Running From The Beast
Aurora's pov
The silence inside the car was unbearable.
It pressed against me from all sides, thick and suffocating, wrapping around my chest until it was hard to breathe.
He didn’t even look at me nor did he say a word and just left.
The door slammed shut behind him, his footsteps fading as he walked toward the palace like I didn’t matter.
Like none of it mattered.
My hands trembled in my lap.
For a moment, I just sat there, frozen.
Trying to process everything that had just happened.
The club.
The fight.
The look in his eyes that rage.
That darkness.
A shaky breath left me and then another.
Until suddenly I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
A sob tore from my chest, raw and broken as tears blurred my vision.
I covered my mouth, trying to quiet the sound, but it didn’t help.
Nothing helped.
“I can’t do this…” I whispered, my voice trembling.
My chest ached, each breath uneven as the weight of everything crashed down on me at once.
This wasn’t what I imagined. This wasn’t what I wanted.
Yes, there was a bond and yes, there was something between us.
But that version of him tonight. That wasn’t love.
That was control.
Fear tightened around my heart as the memory replayed again the way he lost himself.
The way he didn’t stop.
The way I had to throw myself in front of someone just to make him pause.
My hands clenched tightly.
“I’m scared of him…” I admitted softly, the words breaking something inside me as they left my lips.
The realization settled deep, heavy
Painful because no matter what I felt for him I couldn’t ignore that.
I shook my head, wiping at my tears quickly.
“No,” I whispered, firmer this time. “I won’t stay.”
The decision formed suddenly.
But once it did It felt right.
“I’m not a prisoner,” I said, my voice shaking but determined. “And I won’t live like one.”
He would never let me go.
I knew that and he made it clear tonight.
You belong to me.
The words echoed in my mind, sending a chill down my spine.
“No,” I said again, pushing the door open. “I don’t.”
The cold night air hit my skin as I stepped out of the car, my heart pounded loudly in my chest.
I didn’t look toward the palace because if I did I might stop and
I couldn’t afford that so I ran past the gates.
Past the guards that were too distracted to notice me. I ran straight toward the forest.
The trees loomed ahead, dark and familiar in a way that brought a strange sense of comfort.
Branches brushed against my arms as I pushed deeper into the woods, my breathing uneven, my heart racing for more than one reason now.
Eldermist.
I needed to get back to Eldermist.
Back to something I knew. Something safe.
But the deeper I went the quieter it became. Too quiet. I felt the air shift.
A strange chill crept along my spine.
I slowed down because I had a feeling something wasn't right. I froze when I heard the sound of a twig snap.
I spun around and my breath caught.
They stepped out from the shadows like they had been waiting and watching.
Both of them tall and unnaturally still.
Their skin was ghostly pale almost transparent and their eyes it glowed red under the faint moonlight as they locked onto me.
Vampires. These were vampires and I was now surrounded by them.
My instincts screamed at me to run.
But my feet wouldn’t move.
“Well…” one of them said, his voice smooth but cold. “Look what we have here.”
The other tilted his head slightly, studying me with unsettling interest.
“She smells like him,” he murmured.
A chill shot through me.
My heart began to pound faster.
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my effort to stay calm.
They didn’t answer right away. Instead they stepped closer.
“Roman’s mate,” he said.
The words sent a wave of dread crashing through me.
“You’re far from where you should be,” the other added softly.
My pulse roared in my ears.
Instinct finally kicked in.
I took a step back.
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said quickly.
They laughed.
“Oh, you do,” one of them said. “And so does he.”
My breath hitched.
“He’s going to be very interested to know we found you first.”
_________________________________________________
My feet pounded against the forest floor as I ran.
Branches whipped against my arms, scratching my skin, but I barely felt it.
All I could hear was my heartbeat loud, frantic, drowning out everything else.
And behind me was the vampires.
A low chuckle echoed through the trees.
"Run all you want," one of them called out, his voice far too calm.
"We love the chase, it gets us more excited."
Terror surged through me, pushing me faster.
I stumbled over a root, catching myself just before I fell, my breath coming in sharp gasps.
I pushed forward, my lungs burning, my legs screaming in protest as the forest blurred around me.
But they were faster and way too
Stronger.
I could hear them now they were closer.
A sudden rush of air and then
Something slammed into me.
I cried out as my body hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs.
Before I could react a hand clamped around my wrist, yanking me up roughly.
“No—!” I struggled, kicking, pulling, trying to break free.
But it was useless. He was too strong and fast.
The vampire’s grip tightened painfully as he dragged me toward him, his eyes gleamed with something dark and hungry.
“Got you,” he murmured.
Panic flooded me.
I fought harder, twisting, pushing against him with everything I had—but it was like fighting stone.
“Let me go!” I gasped, my voice breaking.
He smiled cruely.
"Now before we take you to Nicholas we're going to have a taste of you," he said softly.
My heart pounded wildly as his hand slid to the back of my neck, holding me in place.
“No—please—”
I pushed against his chest, my hands trembling, but he didn’t budge.
His head tilted slightly, his gaze dropping to my throat and then
He leaned in.
My breath hitched.
Fear locked my body in place as his lips brushed dangerously close to my skin.
This was it.
The thought hit me like a blow.
I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t fight him.
Suddenly a sharp sound cut through the air.
A wet, choking gasp followed and
The vampire froze. His body went rigid against mine.
Then a spear burst through his chest.
I stared, frozen in shock as dark blood spilled, his grip loosening instantly.
He collapsed dragging me down with him.
I scrambled back, my hands shook violently as I stared at his lifeless body.
A shout echoed through the forest.
“Move!”
I turned just in time to see three figures emerging from the trees. They were fast and precise and something about them seemed familiar.
Hunters.
Relief crashed over me so suddenly it almost knocked the air from my lungs.
They moved like they knew exactly what they were doing, surrounding the second vampire before he could react.
He snarled, lunging at them but they were ready. A spear went through his chest, dropping him to the ground.
The Vampire lay dead on the ground.
Just like the first.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I sat there, trembling, my entire body shaking from the adrenaline.
One of the hunters approached me cautiously.
“Aurora?” he asked.
I looked up at him, my vision still blurred with tears.
He softened slightly. “It’s alright. You’re safe now.”
Safe.
The word felt distant.
Another hunter stepped closer, offering me a hand. “Can you stand?”
I hesitated for only a second before taking it, my legs weak as I pulled myself up.
“Thank you…” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“You shouldn’t have been out here alone,” he said, his tone not unkind, but firm.
I didn’t respond because I knew that.
Now more than ever.
“Come,” he added. “We’re taking you back.”
My heart skipped.
“Back…?” I asked quietly.
“To Eldermist.”
The word hit something deep inside me.
Home or what used to be.
I swallowed hard, glancing once at the dark forest behind us.
At everything I had just run from.
And everything waiting ahead.
Then slowly I nodded.
The hunters formed around me, protective as they led me through the forest.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Because even though I was walking away I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t over.
Not even close.