98
I fought against the officers with everything I had, thrashing and kicking, but their grips were like iron. “Let me go!” I screamed, my voice raw with desperation.
One of them growled in frustration. “Shut her up!”
Then–crack!
C
A heavy slap across my face sent me sprawling into the car. My head slammed against the doorframe, and pain exploded behind my eyes. My vision blurred, my body went limp, and the world turned black.
When I woke up, the first thing I felt was the cold.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and gasoline. My hands trembled as I pushed myself up, my head pounding from where I’d been struck. My vision adjusted to the darkness, and that’s when I saw them.
The officers. They were digging.
0.39 AM.
Kept the Alpha’s Secret Hem
The officers. They were digging.
I sucked in a sharp breath as realization hit me like a freight train.
They’re digging my grave.
Panic clawed at my throat. I scrambled backward, but my body was still weak. The sound of the shovel slicing through the dirt sent chills down my spine.
One of the officers turned to me, a sick smile spreading across his face. “Awake already? That’s a shame.”
I forced myself to stay calm. “Please, you don’t have to do this.”
He snorted. “This ain’t personal, lady. Orders are orders.”
Orders. I knew who gave them.
Cecelia.
The rage that burned inside me pushed away the fear. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I won’t let them bury me like this. I won’t die here.
I had to fight. But before I could move, chaos erupted. Gunshots.
A strangled scream.
D
I flinched as one of the officers dropped, blood pooling around his chest. Another fell before he could even reach
for his weapon. The third turned in terror, only to be struck down in seconds.
My breath hitched as I saw who stood there, panting, gun in hand.
Nathan.
I gasped. “Nathan!”
His eyes found mine, wild with urgency. “We have to go. “Now!”
I stumbled to my feet as he rushed to me, gripping my arm tightly to steady me.
“H–how did you-?” I started, my voice shaking.
Nathan’s jaw clenched. “They moved me. Put me in a car, injected me with something. But they got careless. I woke up before they expected.” He exhaled sharply. “I followed their tracks here. Just in time.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on me. “I thought I was going to die.”
His grip on me tightened. “Not on my watch.”
I nodded, trying to suppress the lump in my throat. “Nathan… they have Nicholas. We need to get him back.”
His eyes darkened with determination. “Then let’s move.”
We fled the scene, our bodies running on pure adrenaline. The night stretched before us, cold and unforgiving,
but we didn’t stop.
Our only chance was to disappear.
Nathan and I made it to a nearby train station, barely managing to blend in with the crowd. The moment the train
doors shut behind us, I finally let out a shaky breath.
“We don’t know where we’re going,” I whispered.
Nathan gave me a grim look. “Anywhere but here.”
The train rattled forward, carrying us into the unknown.
G
Hours passed before we arrived in a town neither of us recognized. It was old, eerily quiet, with streets that seemed untouched by time. The buildings looked worn, their wooden structures creaking under the weight of the
wind.
As we wandered through the deserted streets, an unsettling feeling settled over me. Then we saw her.
An old woman stood at the entrance of a small wooden house, her piercing eyes locked onto us as if she had
been expecting us.
Nathan tensed beside me. “We need to keep moving-”
9.39 AM
1 Kept the Alpha’s Secret Heir
“You are in grave danger.”
Her voice was like gravel, rough yet steady.
I hesitated. “How do you-?”
0
0
She turned and walked into her house without another word.
Nathan and I exchanged wary glances before following.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of herbs and something else–something ancient. Strange symbols were
carved into the wooden walls, and a dim candle flickered in the center of the room.
“You are being hunted,” the woman said without looking at us.
I swallowed hard. “We know.”
She finally turned, her sharp eyes narrowing. “Then why are you here?”
My voice cracked. “They took my son.”
For the first time, her expression softened. “And you wish to get him back?”
Tears welled in my eyes as I nodded. “Please.”
She studied me for a long moment before reaching for a small vial filled with a shimmering liquid.
“This will help you disguise yourselves. But only for one day.”
Nathan tensed. “A disguise?”
The woman–Esmeralda–nodded. “If you are to enter their territory, you must not be recognized. This potion will change your scent, your appearance. But once the sun rises again, it will wear off.”
I glanced at Nathan, seeing the hesitation in his eyes.
But we had no choice.
I reached for the vial. “We’ll take it.”
Esmeralda’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “Then be warned–once you step into their world, there is no turning back.”
I tightened my grip on the vial.
“I don’t care.”
Because nothing mattered more than getting my son back.
A week of preparation led to this moment.
