132- The Last Flicker Before Darkness
POV Lunara Grimwald:
He grabbed my hair and yanked me toward him. I kicked and struggled, but he was far stronger. He shoved me down onto the mattress, slamming my face into the bedding and bruising my skin.
“Alessio…” I gasped, my voice muffled against the filthy sheets. I could barely breathe—I was suffocating—while he laughed.
Panic surged through me, sparking a desperate burst of strength. I fought with everything I had, kicking at the air, the wall, even at him.
I felt the needle pierce my skin.
“And when I’m done, nothing of you will remain. It will be as if you never existed—only an empty shadow of what you once were. And then you’ll have no choice but to stay with me and revel in my company.”
The liquid flooded into my bloodstream, dragging me down. I blinked as black dots flickered behind my eyelids. My body grew heavy. My movements slowed until I could barely twitch.
He let go of me and stepped back, the mattress lifting with the absence of his weight.
Curling into the corner of the bed—putting as much distance between us as I could—I lowered my eyelids and didn’t lift them again, slipping back into the void.
(...)
POV Edric Eldoria:
I ran between the trees, pushing myself to full speed as I plunged deeper into the dense, wild forest. The cutting winter air filled my lungs. I inhaled sharply, catching the scent of the damned wolves just ahead of us.
Twisted branches whipped past in a blur. My footsteps drummed against the forest floor, muffled by the crunch of snow beneath my feet.
My men followed close behind, staying on my trail.
I stopped, turning in a full circle, sniffing every aroma that clung to the air. The sharp scent of pine mixed with the freshness of newly fallen snow dominated the surroundings, but the faint trace of moss—the signature smell of Eclipse wolves—still lingered.
Andrei halted at my side, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to steady his breath after running kilometers behind me.
“Can you find the direction?” he asked, nostrils flaring.
I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.
It was as if something inside me—something I never knew existed—was driving me forward. Exhaustion meant nothing compared to my determination to find Lunara.
I looked around, desperately seeking any sign of them. The scent was fading, dissolving as if it had never been there at all.
A frustrated growl tore from my chest. My nails elongated, and I raked them across one of the tree trunks.
“I can’t smell them anymore,” I roared, furious. “I can only track them up to this point.”
Andrei let out a rough breath, adjusting his stance and dragging a hand through his hair.
“I can’t find anything else either. We lost them again.”
I punched the tree trunk, splintering it and crushing my knuckles. Pain shot up my arm before my body began to heal itself.
“Is she not awake?” he asked. I shook my head.
“Nothing. She must be sleeping.”
Lunara barely stayed awake for more than minutes at a time. Whenever I managed to sense her location, Alessio moved again before we could reach her.
“We’re close to Eclipse lands,” he noted, glancing around.
I pressed my hands to my waist and inhaled deeply, trying to calm myself. It was the closest trail we had found in days. For a moment—even if only a fraction of one—I had believed we might reach her, that I could finally get to her.
Overall, she felt calm, but then something would shift and her panic would hit me—sharp and relentless. Not knowing what was happening to her, what Alessio was doing, was killing me.
My men gathered around us, waiting silently for instructions.
“We keep going,” I hissed.
Andrei took a step closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“We need to rest, Edric. It’s been over twenty-four hours of walking and running nonstop. We’re close to Eclipse territory—we need sleep before we go any farther.”
No one said a word. They all waited in silence.
“They’re close—that’s why we can still smell them. If we move now, we might reach her in time,” I insisted.
Andrei looked at me through his dark lashes, expression heavy with understanding and firm resolve.
“I know you want to reach her—we all do. Lunara is part of the pack, she matters to us. But we need a few hours of rest,” he murmured. “We don’t know what we’ll face in their lands. This may be our last peaceful night.”
“Andrei!” I barked.
“I know—we’re going to get her. We’ll rescue her. But we need sleep, water, and food first.”
He was right, no matter how much it infuriated me.
We hadn’t slept well or eaten properly in days. I looked around at my men, their faces showing clear exhaustion. They were starving too, yet they would follow me anywhere, ignoring their needs.
“Fine,” I said. “Set up camp here. I’ll hunt something for dinner.”
I couldn’t stay still, so I’d settle for hunting and keeping watch through the night. Even if I wanted to sleep, I knew I wouldn’t.
“When was the last time you felt her?” Andrei asked as the others spread out to prepare the camp.
“A few hours ago.”
“Do you think she’s okay?”
I looked at him.
“I think so. I don’t feel any physical injuries. She feels fear at times, but it’s not from anything they’re doing to her—it feels like she’s suffering because of what she’s going through.”
He nodded, swallowing hard.
“We’ll reach them. We’ll kill that bastard and bring Lunara home.”
“I know we will,” I said firmly. “But stopping—resting—means letting them get farther away.”
“We can’t risk it. They’ll be on their territory, in their pack. We’ll already be at a disadvantage. Showing up exhausted and starving would only make things worse.”
I released a deep, frustrated sigh.