ADRIAN POV
I don't know what happens to me… when I'm near her.
I can't forget her scent.
Or the feeling of her in my arms.
The way she looked at me.
The way she trusted me without even realizing it.
What is happening to me?
I slammed the file shut.
Enough.
I needed to stop thinking about her.
I needed to find Andy.
The room was silent except for the sound of papers shifting beneath my fingers.
Maps.
Reports.
Photographs.
Nothing useful.
Nothing that could tell me where Andy was.
Frustration coiled inside me.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The door creaked open.
Mike walked in.
His sharp eyes immediately landed on me.
"Where were you?"
"Nowhere. I was just… in the forest."
His gaze narrowed.
"In the meeting too, you weren't concentrating."
"Did you find anything about Andy?" I cut him off, ignoring his question.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then—
The door burst open.
Drek rushed inside.
Breathless.
Agitated.
"They found out who took her! But, Adrain… you need to look at it yourself first."
Everything inside me froze.
Thank God.
Finally.
A lead.
A name.
A target.
I'll kill them.
Every single one of them.
Whoever dared to take her.
I was already moving before the thought fully formed.
The corridor blurred around me.
Mike and Drek followed.
The doors to the meeting hall flew open.
Silence crashed across the room.
Every head turned.
Every conversation died.
The highest members of the clan stood gathered around the table.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then Elisa rushed toward me.
Her face had gone pale.
Fear lingered in her eyes.
A sight I almost never saw.
Her voice trembled.
Though she fought to hide it.
"He found her, Adrain… it's him."
My entire body went still.
The room seemed colder.
Darker.
"Don't worry. I'll bring her back. Nothing will happen to her," I growled, clenching my fists until my nails dug into my palms.
Dawson.
The name exploded through my mind.
Dawson.
Of all people.
I can't believe he found her.
A dangerous smile touched my lips.
Cold.
Merciless.
Deadly.
Dawson—
you're already dead.
I turned toward Drek.
Every eye in the room followed me.
"Search for Dawson. Now."
The command echoed through the hall.
No one argued.
No one questioned me.
Fear had already settled across the room.
Because everyone knew what happened when I got angry.
And right now—
I wasn't angry.
I was far worse.
"I'm coming for you, Andy."
ANDY POV:
Oh God…
Where am I?
My head felt like it was splitting apart.
Slowly, painfully, I opened my eyes.
Darkness.
A single dim bulb hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly, its weak light flickering across the room.
Everything felt cold.
Silent.
Wrong.
For a moment, I couldn't remember how I got here.
Then fear came rushing back.
The room blurred as panic tightened around my chest.
Across the room sat a man.
Motionless.
Waiting.
His face remained hidden beneath layers of shadow.
Then—
He stood.
The scrape of the chair echoed through the darkness.
My heart nearly stopped.
One step.
Then another.
His footsteps bounced off the walls, growing louder with every second.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
"Oh, cupcake… you're awake. I missed you so much."
His voice slithered through the silence.
My blood turned to ice.
No.
No...
It can't be him.
Not him.
How did he find me?
Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.
My body began shaking uncontrollably.
What will he do to me now?
Please.
Let this be a dream.
A nightmare.
Anything but this.
I just need to wake up.
"Baby," he whispered darkly, "this is not a dream. Your lover is here."
The words shattered whatever hope I had left.
No.
It was him.
His shadow stretched across the floor until it swallowed me completely.
His face loomed closer.
His cold breath brushed against my skin.
My whole body locked in terror.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
His fingers closed around my chin.
Iron.
Unyielding.
Possessive.
"Baby… open your eyes, or I'll snap your pretty little neck."
A sob caught in my throat.
Shaking violently, I forced my eyes open.
The moment our gazes met, every ounce of strength drained from my body.
Cold.
Cruel.
Amused.
As if my fear entertained him.
"I told you I'd come for you," he hissed. "Why did you run away?"
"Please… let me go. Please!"
My voice broke completely.
I hated how small I sounded.
How helpless.
How afraid.
But I didn't care.
I would beg if it meant surviving.
His expression hardened.
The darkness in his eyes deepened.
For a second, the entire room seemed to hold its breath.
Then his temper snapped.
His rage filled every corner of the room.
With a sudden roar, he threw me against the wall.
Pain exploded through my body.
The room spun.
Before I could recover, he was already advancing.
"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."
The word love sounded horrifying coming from him.
Twisted.
Wrong.
Nothing about this was love.
Tears streamed down my face.
My body trembled uncontrollably.
My vision blurred.
The flickering light above me became distant.
Fading.
Everything hurt.
Everything felt unreal.
Darkness slowly crept into the edges of my vision.
And through the fear.
Through the pain.
Through the terror swallowing me whole—
Only one thought remained.
One desperate hope.
One name.
Adrian.
Please.
Please come fast.
Only you can save me.