chapter twenty

Nikolas' POV

I knew I had one chance. One moment to slip away before Caspian or anyone else noticed.

After dinner, I waited in my room, pacing, my mind racing through every possible escape route. The house was heavily guarded, but I had been watching. Studying. The patrols, the routines. I wasn't strong like them, but I was fast.

I just had to be smart.

The opportunity came when one of the pack members—a smaller guy, maybe in his late teens—walked past my door, humming to himself. I barely thought before acting.

Cracking the door open just slightly, I called out in a shaky voice, "Hey… I don't feel so good."

The guy hesitated, then sighed and stepped inside. "Caspian said you're not to leave this room—"

I moved before he could finish.

With every ounce of strength I had, I swung the heavy lamp from the bedside table. The base cracked against his head with a dull thud, and he crumpled to the ground before he could even cry out.

My heart pounded in my ears.

I didn't stop to check if he was okay. He was breathing he'd wake up eventually. I had to move.

I grabbed the guy's key card and slipped out, my breath held as I hurried down the hall. The house was massive, more like a fortress than a home, but I had memorized enough of its layout to find my way.

The main staircase was too risky—too open. Instead, I took the servants' passage, a narrow hallway leading to a back entrance. The scent of fresh air hit me as I neared the door, adrenaline surging through my veins.

Freedom.

I slipped out into the night, staying close to the shadows as I moved. The guards patrolled the perimeter, but I had timed this. Two of them had just rounded the far side of the house. If I was fast, I could make it.

I ran.

My bare feet barely made a sound against the cold earth. My lungs burned, but I pushed harder, ducking behind trees, avoiding the crunch of leaves.

I didn't stop until I reached the tree line.

Then, I bolted.

Branches tore at my skin as I pushed through the forest, moving as fast as I could. I didn't know where I was going—I just needed to be anywhere but here.

The night air burned in my lungs as I sprinted through the dense forest. My legs ached, but I didn't stop. I couldn't.

Every crack of a branch, every rustle of leaves sent my heart hammering against my ribs. I kept expecting to hear footsteps behind me, growls in the distance, but the night remained eerily silent. Too silent.

Was Caspian already hunting me?

I pushed the thought away and focused on running.

The trees began to thin, and in the distance, I spotted something a lake. And beyond it, a winding road.

Hope flickered in my chest.

If there was a road, there had to be cars. Civilization. Someone who could help me.

I staggered toward it, breath ragged, my body trembling from exhaustion and fear. My clothes were torn from the branches, dirt and sweat clinging to my skin. But none of that mattered.

A faint rumbling sound reached my ears. My head snapped up.

A bus.

My heart leaped into my throat as the vehicle came into view, its headlights cutting through the darkness.

I ran toward the road, waving my arms like a madman.

The bus slowed. The doors hissed open.

I didn't hesitate I climbed in, ignoring the driver's suspicious look as I collapsed into a seat near the back. My hands shook as I gripped my knees, forcing myself to take deep breaths.

I was free.

For now.

—

An Hour Later

The bus rattled down unfamiliar roads, taking me farther and farther from Caspian's territory. The city lights in the distance felt like salvation.

When we finally stopped near a rundown motel on the outskirts of town, I got off without a word. The air smelled different here—less like pine and rain, more like asphalt and gasoline. It was comforting. Human.

The motel was small, the neon sign flickering weakly. It didn't matter. I needed somewhere to hide, somewhere to rest.

The receptionist barely looked up when I handed over some crumpled bills I had swiped from the unconscious guy back at the house. He slid me a key, and I hurried down the dimly lit hallway to my room.

I locked the door behind me and exhaled.

Safe.

For now.

—

I stripped off my filthy clothes and stumbled into the tiny bathroom. The water was lukewarm at best, but I didn't care. I scrubbed my skin raw, as if I could wash away everything that had happened.

When I stepped out, a towel wrapped around my waist, exhaustion weighed me down like a stone.

I needed a phone. I needed to call my uncle. He'd come for me. He had to.

I searched the room, but there was no landline. My hands shook as I dug through drawers, checked under the bed, but there was nothing.

I clenched my jaw. I'd have to find a payphone in the morning.

For now, I just needed to sleep.

I let the towel drop, pulled on a pair of sweatpants, and climbed onto the stiff mattress. The sheets were rough, but I didn't care. I was too tired to care.

Just as my body began to relax, a shiver ran down my spine.

Something felt wrong.

The air in the room had shifted. Heavy. Charged.

A deep voice rumbled from the shadows.

"Hey, baby."

My blood turned to ice.

I barely had time to move before something massive, something unstoppable, crashed into me.

Caspian.

I struggled, twisting, kicking, but he was too strong. He pinned me beneath him effortlessly, his weight pressing me into the mattress.

His golden eyes burned in the dim light, wild and unrelenting.

"Why did you run, mate?" His voice was soft, but there was steel beneath it. A quiet kind of fury.

"I was scared, okay?" I spat, my breath coming fast. "You kidnapped me! You can—you can turn into a beast—"

Caspian's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"And yet, here we are," he murmured, brushing his nose along my jaw.

I thrashed again, but my strength was already fading.

He exhaled slowly, his warm breath ghosting over my skin. "You can run, Nikolas. You can fight. But in the end…" His fingers tightened around my wrists.

"You'll always be mine."

You belong to me.

struggled more,

no I dont.

I don't belong to you.

Caspian's eyes darkened, the deep obsidian of his irises swallowing every trace of light. A shiver ran through me, but I clenched my jaw, refusing to show weakness.

"But you do belong to me," he murmured.

"And I will prove you belong to me."

Caspian moved fast too fast. His lips brushed against my ear, trailing lower to my neck. A shudder ran through me before I could stop it, a noise escaping my lips that I didn't recognize.

I snapped my mouth shut immediately.

Caspian chuckled, the sound dark and knowing. "Don't hide from me.

My breath hitched as Caspian's teeth grazed my neck, a sharp, exhilarating pain that sent a jolt of unwanted pleasure through me. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the confusing sensations that threatened to overwhelm me.

"Stop," I choked out, my voice barely a whisper. "Please."

He ignored me, his hands moving to the hem of my sweatpants. My eyes flew open, panic surging through me. I tried to buck against him, but he was too strong, his weight pinning me down.

"Relax, Nikolas," he murmured, his voice a low, seductive rumble. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."

His fingers slipped beneath the waistband, and I gasped, a strangled sound of protest. I thrashed, desperate to escape, but he simply chuckled, his grip tightening on my wrists.

"Tell me you don't feel this," he whispered, his breath hot against my ear as he tugged the sweatpants down my legs.

My face burned with shame and a strange, unwelcome heat. I squeezed my thighs together, trying to shield myself, but it was no use. He was relentless, his touch both terrifying and… something else. Something I didn't want to acknowledge.

"Look at me, Nikolas," he commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. Caspian's gaze was intense, possessive, burning into me.

"Tell me you don't want this," he challenged, his fingers tracing a line down my bare stomach, sending shivers through me.

My throat was tight, my voice caught in my chest. I wanted to deny it, to scream that I hated him, but the words wouldn't come. My body betrayed me, trembling beneath his touch, a traitor to my own will.

He watched my struggle, a predatory gleam in his eyes.

"Admit it, Nikolas," he whispered, his voice soft but firm. "You belong to me."

Tears welled in my eyes, frustration and a confusing mix of emotions warring within me. I hated him for doing this, for making me feel this way. But a small, shameful part of me couldn't deny the truth in his words.

With a choked sob, I finally gave in.

"I… I don't know," I stammered, my voice trembling.

Caspian's lips curved into a slow, satisfied smile.

"Yes, you do," he murmured, leaning down to kiss me, his lips claiming mine with a possessive hunger.

I closed my eyes, the fight draining out of me. In that moment, surrounded by the darkness and the unwanted heat of his touch, I felt a strange sense of inevitability. Maybe he was right. Maybe, in some twisted way, I did belong to him.