"When he discovers that I don't even have a wolf, do you think he'll spare me? After being reminded of the scars on my wrist, do you think he'll still let me live?" I continued to cry and plead with the Moon Goddess. "Please, save me," I sobbed, fearing the moment when this door would open, and Mr. Beret would come to claim me. "How can I survive this?" I asked myself in a panic. I was going crazy with the fear of getting taken away by that old man. The fact that he knew I wasn’t ready for this mating ceremony yet he was happily awaiting our wedding just made me even more scared of him. "But--I do have a second mate," my sobs ceased as a name surfaced in my memory. It wasn't Enzo's name because he was just as terrible as Atticus. "Mr. Holt," I sat down on the mattress, my thoughts consumed by Mr. Holt. I knew it would be incredibly awkward to approach him after the scene I had made, but I was of legal age, and he could provide me with protection in this nightmare of a household. For a moment, a ray of hope shone through my veins. My father would never let my sister and me live in peace until he found someone willing to pay him for me, so why not Mr. Holt? He had bribed my father before to spend time with me; perhaps he could do it again. I might even promise to repay him when I could if I asked him to pay my father to keep me safe and prevent him from marrying me off to someone else. In the meantime, I could give him a chance and see if we could get along. "Flora!" I whispered, gently tapping on the door to get her attention. Despite the chaos, I needed her assistance this time. "Flora! If you're in there, I need you to do something for me," I whispered. Our living conditions didn't afford her much space, so I assumed she was nearby. "I'm so sorry! I couldn't help you before," she apologized as soon as she had the chance to talk to me. "Flora! You did everything you could. You were willing to suffer for my sake," I reassured her, preparing to ask her for a significant favor. I hesitated, then inhaled deeply before posing my request, "Can you steal Dad's phone?" I felt guilty involving her in this, but there was no other choice. Her voice trembled with fear as she asked, "What are you going to do with it? Do you want me to contact your mate, Cynthia?" Anger surged through me as she mentioned his name. "NO! I want you to call Mr. Holt. It should be under Mr. Zeon Holt's name," I replied, closing my eyes to gather the courage to say his name. It felt selfish to reach out to him for help after how I had rejected him and left his car. I understood the pain that came with a mate's rejection, but considering he was likely in his late twenties and I had just turned eighteen a few months ago, there was a significant age difference between us. "Mr. Holt?" Flora sounded bewildered, and I didn't blame her. She didn't know about my second mate yet. I knew I should have told her about him before but I didn’t get a chance. Eventually, Flora grasped the urgency of my request when I pleaded, "Please, Flora, call Mr. Holt if you don't want me to be sold to that greedy, awful Mr. Beret." For the next few minutes, we remained silent, and all the while, I trembled at the thought of marrying Mr. Beret. I muttered curses under my breath, directed at Atticus for causing this mess. He wanted me to suffer and remain unwanted by anyone else. I hadn't been willing to accept Mr. Holt before, but now I had no choice but to ask him, to practically beg him, to accept me. "So, I spoke to him," Flora returned with the news while I had been sweating profusely in worry. It was such a frustrating moment that I couldn’t do anything for myself. "Um, what did he say?" I asked in hushed tones, my misery palpable. "He didn't say much and hung up," she replied, her tone defeated. All the hope, albeit not much to begin with, drained away. "He said okay," she added. "That's it?" I sighed, realizing I should have expected him to be reluctant to help given my previous behavior in his car. "Do you think he'll come to help you get out of here?" She questioned my decision to seek his assistance, considering his lack of interest thus far. "I don't know!" I gave a dejected response. "You should let your wolf take over and escape through the window," that was her master plan, not a bad one, but unfortunately, I couldn't rely on it since my wolf hadn't awakened yet. "Flora, it's okay. I've accepted the decision," I conceded after struggling fruitlessly. There was no one who could rescue me from this predicament. I would have to figure something out after the marriage. "But--" She couldn't continue because she knew there was nothing more she could do for me. I wrapped my arms around my legs and drew my knees up to my chest. "I shouldn't have called Mr. Holt. How could I expect any help from him when everyone in the past has let me down?" I chided myself for my naivety. After some time had passed, my dad opened the door, and Mr. Beret followed him inside. I instinctively recoiled and swallowed hard, shooting disgusted glares at my dad and Mr. Beret. "There she is. All yours now," my dad smirked, looking at the two of us with an unsettling sense of pride. Mr. Beret kept scrutinizing me, examining my appearance. "Is she going to marry me in this state?" Mr. Beret, who bore a striking resemblance to an overcooked potato himself, wrinkled his nose in distaste as he examined me.