(Bella's POV)
Alexander's weight felt like a mountain against my side as we crept through the dimly lit corridors. My legs trembled with each step, muscles screaming in protest. The drugs were still in my system, making my movements sluggish, but the adrenaline kept me going.
Footsteps echoed ahead. Two guards, their wolves' scents getting stronger.
"Left!" Gina hissed. "Behind the pillar!"
I practically dragged Alexander behind one of the massive marble columns, pressing us both into the shadows. His fever-hot skin burned against mine, his breathing ragged and uneven. The special Luna Camellia was getting worse – his whole body trembled against me, and I could feel his heart racing through his shirt. Please, please stay quiet...
One of the guards paused, his nostrils flaring. "You smell that?"
My heart stopped. The guard was young but well-built, a wolf bred for fighting. His partner was older, more experienced – I could tell by the way his eyes constantly scanned the shadows. Both wore Derek's emblem, which meant they were trained killers, not just security.
"The column's blind spot," Gina whispered urgently. "Remember how Mother taught us..."
Mother? What mother? But my body moved instinctively, shifting Alexander into a position that somehow felt familiar. An ancient technique for masking scent – knowledge that surfaced from somewhere deep in my buried memories.
"What is it?" the older guard asked, hand resting on his weapon.
"Something... different. Like moonflowers, but..." The younger guard moved closer, close enough that I could see the fresh scars on his neck – marks from recent combat training. His fingers brushed the marble column, inches from my face.
Alexander's body suddenly went rigid against mine. His fever was spiking – I could feel it burning through his clothes. No, no, no...
A low groan escaped his lips.
"Did you hear—" the young guard turned immediately.
"Kill them," Gina urged as the guard spun toward our hiding spot. "Quick and quiet. We can hide the bodies..."
My fingers closed around the letter opener in my pocket – silver-plated, Martha's prized possession.It was small, but sharp enough to slice a throat if I was fast enough. One guard I could take silently. But two? With Alexander barely conscious?
"Hey, Marcus, David!" A voice rang out from down the hall. "Get over here! Mr. Derek needs everyone – some bitch attacked someone in the bathroom and escaped!"
One guard hesitated, still staring at our pillar. "But I thought I heard—"
"More important than Derek's orders?" the voice snapped. "Now!"
For one endless moment, I thought he'd ignore the call. But finally, he turned away. "Coming!"
I waited until their footsteps faded completely before letting out the breath I'd been holding. My legs nearly buckled with relief – we'd actually survived. "Come on," I whispered to Alexander, who was burning hotter by the minute. "We need to move."
Hope fluttered in my chest as the exit sign came into view. Just a few more yards. Just a few more minutes and we'd be free.
But when I saw what was the entrance like, the hope died in my throat.
A line of people stretched from the main doors – guests leaving the "party." But something was terribly wrong. Guards were conducting thorough searches, their movements precise and methodical. They were checking everyone's face, running hands through hair, checking under collars...These weren't amateur thugs – they were professionals who had done this before.
"No..." I pulled us back into an alcove, forcing my racing heart to calm. Think. Think. There had to be a way out.
I observed the security pattern for ten long minutes. The guards rotated positions every four minutes. They checked ID cards against a database. They even had a wolf with enhanced scenting abilities screening for disguises. No gaps in their formation, no moments of distraction.
"The windows?" Gina suggested, trying to keep the desperation from her voice. "There must be fire exits..."
I scanned the walls systematically, my heart sinking further with each section.
The architectural design suddenly made horrible sense. No windows. No service doors. No alternate exits. The entire club was designed like an opulent cage, with priceless artwork and golden fixtures mocking our imprisonment. Even the air vents were too small for a child to crawl through.
Alexander's weight shifted against me as another fever spike hit him. His skin was burning even hotter now, and his breathing had become shallow and rapid. A drop of sweat rolled down my neck as reality crashed in.
I should have left him. Should have saved myself when I had the chance. Now we were both trapped, and it was only a matter of time before—
"Put him down!"
The command came from behind, accompanied by a rush of lethal force. A hand struck out like a viper, aiming for the pressure point on my neck – a warrior's move, meant to incapacitate instantly. The sheer power behind it made my wolf instincts scream to submit.
But my body moved before my mind could process it.
I pivoted on my heel, supporting Alexander's weight with one arm while my body flowed like water around the attack. The movement was pure instinct – smooth, practiced, impossibly fast. A fighting style I'd never learned but somehow knew in my bones.
The man's fingers missed my neck by millimeters. His dark eyes widened slightly. Not many could dodge an attack from a trained warrior at point-blank range.
He was handsome in a dangerous way, tall and powerfully built. His movements had the fluid grace of a born fighter.
"I said," his voice dropped lower, a warrior's quiet threat, "put him down."
I studied the warrior before me, every muscle tense and ready. Though he wasn't an Alpha – his voice lacked that distinctive resonance of power – his strength was undeniable.
Even through my defensive stance, I could feel the raw power radiating from him. He was stronger than some Alphas I'd encountered, and his fighting style... it was unlike anything I'd seen in the Shadow Pack.
"Elite warrior," Gina assessed. "Probably trained since childhood. But who is he? And why does he want Alexander?"
The questions raced through my mind as we circled each other. His movements were too refined for a common pack warrior. The way he'd targeted my pressure points spoke of specialized training. Was he from the Thorn Rose Pack? Had to be – his concern for Alexander seemed genuine.
"Who are you?" I kept my voice steady, despite Alexander's burning weight against me.
His dark eyes narrowed. "Who are you, and what have you done to him?" The protective fury in his voice was unmistakable.
As if on cue, Alexander's skin burned even hotter than before. The drug was reaching its peak – his face had turned an alarming shade of red, and sweat soaked through his expensive shirt. A groan of pure agony escaped his lips.
The sound transformed the man instantly. Raw power exploded from him, making the air itself feel heavy. His eyes turned deadly as he took in Alexander's condition.
"What. Did. You. Do?" Each word was a lethal question. His hands curled into fists, and I could feel his wolf rising to the surface, ready to tear me apart. " If you've poisoned him—"
"I didn't!" I shifted to better support Alexander's trembling form. "I am Bella. Someone gave him special Luna Camellia. I found him like this and got him out!"
"Special Luna Camellia?" A flash of understanding crossed his face, but his stance remained combat-ready. "I'm Nate, Alexander's friend. Hand him over to me."
Nate. The name hit me like a thunderbolt. I felt a hope to survive. Nate Blackwood, I have heard him - the elite warrior who served as Alexander's right hand. No wonder his fighting style had seemed familiar.
But I didn't move. Nate could definitely get Alexander out safely – his power and skill were obvious. But where would that leave me? The image of Derek's predatory smile flashed through my mind, along with Martha's betrayal. If I let Alexander go now, I'd be trapped here. And after attacking Martha...
"Let him take us out," Gina urged. "It's our only chance."
"Why should I trust you?" I challenged, shifting Alexander's weight slightly. " For all I know, you could be one of Derek's men in disguise. I must stay with him until he wakes up and confirms who you are."
A muscle ticked in Nate's jaw. The mere suggestion that he might work for Derek seemed to offend him deeply. "Do you have any idea who I am? Who he is?"
"I know exactly who he is," I shot back, though my arms trembled under Alexander's weight. "Alpha heir of the Thorn Rose Pack. Which is exactly why I can't just hand him over to a stranger."
Confusion replaced some of the hostility in Nate's eyes. His gaze swept over me again, reassessing. Taking in my revealing red dress, the bruises peeking through my makeup, the way I held Alexander protectively despite my obvious exhaustion.
"Who exactly are you?" His voice softened slightly. "What's your relationship with Alexander?"
My mind raced. I needed something convincing, something that would make Nate take me with them.
Derek would be hunting for me now, and once he found out I'd attacked Martha... I thought of his cold eyes, the screams I'd heard from those locked rooms, the drugged girls on display.
"I'm his girlfriend," I said.
Nate's eyes widened slightly, disbelief warring with uncertainty. I held his gaze, praying he couldn't hear my thundering heart.