Chapter 158 Are We Going To Die

Chapter 158 Are We Going To Die
Selene’s POV

If the plane crashed from this height, none of us would survive.

The thought struck me with terrifying clarity as I stared at the instruments inside the cockpit. We were still more than thirty-two thousand eight hundred feet above the ground, and somewhere far beneath the endless clouds was the vast ocean. Even with all the strength I possessed as an Alpha, there were limits to what my body could endure. Shifting into Frieda might protect me from many dangers, but even my powerful wolf could not save us if we fell from this height and crashed into the ocean.

For the first time in a long while, I felt completely helpless.

I told myself to stay calm. I was the Alpha of the Bloodfang Pack. I had faced enemies, explosions, betrayals and attacks without allowing fear to control me. I had survived situations that would have broken weaker werewolves.

But this was different.

There was no enemy for me to fight.

No one for Frieda to attack.

No amount of Alpha strength could force a broken aircraft to remain in the sky.

Fear spread through my body until my hands became cold. I turned toward Lucian, and for once, I did not bother hiding the helplessness in my eyes.

“Lucian, what do we do?”

He immediately took my hand.

“Don’t be afraid.”

His fingers tightened around mine, steady and warm despite the chaos around us.

“We’ll be fine.”

I had no idea how he could sound so certain when the pilot had just told us the plane was going to crash, but hearing his voice gave me something to hold on to.

Lucian turned toward the pilot.

“Stay calm. Try to stabilize the plane as much as possible and begin descending now. Once we reach a suitable altitude, we’ll jump.”

My eyes widened.

Jump?

The pilot looked frightened, but he nodded quickly.

“I’ll do my best.”

Lucian’s private jet had been custom-built, and thankfully, emergency situations had been considered during its design. There were parachutes aboard for the passengers and crew.

I had known about them.

I had simply never imagined I would actually need one.

Lucian wasted no time. While the pilot struggled to control the aircraft and force it lower, Lucian directed the remaining crew members to retrieve the parachutes and prepare everyone for an emergency jump.

I watched them moving around the violently shaking cabin.

The reality of what was about to happen finally settled over me.

We were going to jump out of a plane.

“Lucian, do we really have to jump?”

I moved closer to him without even realizing it. My face had gone pale, and I could no longer pretend I was handling this well.

I was terrified.

Heights had frightened me since childhood. Even standing at the top of the Ferris wheel with Lucian had made me nervous, and that had been nothing compared with this.

Now I was expected to willingly jump from an aircraft thousands of feet above the earth.

If the parachute failed…

If something went wrong…

If we fell into the ocean…

I forced myself to stop thinking before the images became worse.

Lucian looked directly at me.

“Selene, listen to me. The plane is out of control. We have no choice but to jump.”

His voice remained steady, but there was nothing playful about his expression.

I knew he was right.

Knowing that did not make it easier.

“But…” I swallowed, trying to control the trembling in my voice. “I’m scared. I have a fear of heights.”

Admitting it aloud made me feel strangely vulnerable.

Lucian’s expression softened.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”

There was no hesitation in his voice.

He spoke as though protecting me while falling through the sky was something he could simply decide to do.

Normally, I might have argued that I did not need his protection.

This time, I said nothing.

The situation was becoming more dangerous with every passing second. The plane continued to shake while the pilot fought to bring it down to a safer altitude and reduce its speed.

Lucian remained focused throughout everything.

He checked the instruments.

Then he looked again.

Finally, his expression changed.

“It’s time.”

The altitude and speed had reached a level where jumping was possible.

That should have relieved me.

It did not.

The aircraft was now shaking more violently than before, and every sudden movement made it seem as though the plane might break apart around us.

There was no more time.

The aircraft would not remain in the sky much longer.

It could crash and explode at any moment.

“Jump! Now!”

The cabin door was opened.

Wind immediately tore through the aircraft.

Lucian stood with a cold, composed expression and ordered the crew members to secure their parachutes and leave one after another.

The first crew member jumped.

Then another.

One by one, they disappeared through the open door and into the enormous sky outside.

I watched each of them vanish, and my stomach tightened further.

Soon, almost everyone was gone.

Only three of us remained.

The pilot.

Lucian.

And me.

The pilot was still fighting to keep the plane stable for a few moments longer. Sweat covered his forehead as he made the final adjustments to the aircraft’s settings.

“Mr. Frostbane, Ms. Nightbane, you have to jump now!”

Instead of moving toward the exit himself, Lucian approached him.

His brows drew together.

“You first. Go!”

The pilot hesitated.

Then he looked at Lucian with deep gratitude.

“Mr. Frostbane, Ms. Nightbane… take care.”

Those words sounded far too much like a farewell.

Before I could dwell on them, the pilot turned and jumped.

Within seconds, he disappeared from sight.

Now Lucian and I were alone.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

“Selene, get ready.”

Lucian secured the parachutes, checking everything carefully before pulling me firmly against him.

His strong arms surrounded me.

I made the terrible mistake of looking down.

My mind immediately went blank.

There was nothing beneath us that looked safe or familiar. The enormous distance made the world below seem unreal, and clouds stretched beneath the plane like a vast white sea.

My legs weakened.

Fear seized every part of me so completely that I could barely breathe.

“Lucian…”

My voice came out small.

“I’m scared.”

He held me tighter.

“Close your eyes. I’ll count to three. We’ll jump together.”

His low voice sounded close to my ear.

I shut my eyes immediately.

I could do this.

I had to.

There was no other choice.

I drew in one deep breath and wrapped myself around Lucian as tightly as I could.

Then we jumped.

The safety of the plane vanished beneath my feet.

“Ahhh!”

My scream tore from my throat before I could control it.

The sensation was horrifying.

Weightlessness seized my entire body as we plunged through the open sky at a terrifying speed. Wind rushed around us, and my stomach seemed to remain somewhere far above while the rest of me continued falling.

Instinct overwhelmed reason.

I shifted.

Frieda burst free.

Unfortunately, my wolf was no calmer about falling from the sky than I was.

A panicked whimper escaped Frieda as we continued dropping through the air.

“Alpha, I hate this!”

For once, we completely agreed.

Lucian shifted as well.

His powerful white wolf appeared beside us, quickly moving closer despite the violent rush of air. He wrapped himself around Frieda as much as possible, keeping us together as both wolves continued falling.

We were two wolves tangled together in freefall, completely at the mercy of the sky.

Still, having Lucian beside me kept the panic from swallowing me completely.

We continued descending until we approached the critical altitude for opening the parachutes.

Lucian shifted back into his human form.

Thankfully, the parachutes remained securely strapped to us despite our transformations.

His voice reached me over the rushing wind.

“Selene, shift back. Your wolf form is too heavy. The parachute won’t hold.”

I knew he was right.

Remaining as Frieda could make the parachute useless.

I had no choice.

I surrendered control again and returned to my human form.

The instant I did, the full terror of falling seemed to hit me all over again.

I could not open my eyes.

I did not want to see how high we were.

I wrapped myself around Lucian and clung to him with everything I had, no longer caring whether I looked frightened or weak.

At that moment, he was the only solid thing in a world where everything else seemed to be falling.

“Selene, I’m opening the parachute! Hold onto me tight!”

I tightened my grip immediately.

Then the parachute deployed.

The violent speed of our fall suddenly changed.

My body jerked as the parachute caught the air, and the horrible sensation of plunging uncontrollably began to ease.

I released a shaky breath.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried to calm my racing heart.

We were no longer falling at that terrifying speed.

We had made it through the jump.

At least for now.

“It’s over. We’re good.”

Lucian’s husky voice came from close beside my ear.

I wanted desperately to believe him.

Slowly, I forced my eyes open.

Clouds surrounded us in every direction.

There was no ground nearby, no building, no familiar landmark, only an endless world of sky and drifting white clouds.

We hung beneath the parachute, moving through the air with no control over where the wind would carry us.

For the first time, I understood just how small we were.

Suspended in the middle of that enormous sky, we felt like a tiny boat drifting alone across a limitless ocean, something that could disappear without leaving a trace.

The immediate danger of the freefall had passed, but we were still far from safety.

I slowly raised my eyes to Lucian’s face.

He had stayed calm through everything. He had guided the crew, protected me, jumped with me and held onto me when fear had taken away almost every bit of my courage.

But even Lucian could not control what waited below us.

My fingers tightened against him.

“Lucian…” I whispered.

The question I had been too afraid to ask finally escaped my lips.

“Are we going to die?”