79

The sun was high in the sky and brought with it an uncomfortable heat that made me wake up panting. Exhausted, I dragged my body to the water and tried to cool down in it, but it didn't have the desired effect.

I should have done half of the way. Now it was no longer going back into the forest, but only along the beach, which seemed more strenuous to me because of the sun, but was still better than the dark forest with its frightening noises.

Lost in thought, I no longer noticed my surroundings and imagined what it would be like when my mate could hug his mother again. Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought of how I would have loved to have met my mother and hugged her just once. Nobody could help her then, but I had the chance to help Linda and free her from the clutches of this monster to bring her and her son back together. And of course Noah too. He would probably collapse at the sight of her and finally stop drowning the pain in red wine.

The image in my mind of being able to make everyone happy made me run even faster. I never thought I could run so fast. I didn't run for myself, but for the others who had to endure so much suffering without having deserved it.

The day passed me like seconds. Many kilometers lay behind me and the sun disappeared below the horizon to bring back the darkness, which at the same time brought back the beneficial cool air as well as the fear.

Just as I was about to look for a place to sleep at the edge of the forest, I suddenly saw a small, faint light in the distance. I squinted and still couldn't see what was creating the light, but I would find out. Back on my feet, I quickly put one paw in front of the other and only slowed down when I saw a small house.

It has to be .

I hesitated, trying to regain control of my heavy breathing and steady my heartbeat, but to no avail. I was too excited and ran quickly across the sand towards the trees.

Hiding behind a tree, I dropped my clothes and transformed back. It felt strange being human again, somehow heavier as my legs ached and my breathing became even more uncontrolled than it already was.

I got dressed excitedly and then was ready to face her to finally get it over with. Either she would be in that little house listening to me, or Caleb just wanted to torment Noah and Linda didn't exist anymore. No matter what was said before, I would soon find out the truth.

I slowly stepped out of the forest and suppressed my panicky nervousness. I had to be strong. For Noah, for Linda and most of all for my mate and our future together.

I smiled and put my hand on his mark. As a wolf I hadn't felt it so intensely, but as a human it brought me the most beautiful feelings again. She was still warm and made my heart race while my stomach churned. I closed my eyes briefly, because I wanted to enjoy the feeling of our bond with everything that made me, before I then carefully crept up the last few meters of the porch steps, took a deep breath and knocked softly. While waiting, I was struck by the cosiness of this house. It stood perfectly between the forest and the sea, a wonderful contrast with the old wood from which it was built.

The door pulled inwards, tearing me out of my amazement. I grinned in anticipation, but the grin would disappear any second, because it wasn't Linda, but Brando, who suddenly stood in front of me and gave me a violent shock. He looked at me with his dark hair and blue eyes, ready to take his frustration out on me and get even with me. I swallowed and began to take a few steps backwards, shaking, but before I could grab the banister of the stairs, he came at me and yanked my arm into the house. I looked around, but there was nobody here but the two of us. Only the small blue kitchen, the round glass table, a large comfortable couch and several small shelves could be seen and made this room a home.

We didn't exchange a word and didn't even look at each other. I tried to keep my emotions under control so as not to go mad with panic. When I looked up at him, I could see that he was also struggling with his emotions, because he kept throwing angry looks at me as if he wanted to destroy me.

Those silent emotions were the only thing filling the silence between and making it impossible for me to calm down. I looked out the window at the night and tried to ignore Brando pacing, which was harder than I thought.

As I stared outside, a bitter thought struck me. Whether Linda was hiding here or not, Caleb knew I was here or Brando would hardly have opened the door for me. It was a trap and it had snapped shut.

I didn't have the strength to rack my brain any longer and dropped it in my hands while screaming internally. Accusations spread through me and tugged at my mind. I didn't know what to do anymore and I saw Noah and Killian who would surely only be disappointed in me.

The awkward silence was suddenly broken.

"So he tagged you. Are you proud to be part of his pack now? I mean, others had to leave to make room for you," he hissed into my ear and I just winced, laying my hands trembling on my lap.

I didn't answer or even look at him, causing him to turn my chair and chair towards him. He met my eyes with hate and I avoided his gaze, causing him to pull my hair with far too much force, which made me give a small whimper. His tight grip forced me to look at him even as I tried to fight back.

"You little bastard bitch has to kindly answer me when I ask you something. Do you understand that? Now there is no one who can help you and no one will come either!"

He was enjoying his power over me, you could tell by his expression. He was rejected because of me, rightly so, as I had to find out in the meantime. His head dropped further and he looked at me like a piece of meat. A piece of meat he was dying to chop up. I yanked myself away from him and scooted back in my chair, which only made him grin.

Then, when I heard footsteps and the door opened behind me, I ran towards her without thinking. I just wanted to see my savior, but that wasn't a savior, it was Caleb standing right across from me. So I would spend my last hours with Brando and him, the purest nightmare. I turned to Brando and just wanted to give up until a sweet smell hit my nostrils and I turned again curiously to the door, where a delicate silhouette stepped out of the darkness behind Caleb and stole my breath away.

Linda ....