The Mating Run by Leeka

Chapter 48

Thoughts

My head hurts, throbbing like a drum beaten by invisible hands.

Darkness surrounds me, a heavy shroud that muffles the world. I try to open my eyes, but they feel glued shut. Slowly, I manage to pry them open, squinting against the harsh light. I see Zeke’s worried face hovering above me, lines of concern

etched on his forehead.

“Alina, can you hear me?” he asks, his voice a distant echo in my foggy mind.

I nod weakly, unable to find my voice. Everything feels fuzzy, like I’m floating in a dream. My body aches, and my limbs feel heavy, as if they’re made of lead. Zeke’s hand presses against my forehead, and I flinch at the cool touch.

“You’re burning up,” he mutters, more to himself than to me. “We need to keep moving.”

Moving? Where are we?

My memories are a jumble of disjointed images, like a broken movie reel playing in my mind. I remember Victor, his teeth sinking into my flesh. The pain was searing, intense, but now it’s just a dull ache, a distant memory.

Zeke helped me escape, but from what?

Where are we running to?

Zeke lifts me effortlessly, cradling me in his arms. The world tilts, and I close my eyes against the disorienting sensation. When I open them again, we’re in a

―

different place a dimly lit room with a flickering lantern. Zeke eases me onto a makeshift bed, and I can feel the scratchy fabric beneath me.

“Drink this,” he says, holding a cup to my lips. I glance inside and see clear liquid. Water, maybe? I take a sip, the coolness soothing my parched throat. It’s a small victory, a step toward clarity.

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Thoughts

“Where are we?” I manage to mumble, my voice hoarse.

“Somewhere safe, for now,” Zeke replies, his eyes scanning the room as if expecting danger to burst through the walls. “You have a fever. I thought it wouldn’t get worse, but it did.”

“Oh…”

Zeke sighs, his jaw clenching.

one place for long. We need to keep

strange mix of gratitude and vulnerability. We walk, or

mind.

cot, and I watch as he rummages through a bag. He pulls out a small vial

ask,

medicine,” Zeke replies, his gaze steady. “It’ll help with the

Victor’s bite.”

Zeke fills the syringe with a clear liquid. He finds a vein and injects the medicine. I flinch,

“Better?” he asks.

I ask,

falters, a flicker of unease crossing his face. Zeke changes the subject, his eyes searching

20

know you are, I heard your stomach rumbling

blush, but I’don’t deny it.

I admit, my stomach

I glance at him in surprise. “Where did you get that in

mischief in his eyes. “I have

my

that carries

have a knack

a bowl, I can’t help but wonder

inviting to resist. Zeke hands me the bowl, and I take a hesitant spoonful. The taste is surprisingly comforting, the simple flavors a welcome reprieve from the complexities of our

decent cook,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood.

“I have

the silence between us filled with the clinking of spoons against the bowl. The porridge is a balm to the gnawing hunger within me, a reminder that even in the midst of

that there’s more Zeke isn’t telling me. The air is charged with unspoken secrets, and I wonder if the darkness

empty bowl aside, “There’s more

of answering me, Zeke eats more of

had simple dreams. Dreams of days spent with Ettie, the sun warming our faces as we laughed. Maybe even with Victor, his cocky grin and charming words filling the air. But now, everything is different. The twists in the road have taken me places i never imagined, places filled with fear

the challenges of the Mating Run together, support each other. But as the days passed, something changed in her. Maybe it was the pressure, the

happened, the shift from trust to trepidation, but it’s there, a lingering shadow in the corners of my mind. The person I thought I knew so well

gnaws at me.

charm, his smooth words – they were a mask hiding the true nature of the predator within. I trusted him, foolishly believed that

smile, his whispered promises, the moments when I let my guard down. It all seems like a cruel joke now. How could

just betrayal; it’s a betrayal that cuts deep, that leaves scars on my soul. I never expected Victor to be the one to turn against me. In the beginning, he was a presence, a force that seemed untouchable. Now, he’s a threat, a reminder that even

different path? Would I have avoided the

Thoughts

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