Page 33 of Wolf

I know she’s right.

Sensing my distress, Luna pulls me into a tight embrace. “We’ll find a way, I promise. We won’t leave her behind.”

Suddenly, the door to the holding room swings open, and Alice walks in. Luna rushes toward her. “Thank God you’re okay!” She hugs her.

My eyes are drawn to the man behind her.

Matias.

It’s the first time I’ve seen him today. And the smirk on his lips makes my stomach twist.

“Hey, little rabbit,” he mouths.

A shiver races down my spine. I can’t draw my attention elsewhere, even as Thiago moves to Luna and kisses her. I’m caught in the wolf’s gaze.

Matias clears his throat, eyes fixed on me. “Where’s my kiss?”

That comment snaps me out of my daze, and I shake my head, unable to show my affection for him openly in front of my friends. “I’d rather gouge my eyeballs out.”

His expression darkens. “It didn’t seem like it last night.”

Thiago grabs his arm. “We need to get out there and end this.”

Matias sobers and nods, holding his machine gun as they both disappear without another word.

I watch with a mixture of relief and disappointment as Matias and Thiago disappear back into the chaos. A part of me hates myself for feeling let down that he didn’t force me to kiss him like he’s done before.

What is wrong with me?

This man has tormented me, broken me, and treated me like an object. Yet, I crave his attention, his touch, his... domination.

I shake my head, trying to clear my shameful thoughts. I should be grateful he’s gone, that I’m safe, at least for now. But the ache in my core tells a different story.

Alice turns to us. “I’ve got to find Taren.”

I shake my head. “You heard Thiago. It’s too dangerous out there.”

“I’m not sitting here doing nothing because if he...” Alice doesn’t finish that sentence, but we all know what she was about to say—if he dies.

“You going out there might distract him more. Consider that,” Luna interjects.

“You cannot persuade me otherwise. I’ll see you when this ends.” Alice turns to leave.

“Alice,” Luna says, forcing Alice to glance backward. “Be careful.”

She nods before sprinting out of the room, leaving us alone again. Luna and I glance at each other.

“What now, then?” she asks.

I pace the room, my nerves fraying with each passing second. Sitting here feels like the worst kind of torture.

I turn to Luna. “We can’t just sit here and wait. If things go wrong, we need a way to get out of this auction house. The door is no longer locked, so we can find an escape route.”

Luna nods, her expression mirroring my resolve. “I’m with you. We can try to find a way to help Alice.”

Without another word, we rush toward the open door. The sounds of gunfire and shouting grow louder as we step out into the pandemonium of the auction house.

Debris litters the floor, and people are scrambling in all directions, desperate to escape the violence. I scan the room, searching for any sign of Alice or the guys, but the chaos makes it difficult to discern anything.

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