ADRIAN'S POV
I didn't know what happened to me whenever I was near her.
I couldn't forget her scent.
Or the weight of her in my arms.
The way she looked at me.
The way she trusted me without even realizing she was doing it.
What was happening to me?
I slammed the file shut.
Enough.
I needed to stop thinking about her.
I needed to find Andy.
The room fell silent except for the faint rustle of papers beneath my fingers. Maps. Reports. Photographs. Evidence that led nowhere.
Nothing useful.
Nothing that could tell me where Andy was.
Frustration tightened like a knot beneath my skin.
Then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The door creaked open.
Mike stepped inside, his sharp gaze immediately settling on me.
"Where were you?"
"Nowhere. I was just… in the forest."
His eyes narrowed.
"You weren't exactly focused during the meeting either."
"Did you find anything about Andy?" I interrupted, refusing to answer.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then the door burst open.
Drek stumbled inside, breathless and visibly agitated.
"They found out who took her. But, Adrian… you need to see it yourself."
Everything inside me went still.
Finally.
A lead.
A name.
A target.
I'll kill them.
Every last one of them.
Whoever had dared to take Andy would regret it.
I was already moving before the thought had fully formed.
The corridor blurred as Mike and Drek followed close behind.
The doors to the meeting hall flew open.
Silence swept through the chamber.
Every head turned.
Every conversation died.
The highest-ranking members of the clan stood gathered around the enormous table, their expressions grim.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then Elisa rushed toward me.
Her face was pale.
Fear flickered in her eyes—a sight I almost never saw.
When she spoke, her voice trembled despite her attempt to steady it.
"He found her, Adrian."
She swallowed.
"It's him."
My entire body went rigid.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"Dawson."
The name tore through my mind.
Dawson.
Of all people.
I couldn't believe he'd found her.
A smile slowly curved across my lips.
There was nothing warm about it.
Nothing human.
"Don't worry," I said, my voice low. "I'll bring her back. Nothing will happen to her."
My hands curled into fists until my nails dug into my palms.
Dawson.
You're already dead.
I turned toward Drek.
"Find him."
My voice echoed through the chamber.
"Now."
No one argued.
No one questioned the order.
Fear had already settled over the room because everyone knew what happened when I lost control.
And right now—
I wasn't angry.
I was something far worse.
I was coming for him.
And I would tear apart everything standing between me and Andy.
ANDY'S POV
Oh God…
Where am I?
My head throbbed as though someone were driving a blade through my skull.
Slowly, painfully, I opened my eyes.
Darkness greeted me.
A single bulb hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly as its weak light flickered across the room.
Everything felt cold.
Still.
Wrong.
For several seconds, I couldn't remember how I'd gotten there.
Then the memories returned.
Fear seized my chest.
I tried to move, but my body felt heavy and weak.
Across the room, a man sat in a chair.
Motionless.
Waiting.
His face was hidden beneath the shadows.
My breath caught.
Then he stood.
The scrape of the chair against the floor echoed through the room.
One step.
Then another.
His footsteps reverberated against the walls, each one bringing him closer.
Closer.
Closer.
"Oh, cupcake…"
His voice slid through the darkness.
"I missed you."
My blood ran cold.
No.
No…
It couldn't be him.
Not him.
How had he found me?
Tears welled in my eyes before I could stop them.
My entire body began to tremble.
What was he going to do to me?
Please…
Let this be a nightmare.
Let me wake up.
"Baby."
His voice was almost gentle.
That made it worse.
"This isn't a dream."
He stepped closer.
"Your lover is here."
Whatever hope remained inside me shattered.
No.
It really was him.
His shadow stretched across the floor until it reached me, swallowing me in darkness.
His face emerged from the gloom.
His cold breath brushed against my skin.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
His fingers closed around my chin, forcing my face upward.
The grip was merciless.
Possessive.
"Baby… open your eyes."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Or I'll snap that pretty little neck."
A sob caught in my throat.
I forced my eyes open.
The moment our gazes met, every remaining ounce of courage drained from me.
His eyes were cold.
Cruel.
Amused.
As though my terror entertained him.
"I told you I'd come for you," he murmured.
"Why did you run away?"
"Please…"
My voice cracked.
"Please, let me go."
I hated how small I sounded.
How helpless.
How frightened.
But pride meant nothing anymore.
I would beg if it meant surviving.
His expression hardened.
Something dark flashed across his face.
For one terrible second, the entire room seemed to hold its breath.
Then his temper snapped.
With a sudden roar, he seized me and hurled me against the wall.
Pain exploded through my body.
My vision blurred.
The room spun violently around me.
Before I could recover, he was already standing over me.
"I told you your life belongs to me!"
His voice thundered through the room.
"Never run from me again!"
Every word carried the weight of obsession.
Possession.
Control.
"You know how much I love you."
Love.
The word twisted something inside me.
There was nothing loving in his voice.
Nothing tender in his touch.
This wasn't love.
It was possession wearing love's name.
Tears streamed down my face.
My body trembled uncontrollably as the edges of my vision began to darken.
The flickering light above me blurred.
The room seemed to drift farther away.
Everything hurt.
Everything felt unreal.
Darkness crept slowly into my vision.
And through the fear—
Through the pain—
Through the terror consuming me—
One thought remained.
One desperate hope.
One name.
Adrian.
Please.
Please come soon.
Only you can save me.