Chapter 50 50
Aurélie POV
“Did you come alone?” a hoarse male voice growls from the shadows.
“That’s what the email demanded, so yes I did.”
“‘Yes’ would’ve sufficed,” he snaps, voice rough as gravel, his footsteps pounding toward me with deliberate threat.
Get out.
My wolf’s scream ricochets through my mind, and every instinct in me wants to obey wants to run. But not without answers. Not without Dominique.
“Why am I here? Where is my son?” I force out, my tone steady even as fear begins to coil low in my stomach.
He doesn’t respond. Instead, an ugly smirk twists across his lips as he stops inches from me. I brace myself for words, for some explanation but instead his hands shoot up and clamp around my throat.
My breath vanishes.
I claw at him, nails digging into the back of his hands hard enough to draw blood, but he only tightens his grip. My air supply thins, burns. Then he lifts me my feet leave the floor, dangling helplessly as my lungs scream.
With a violent crack, he slams me onto the ground.
Pain explodes through my ribs, a sharp, splintering agony. My skull strikes concrete, white-hot pressure blooming behind my eyes. Black dots swarm my vision, threatening to swallow me whole.
“We couldn’t make it any clearer…” he snarls, leaning close, breath sour against my ear.
One of his hands lets go, and I feel it sliding downward toward my breasts.
No.
No.
I grab his wrist with both hands, using every shred of strength I have left to hold him off. My ribs shriek with the effort.
“…cut the alliance, or the boy dies.”
Fear drains through me ice-cold. I can smell the metallic tang of my own blood leaking into my hair, warm against the cold floor beneath me. His mouth brushes my ear again this time he sucks on my earlobe, violating and taunting, and a scream tears from my throat. I kick wildly, desperate, feral.
“You won’t get another chance,” he whispers.
A roar detonates in the distance.
Deep. Powerful. Familiar.
Footsteps thunder toward us multiple. Fast. Too fast.
Shit. He wasn’t alone.
My consciousness flickers, pulsing with the darkness crowding in. The head wound, the airlessness it’s dragging me under.
“You didn’t come alone,” he spits, furious, before peeling his hands off my throat and vanishing into the shadows.
Air crashes into my lungs in a painful, greedy gasp.
“Aurélie?” A different voice lower, steadier breaks through the ringing in my ears. Gentle hands touch my throat, then my forehead.
“Fuck,” the voice mutters. “She’s bleeding.”
I know that voice.
“Damien?” I rasp, still gasping.
He pulls me upright carefully, settling my body against his lap. And then of course he flips straight back into arrogant asshole mode.
“What were you thinking, coming here alone? This is dangerous.” His voice rumbles with anger, his eyes fixed on the darkness where my attacker fled.
“They said to come alone,” I choke out. “I thought… I thought he might be here. I just want my boy back.” Tears burn behind my eyes, helpless and hot. I’m so tired of being strong. I just want Dominique in my arms again.
Damien’s fingers brush my bruised neck, and a deep growl vibrates from his chest.
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know… it was just an email. I couldn’t ignore it.” My limbs feel heavy now, unresponsive. The darkness tugs harder.
“You might still catch him,” I whisper, following Damien’s gaze toward the black corner where the wolf disappeared. “You could question him…”
“Right now admit it or not you need me.” He even has the audacity to give a low, smug chuckle. Absolute twat.
“I just want Dominique back,” I breathe, my strength slipping like water through my fingers.
“We’ll get him back,” Damien vows, voice firm, edged with something almost gentle. “I promise.”
And then the dark finally wins, pulling me under.