Panic beats like a snare drum in my chest as I break into a run down a long, arched stone hallway full of shadows. The only light is provided by narrow slits—blue-tinged, which seems to mirror this desolate location.
I need to find someone, and quickly. They need to know that the Noths have infiltrated the academy. My mom and dad are here. My…my scent matches are here.
Oh god.
Have they already attacked the ballroom?
Was that their plan all along?
Is my family okay? Harper? My alphas?
I quicken my pace, my breaths escaping me in choppy pants, as I hear footsteps behind me. Multiple.
How many?
I try to focus my senses, the way we were taught at Eros Academy, but it’s difficult. I’m not truly an alpha, after all, even if I’m dressed as one.
Oh god.
Is Teddie their true target?
Did they grab me by mistake, thinking I’m him?
But no…the man holding me referred to me as “girl.” Despite my disguise, they know exactly who I am.
Caustic betrayal settles on my tongue.
Sam.
Sam did this.
But I can’t think of the beta who betrayed me. Not now. Not until I get help.
I run even faster, forcing my legs to carry me. I’m suddenly grateful for the strict training regimen the professors at Eros Academy put me through. I never would’ve been able to run this fast in my bodysuit beforehand.
A door looms before me, a beacon that promises me safety, and I reach for it, my arm extended, my fingers splayed?—
Someone slams into me from behind, and I hit the ground. Hard.
Panic ricochets through my skull as a heavy body straddles my limp form and a mouth moves close to my ear.
“You can run all you like, little Princess, but we’ll always catch you.”
Rancid breath tickles my nose, and all at once, my bravado fades.
That voice…
Flashbacks barrage me once again.
The cage.
The taunting voices.
The cruel hands.
This man was there the last time I was taken. I would recognize that rough growl anywhere, like he smoked one too manycigarettes a day and now struggles to articulate a single word with his shrinking lungs.
Pedro.
