kidnap(1/2)

"Clara," came a voice from the doorway.

She turned to see Marcus, her second-in-command, leaning against the frame, his brow furrowed. "You're not seriously thinking of going alone, are you?"

She met his gaze, her expression unyielding. "I don't have a choice, Marcus. Victor will kill him if I bring anyone else."

Marcus stepped closer, his voice low but urgent. "This is suicide. You know what Victor's capable of. He'll be expecting you."

Clara's jaw tightened. "I don't care. I'm not leaving Noah to die."

Marcus sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're not just the Alpha of this pack, Clara. You're our leader. If something happens to you—"

"Then you'll step up," she interrupted, her tone final. "But I'm not abandoning him. Not now, not ever."

Marcus studied her for a long moment, then nodded reluctantly. "Just…be careful. We need you."

Clara's expression softened, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be back. Both of us will."

As Marcus left, Clara turned to the mirror, her reflection staring back with icy resolve. She adjusted the strap of her blade, her fingers brushing against the scar on her wrist—a reminder of the battles she'd survived. She could do this. She had to.

Her mind drifted to Noah, to the way his touch had sent shivers down her spine the last time they'd been together.

She remembered the way he'd leaned in, his breath warm against her ear as he whispered, "You're not alone in this, Clara. Not anymore."

Her chest tightened, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm coming for you, Noah," she murmured, her voice a mix of determination and longing. "Just hold on."

With one last glance at the mirror, Clara strode out of the room, her steps steady and purposeful. The night air was cold against her skin, but she barely felt it. Her focus was razor-sharp, her mind set on one goal: infiltrating Victor's stronghold and bringing Noah home—no matter the cost.

As she disappeared into the shadows, the flicker of hope in her heart burned brighter than ever. She would not fail him. Not this time.

Clara crouched low behind a cluster of overgrown shrubs, her breath steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

The moon hung like a silver sliver in the sky, casting just enough light for her to navigate the dense forest without giving away her position. She adjusted the strap of her pack, her fingers brushing against the small, worn compass Noah had given her weeks ago. *Focus*, she told herself, pushing aside the pang of worry that threatened to distract her.

"Two guards at the east gate," she muttered under her breath, her sharp eyes picking out the figures pacing the perimeter. "Victor's not taking any chances."

She moved like a shadow, her boots barely making a sound against the forest floor. The first trap was a tripwire, nearly invisible in the dim light. Clara paused, her heart pounding as she knelt to examine it. "Too obvious," she whispered, her lips curling into a faint smirk. "He's testing me."

She bypassed it with ease, her movements fluid and deliberate. The second guard post was trickier—a motion sensor rigged to trigger an alarm. Clara crouched behind a tree, her mind racing. "Think, Clara," she hissed to herself. "What would Noah do?"

The thought of him—his calm, steady presence—grounded her. She reached into her pack and pulled out a small device, a prototype Noah had been working on before his capture. With a deep breath, she activated it and tossed it into the brush. The guards turned at the sound, their voices sharp and urgent.

"Did you hear that?" one barked, his hand hovering over his weapon.

"Probably just an animal," the other replied, though his tone was uneasy.

Clara seized the moment, slipping past them with practiced precision. Her heart hammered in her chest, but her focus never wavered. She was close now—she could feel it.

The facility loomed ahead, its metallic walls gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Clara's jaw tightened as she scanned the area. "Noah," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I'm coming."

She edged closer, her senses on high alert. The final obstacle was a laser grid, crisscrossing the entrance in a deadly pattern. Clara's fingers trembled slightly as she pulled out a small mirror from her pack. "Here goes nothing," she muttered, angling it to reflect the beams.

The moment the grid deactivated, she darted inside, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts. The interior was cold and sterile, a stark contrast to the wild forest outside. Clara pressed herself against the wall, her ears straining for any sound.

"You're good, Clara," she whispered to herself, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and determination. "But this isn't over yet."

Her thoughts drifted to Noah again, to the way he'd looked at her the last time they'd been together—like she was the only person in the world. It was that look that fueled her now, that kept her moving forward despite the odds.

She rounded a corner and froze. A guard stood just a few feet away, his back to her. Clara's hand instinctively went to the knife at her belt, but she hesitated. "No," she thought, her mind racing. "Noise will bring the whole place down on me."

Instead, she crept closer, her movements as silent as a whisper. Just as the guard turned, she struck—a swift, precise blow to the back of his neck. He crumpled to the ground without a sound.

Clara exhaled sharply, her chest heaving. "One down," she muttered, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "But how many more to go?"

Her fingers brushed against the compass again, and for a moment, she allowed herself to imagine Noah's voice, steady and reassuring. "You've got this, Clara," he'd say, his eyes warm with that unshakable confidence.

She straightened, her resolve hardening. "I'm coming, Noah," she whispered, her voice fierce. "Just hold on."

The facility stretched out before her, a labyrinth of danger and uncertainty. But Clara didn't falter. Every step brought her closer to him, and nothing—not Victor, not the guards, not the traps—would stop her.