Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 569

Chapter 569

A pair of figures crossed our path as we walked across the roadway. We fell into step behind them naturally, matching their pace. Neither of them looked back.

The water trough was near the center of the settlement. I spotted a short line of people standing in front of it. It wasn’t running water, but rather still, clearly hauled in from somewhere. Right now, my state of thirst made the thread of bacteria feel far away and insignificant.

We reached it and I cupped my hands and drank greedily, the same as Max beside me. The water was warm and tasted bad, like stale minerals, but I didn’t care. I drank until my stomach ached and then straightened up and wiped my mouth and took a proper look around for the first time while Max continued to gulp down another handful.

For the first time, I noticed something strange about this place. The people moving around us were following mostly straight lines that had clearly been well–used, because the ground was indented with the pathways formed. They weren’t walking randomly, but rather in perfect order, as if they had a purpose. But their eyes were blank and tired. This wasn’t the movement of a normal civilization.

Curious, I looked at the pair who had walked ahead of us, who were also drinking from the trough. The sleeves of the one on the left had been pushed up when he cupped his hands into the water.

I saw something dark and metal around his wrist.

A shackle, I realized with a sinking feeling in my gut.

I turned slowly, looking at the people nearest to us.

All of them. Every single one had shackles on.

Max, noticing the same thing now, went still beside me. This was a labor camp, I realized with a start. I put my hand on his arm and squeezed once, subtly nodding toward the way we’d come.

He tucked his chin and followed me.

We made it two steps before a shadow fell over us from the left.

I turned.

The demon was enormous, easily twice the width of any werewolf I’d seen, its face flat and gray and completely smooth. It wasn’t alone. There were two more behind it, and another pair moving in from the right, cutting off the path back to the ridge before I’d taken two steps toward it.

I shifted my weight, preparing to run or fight. Max moved instinctively closer to me.

One of them pointed at me.

Shit.

I grabbed Max’s hand and ran.

We made it about thirty feet before they were on us. They were faster, better fed and stronger than we were, and there were enough of them that the moment I ducked one, another was stepping into my path. One got hold of Max’s pack and yanked him backward off his feet.

“Max!” I spun to get to him, but something solid hit me across the back, sending me sprawling across the hard ground.

Limmediately shot to my feet, but there were three of them between me and Max now. One of them advanced on Max, backing him against a building. The other two came for me.

“Mom!”

Chapter 500

+30 Bonus

“Don’t fight, Max!” I shouted, lifting my hands in surrender. “I’ll come for you! I promise!”

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