Chapter 45 MODEN EVE IN THE DARKNESS
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Chapter 45 HIDDEN EVIL IN THE DARKNESS
OLIVIA’S POV
The moment the lights went out, the grandeur of the ballroom vanished in an instant.
One second, there was the dazzling shimmer of chandeliers, music, and laughter… and the next–darkness. A void so complete it stole the breath from my lungs.
Gasps erupted across the room, followed by shrill cries and the sound of chairs scraping against the marble floor. Fear crackled through the air like a live wire, infectious and wild. The once elegant event had been reduced to chaos within seconds.
My heart pounded violently in my chest, instinctively bracing for what I couldn’t see. And then–I felt them.
Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, firm and grounding.
Dominic.
“I’m here. Don’t be scared,” he murmured, his voice low and steady against the shell of my ear. His familiar scent–earthy pine and something darker, uniquely his–washed over me, soothing my trembling body before I could even understand why.
The way he held me, like I was the most fragile thing in the world… it sent a painful jolt through my heart.
“Dominic,” I whispered, barely audible above the growing panic around us. My fingers clutched the sleeve of his coat. “Do something. This is the second time this is happening–it’s not just chaos, it’s a message. It’s not good for the pack.”
I felt him exhale slowly, his chest rising and falling against my back. Then his arms tightened around me protectively, his warmth almost overwhelming in the cold dark of the ballroom.
“I’m the Alpha,” he whispered, his tone resolute. “I’ll worry about that.”
There was a short pause, and then, softer–gentler:
“You… just focus on you. And our pup.”
My heart clenched.
Our pup.
The way he said it–possessive, almost reverent–it made my breath hitch. My hands instinctively moved to cradle my belly, and for a moment, I allowed myself to lean back into his embrace.
We stood like that in the dark, surrounded by panic and confusion, as if suspended in time. For that brief moment, the chaos of the world faded into the background, and there was only us.
For a fleeting second, I forgot everything else–the betrayal, the heartbreak, the loneliness. In the shadows of panic and confusion, I felt like I was transported back in time. Back to the days when I used to wake up in his arms and fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. The days when I used to think that my love was enough to get through this life. That his protection was enough.
His grip was firm but gentle, like he was shielding something precious.
Me.
He lowered his head slightly, his chin, brushing the top of my head as his chest rose and fell in time with mine.
“What is going on?” I whispered.
“I don’t think it’s anything,” he tried to soothe me, but I could feel the tension in his body.
This… this was the man I had once fallen hopelessly for. And for a moment, I let myself melt into that illuston–let myself believe that maybe I still mattered. That maybe I wasn’t invisible to him.
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Chapter 45 HDDEN EVIL IN THE DARKNESS
+25 Bonus
I knew that this wasn’t an ordinary light out; something was not right.
But then, a scream brought me out of my thoughts.
“Dominic!” Evelyn’s voice rang out like a siren, high–pitched and panicked.
I felt his entire body freeze.
And in the next second, his arms dropped from around me like a severed tether. I didn’t even have to look to know he was gone. My body already felt the absence–the hollow cold that followed.
“I’ll be right back, don’t move and wait for me,” he murmured hurriedly, already rushing away.
Of course. Of course.
He always runs to her.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips, quiet and hollow. Silly me, to believe–just for a second–that I meant something. That the warmth in his arms had meant something.
When will my heart stop doing this?
How many times would I fall for the same warmth that always burns me?
I stood frozen for a few heartbeats, blinking against the darkness, trying to gather my bearings. Shadows darted around me- some guests were using their phones as flashlights, and others were calling out names, trying to locate their loved ones.
“Olivia!” I heard James call me in panic.
“Olivia, where are you?” Derek’s voice followed right after, sharper, more urgent.
Should I answer?
What if someone was looking for me in this darkness? But I need them, I need someone by my side not for me but for my baby.
“I’m here!” I began to call out, lifting my hand just slightly-
That’s when I smelled it.
A sharp, acrid scent–chemical and unfamiliar–filled my nostrils so suddenly that I choked. Before I could even react, something was pressed tightly against my face.
A cloth. Soaked.
Panic exploded in my chest.
My hands shot up to push it away, but whoever it was had anticipated the struggle. They gripped me hard, one arm coiled around my midsection, pinning my arms and crushing my baby bump in the process.
“No-“I tried to scream, but the cloth was already muffling my voice.
The sharp chemical scent burned my lungs. My limbs started to feel sluggish. My knees buckled beneath me. My vision swam, blurry and dark around the edges.
No–my baby. My baby…
I fought to stay awake. Fought to scream for James, for Derek, for anyone.
But it was like my body was betraying me, my strength evaporating with every labored breath
The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed me whole was a pair of unfamiliar boots and the glint of a tattoo on the
man’s wrist.
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Chapter 45 HIDDEN EVIL IN THE DARKNESS
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Then everything went black.
P
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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.
