I barely made it five steps from the ballroom before it hit me—sharp and sudden, like someone pulling a thread taut between my ribs.
Panic.
Not mine.
His.
It wasn't a scream. Not yet. Just the frantic thrum of fear pressed tight against the bond, barely held back.
Alpha—
The sound of it, even muffled and half-formed, made my stomach lurch. Not a plea. Not a word. Just a flicker of him reaching, mind wild and terrified, like he couldn't breathe.
I grabbed the wall to steady myself, breath catching.
Nyx snarled. He's in trouble.
The scent of blood was heavier now, mixed with something wet and chemical—sedatives? Restraints? My hands curled into fists.
The ballroom was already a mess of carnage. Fires had started from shattered chandeliers and overturned candles. The marble was slick with gore. Screams were duller now, fading under the weight of inevitability.
They were dying. Fast.
But I couldn't focus on them anymore.
Because Nine was slipping.
He's trying not to scream, Nyx said lowly. But he's close. I can feel it.
I moved faster, ducking into the side hall. The creatures had already torn through one wing, their screeches echoing behind the walls. Shadows flickered at the edge of my vision—thick-limbed monsters dragging corpses into corners, bones crunching beneath clawed feet.
I didn't care.
Please— the bond shivered again. Desperate. He was still trying to hold it together, but something was happening. Something close. Wrong. Alpha. Alpha, please—
And then the image struck.
Not a memory. Not quite a vision. Just a flash through the bond.
Nine's wrists bound above his head. His hair tangled. His breathing ragged. The boss standing behind him, muttering something too quiet to make out. Calm. Deliberate.
My vision went red.
I took off running.
Nyx pressed against my skin, barely restrained. My claws were already itching to shift forward.
He's tying him up, I growled, voice low and shaking. In the middle of this, he's still—
I didn't finish. I couldn't.
Not without losing control.
Every instinct screamed at me to find them. To tear the doors open. To rip the boss apart for even touching what was mine.
But I couldn't do it yet. Not while the creatures were still spreading.
Not while the plan was still in motion.
I forced myself to slow, slipping between the burning corridors, ducking past another wave of guests sprinting blindly through the halls.
Some of them weren't lucky enough to make it far.
One woman tripped—heels snapping—and before she could rise, something seized her from above. Pulled her back into the darkness.
Her screams didn't last long.
The smoke was getting thicker.
I passed a shattered mirror and barely recognized myself. Blood across my cheek. Eyes glowing. Chest heaving.
And underneath all of it, the bond pulsed again.
Fainter this time.
Like he was losing strength.
Please, he whispered, almost dreamlike now. Alpha…
I clenched my jaw, every part of me screaming to turn back, to find him now.
But I had to wait.
Just a little longer.
Just until the boss was alone.
Just until I could get him away.
I swore it quietly to the bond. Swore it over and over, like a promise sealed in blood.
I'm coming for you.
And this time, I wouldn't be too late.