to figure out where-"

"You're too far from their pack. It'll take days to get back. And that's if you have cash for a flight," a voice interrupted and I instantly froze, squeezing my eyes shut when I realised Emmett must've been less than five metres behind us. "I can get us there in a few seconds."

"We'll go that way," I ignored the man behind me and focused on Sierra, pointing to our left.

"But that man-" she tried to quietly argue, hope igniting in her eyes.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," I quickly replied, desperately trying to maintain my façade.

"You're in dangerous territory here. Let me help, Eliana," Emmett spoke up again, though this time I could've sworn I heard a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Is he who you were scared of?" Sierra whispered, her wide eyes flickering to look over my shoulder. She dragged her arm across her nose to wipe the tears away, determination flashing across her petite features as she stared over my shoulder at Emmett.

Oh no.

"I can hurt him," she murmured and from the corner of my eye, I could see her fingers curl into fists. In a manner of seconds, the heated air around us had cooled so dramatically that I had to resist the urge to wrap my arms around my body for warmth. "I can protect us-" her voice trembled as she spoke, a cloud of her breath now visible in the frosty air.

"Sierra..." I trailed off, swallowing when I heard Emmett sharply inhale behind us, unaware that this was why the men had taken the little girl in the first place. "I don't want you to hurt him. He's my...friend. He just wants to help," I tried to calm her down, gently grabbing her shoulders to prompt her out of the enchantment she seemed to be in. She glanced at me again, tilting her head to the side.

"Are you sure...?" she murmured and I hurried to nod, relaxing slightly when the air started to warm once more. "I-I just wanted to make you feel safe," she sniffed and I knew she could burst into tears at any second.

"It's okay," I grinned, playfully ruffling her head before standing, excruciatingly aware that Emmett had moved closer. "At least I know I'm in good hands," I laughed, taking her tiny fingers in mine once again as I turned to Emmett. As soon as my gaze found his, my heart clenched almost painfully, my inner beast yearning to be close to him.

To touch him.

"Hi," I stoically greeted him, surprised at how strong my voice sounded. Despite my newfound confidence, my eyes were hungrily taking him in. He casually leant against a nearby tree, his arms folded across his chest and a cigarette hanging from his lips. I cleared my throat as he took the cigarette from his mouth and pushed the end into the trunk of the tree, effectively putting it out before he nonchalantly flicked it away. All the while, I tried to calm my racing heart -the heart I knew his sensitive ears could hear. "It's been a while." Emmett nodded at my statement, a mocking smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.