Tessa’s POV
I stared into the cloudy cup in front of me, steam curling up into the air like smoke signals…
It smelled vaguely of mint and something earthier that I couldn’t quite place.
The taste was bitter- at least, that’s what I imagined, since I hadn’t taken more than a sip so far.
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The chipped porcelain mug felt too warm in my hands, too comforting, considering how absolutely wrecked my nerves were now.
The knot in my stomach had twisted tighter with every passing minute, making food unthinkable and tea feel like poison.
“Drink. Eat. Good,” the older woman snapped in a thick Russian accent, thrashing her hands toward us dramatically. She wore a long,
knitted cardigan down to her knees and had a tight bun of gray curls wound so high it looked like it might come loose with the next gust
of air.
Erin and I sat stiffly on tall bar stools at the edge of the pack house’s kitchen island- an enormous slab of polished stone with just
enough room to make me feel like I was at a counter and not a table meant for a royal feast.
The woman shoved a plate of pastries in front of us next- glazed and folded in shapes I hadn’t ever seen before, but which might’ve been
delicious if not for the leaden weight in my chest.
“Thanks,” Erin muttered carefully, which earned her a nod of approval. I offered a weak smile and also forced out my own “thank you,” but
my heart wasn’t in it.
It had been hours of waiting now…
Hours of silence.
Hours of imagining the worst.
Hours of replaying that single phrase the guard had told us after the men had vanished to track down Dimitri:
“…they haven’t been located yet.”
They were lost somewhere, here in Russia, not even somewhere they could be remotely similar with!
The thought of them being stranded somewhere or worse, captured, had my stomach doing flips. And the worst part? No one knew what
was happening. No one knew a damn thing!
The Russian lady bustled back toward the stove, grumbling under her breath and rattling pans around with too much force for it to be
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Chapter 94
casual.
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I wondered if she, too, was trying to distract herself. Maybe she had someone out there. Or maybe she’d seen too much loss to wait by the
door anymore?
But I was running low on hope now…
The wooden door eventually creaked open from behind us, making both Erin and I jump in unison. We turned sharply to find the guard
from earlier stepping inside.
His presence was loud, as he looked right at us…
“Kion made contact with the pack,” he said quickly, already breathless, like he had run straight from his guard post just to find us.
“They’re on their way in now. Should be here in ten minutes or less.”
My breath caught up in my throat at the news.
My hands gripped the edge of the counter.
“They’re… coming back? All alive?” I whispered, my voice more air than sound.
The guard nodded once. “Yes. They made it back.”
I barely noticed that I had stood up until my stool scraped loudly against the floor. Erin stood too, her hand clutching mine in a tight squeeze that made my fingers go numb.
We didn’t say anything- just shared the same look of disbelief and barely–contained emotion.
They were alive.
They were coming back to us!
The older woman, as if sensing the shift, shuffled toward us. “Go. Wait out there. Go.” She shooed us off, as we nodded and beamed back at her encouragement.
“Thank you,” Erin told her sincerely again, while I nodded with a small smile.
We left behind our half–drunk tea and barely–touched pastries, rushing after the guard as he ushered us toward the front door again.
But this time, he didn’t block it!
He held it open like he knew we’d been caged for far too long already…
We stepped out onto the wide front porch, sunlight blinding and sharp against the pale sky.
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Chapter 94
I squinted as it illuminated the pack grounds. The chill in the air clung to my skin, but I welcomed it- anything to remind me that this
was real.
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A man in a white coat emerged out from the doors behind us after a few minutes had passed, crisp and professional–looking, followed closely by two nurses who looked far too alert for the peaceful scenery around them.
The medical bags slung over their shoulders were a jarring warning sign- someone was obviously injured…
Someone was in bad shape.
But who?!
Was it Kane? Maybe Seth?
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My arms wrapped tightly around my torso as my teeth pressed against the soft skin of my bottom lip.
“Is someone hurt?” I whispered aloud, though no one answered.
The waiting was becoming unbearable.
But then- faint at first- came the sound.
Tires on gravel.
The low hum of an approaching engine, rumbling closer and louder by the second.
My heart lurched up against my ribs, banging around for an escape…
The vehicle appeared slowly through the thinning fog. A rusty truck, battered and old, pulling around the curve of the main road like a
ghost from the past.
It didn’t look like much- but it carried everything I had been praying for inside it.
It hadn’t even stopped moving when the back doors were flung open.
And there he was.
Out first.
Kane.
He leapt out like gravity couldn’t hold him, shoulders squared and eyes searching wildly.
I didn’t wait. I couldn’t.
3/4
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Chapter 94
I launched forward, feet barely touching the steps as I bolted down from the porch.
*Kane!” I cried, the name ripped from my throat like it had been lodged there for days.
His bloodied face snapped toward me- and the moment our eyes met, he lit up.
Despite everything.
Despite the deep slash that carved its way from the side of his mouth, over his cheek, across his eye, and up to his forehead.
Despite the horror of it all- he fucking smiled!
I gasped as I got closer, stumbling to a halt. “Oh my god–y–your face-”
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But he didn’t let me stop. He closed the distance with a few powerful strides and scooped me up into his arms, lifting me from the ground
in one easy motion.
I wrapped my arms and legs around him like I’d never let him go again.
I buried my face in his neck, breathing him in- sweat, blood, dirt, and home.
“You’re alive,” I sobbed. “You’re still alive…”
He held me tighter, his large hands pressing into my back as he chuckled lightly at my words.
“I told you I’d come back,” he murmured into my hair, voice shaking just slightly. “Nothing could keep me from you after this.”
I nodded into his shoulder, ignoring the sting of tears as they slid down my cheeks.
I didn’t care about the blood on him. I didn’t care about the gash across his face.
He came back!
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
