His attention remains locked on the animal now circling him with low, furious growls.
Right then, Haider bursts through the trees, running straight towards us, his gun already drawn as he takes in the scene unfolding in front of him. Relief floods through me. But the second Haider raises his gun and takes aim, the wolf senses him. With a savage snarl, it abandons Raghav and leaps towards Haider instead. The force of the impact sends both of them crashing violently to the ground. The gun slips from Haider’s hand and skids across the dirt before stopping just a few feet away from Raghav.
My eyes lock onto it instantly.
“RK!” I shout desperately. “The gun! Pick it up!”
The weapon is right there, just within reach.
One shot… and the wolf would be dead.
For a fraction of a moment, Raghav’s gaze flicks towards the gun, and something strange crosses his face. It is so quick and subtle that I almost think I imagined it.
Hesitation…?
The wolf is still thrashing against Haider, its claws tearing into his jacket as it snaps viciously near his shoulder.
“Shoot it!” I scream again.
But Raghav doesn’t move towards the gun. Instead, his hand moves to his ankle, as he removes a knife hidden there. Before I can even process it, Raghav grabs the wolf from behind and wrenches it away from Haider with sheer force. And then… Raghav drives the knife deep into the wolf’s throat.
A harsh, choking sound erupts from the wolf as its body jerks violently. But Raghav doesn’t stop. He continues until the wolfcollapses heavily against the ground and the forest falls silent once again.
For a few seconds, none of us move.
Raghav pulls the knife free and steps back, his chest rising and falling in controlled breaths. Haider pushes himself up as well, brushing dirt and leaves off his clothes before giving Raghav a quick nod. But I barely notice him as my attention is fixed on Raghav. On the way his shirt is slightly torn where the wolf’s claws scraped across him. And then… on the gun lying forgotten on the ground only a few feet away.
He could have picked it up. Ended it instantly. Yet when I told him to shoot, I saw reluctance on his face. The kind that doesn’t belong to a man capable of killing a wild animal with his bare hands.
So why didn’t he pick up the gun?
RAGHAV
I stare at the lifeless body of the wolf, my muscles still humming with the aftershock of the fight. I’ve fought men in darker circumstances than this, but taking on a predator with nothing but instinct and bone-deep reflexes is something I’ve never experienced before.
As Haider moves to take care of the dead wolf, I don’t wait. I reach for Siya’s wrist before she can say a word and pull her firmly towards the direction of the estate. The only thing I care about right now is getting her back across that barricade, which she should never have crossed in the first place.
She stumbles slightly behind me as I drag her through the trees without softening my grip. When the metal fence finally comes into view, I guide her through the opening and step acrossafter her, back into the estate. The moment we are inside the safe zone, I release her wrist.
The anger that has been simmering beneath my ribs since I saw her standing alone in that forest finally rises to the surface.
“What exactly is it that you want, Siya Vardhaan?” I snap. “If your grand plan tonight was to leave the resort, you should have formally checked out with your guards instead of wandering into the forest like that. Or was this just another one of your escape attempts?”
“I wasn’t escaping. I came out for a walk.”
A walk.Really?
I take a step forward and grip her shoulders firmly, pulling her closer so she has no choice but to look directly into my face.
“You were seconds away from becoming that animal’s dinner,” I say with restrained fury. “If I hadn’t reached you in time, we would be having a very different conversation right now.”
Her breathing falters slightly, but she doesn’t step back.
“What is it with you?” I continue. “Why the hell do you always end up exactly where you are not supposed to be? My estate has rules for a reason. That forest area is restricted for a reason.”
She exhales sharply. “I didn’t see the board.”
“I don’t care.” I snap again. “This ends tonight. Ever since you arrived, you’ve been nothing but trouble. I always suspected you would be.”
