bChapter /bb143 /b

    bChapter /bb143 /b

    bra’s /bPOV

    I knew I wouldn’t make it.

    But hell if I was going to hand Thorne an easy victory.

    The soldiers were closing in fast, their heavy boots thumping against the cobblestone. I fired off two more shots, but the clicks of an empty chamber echoed louder than the gunfire.

    I dropped it. My fingers were already reaching for the dagger strapped to my side.

    The moment I gripped the hilt, a soldier lunged at me, eyes wide with a mix of rage and arrogance. I shed -felt the bite of metal on flesh–and shoved his body aside. His weight thudded against the concrete wall. The gap was there. I ran.

    I didn’t even hear them shouting anymore. The sounds of their pursuit were drowned out by my own breath, ragged and desperate, as I darted down an alley so narrow it felt like the walls were closing in on ollime. /li/ol

    “Stop!”

    Their voices rang, sharp and mocking. “You can’t run forever. Just give up!”

    I knew they were right. The gate was shut. Kimberly was hurt. I was cornered. But giving up? Not now. Not yet.

    This part of the city was like a maze. Full of secrets, hidden corners–ces even Thorne wouldn’t know unless he’d spent days in the shadows, like I had.

    I ducked left, my feet pounding as I took another winding street. I was almost there. Almost at the next turn, where + could lose them.

    But then the soldiers shouted again, the desperation in their voices unmistakable.

    “Alpha Thorne ising for you! You won’t escape!”

    I gritted my teeth. Screw you. I wasn’t ready to be caught.

    I turned the corner… and my heart sank.

    A dead–end. No escape. My back hit the tall buildings, trapping me in.

    I didn’t have time to think, not enough time to turn around. Their footsteps were too close, bthe /bheat bof /bbthe /b

    chase too real.

    b1/4 /b

    bChapter /bb143 /b

    bSuddenly/bb, /bba /bbdoor /bflung open to my right. I didn’t bthink/b. I ran Inside, bmy /bbbody /bbmming /bbagainst /bbthe door /ba clicked shut behind me.

    b“/bbCome /bbin/bb!/b” ba /bvoice hissed.

    I didn’t look back. I didn’t have the time. I’dove in.

    A woman’s hands grabbed my wrist, pushing me into a small pantry, the dim light flickering over bher /bbface/b.

    I froze. My breath caught.

    “You.”

    Her face, the one I never thought I’d see again.

    Dora.

    She had helped us once, back at the campsite, when everything had gone wrong. I hadn’t seen her since I ran for my life that night. Now, here she was–hiding me from Thorne’s soldiers.

    “Shh,” Dora whispered, her voice urgent. She quickly pulled a curtain over the pantry entrance.

    Outside, the soldiers were closing in, their heavy steps echoing through the alley. I held my breath, listening as the voices grew louder.

    “Where is she?” one barked.

    “I saw her go in here! She has to be in one of these houses!”

    My chest tightened. They were so close, so damn close.

    “What now?” Dora whispered, her fingers trembling as she held the curtain tighter.

    I wanted to tell her to go, to hide. To protect herself.

    But then I heard it. Another voice, low and smooth, cutting through the panic.

    “I saw her go down another path,” the man said,

    That voice. It was familiar, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

    My eyes widened.

    Could it be?

    The soldiers stopped, murmuring to each other.

    “Who’s this?” the soldier asked, suspicion in his tone.

    bChapter /bb143 /b

    bDorian/bb,/bb” /bthe voice breplied/bb, /bcalm and confident. b“/bTrust me, I’m sureb./bb” /b

    bThe /bfootsteps faded, but the silence didn’tst long. I stood perfectly still, my heart bpounding /bbin /bbmy /bbears/b.

    Could it be? Had they really gone?

    I waited for a few more seconds, every muscle tense. The footsteps were now gone.

    I was about to make my move when suddenly–knock knock.

    I froze.

    “Who is it?” Dora’s voice cracked, but she covered it with firmness.

    “Please open the door, miss,” the voice said, cool and smooth.

    It was him. Dorian.

    I exchanged a quick look with Dora. She was panicking now, every bit of fear leaking out of her.

    he

    “What does he want?” I muttered under my breath.

    She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

    “know you have the person we’re looking for,” Dorian continued. “Please open up. I don’t want to break your beautiful door.”

    I stepped forward, pushing aside the curtain. My heart beat louder as I whispered, “Open it.”

    Dora’s hands trembled. “No. I can get rid of him. We can-”

    “No.” I took a step closer, my voice low. “Open it. He knows we’re here.”

    Dora hesitated, then with a resigned sighb, /bshe unlocked the door.

    When it creaked open, there he was.

    Tall. Lean. The moonlight caught his hair, turning it a pale shade of silver, highlighting the sharpness of his features. His bodynguage screamed/confidence, but not in an intimidating way. He was… effortless.

    When his eyes locked on mine, I felt something stir in me, something that wasn’t just panic.

    His lips curled into a smile, and I saw two dimples appear on his cheeks. A warm, inviting smile. The kind bof /bsmile that would make any woman want to lean in.

    “You’re a hard one to catch, Gamma ra,” he teased, his voice sending a jolt through me.

    I stared at him, still alert, but confused. He was dressed like the other soldiers, bso /bbwhy /bbwas /bbhe /bbhere/bb, /bbdirecting/b.

    18:47 bSun/bb, /b3 bAug /b

    them away?

    “What do you want?” I asked, my voice strained but steady.

    Dorian stepped inside. The door shut behind him, and the air in the room shifted.

    A strange scent wafted past me, familiar yet foreign. My body responded before I could stop itb–/bba /bbrush /bbof /bheat surged through me, making my blood hum, and my wolf stirred, purring under my skin.

    A flicker of recognition shed through my mind.

    I took a step back, my hand instinctively reaching for the wall for bnced. Could it be?

    My thoughts were clouded, too many questions.

    The man stepped closer, his casual smile vanishing. He was staring at me, his gaze intense.

    “You…” he breathed.

    We stood there, locked in a stare, the air thick with something I couldn’t name. His voice broke the silence.

    “M–Mate?” we both whispered in unison.