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.

place for

vulnerability. We walk, or rather, Zeke walks while I’m carried like a

mind.

of musty wood. Zeke lays me down on a narrow cot, and I watch as

that?” I ask, my voice shaky.

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

Victor’s bite.”

hesitantly, watching as Zeke fills the syringe with a clear liquid. He finds a vein and injects the medicine. I flinch, a sharp sting coursing through my arm, but it fades quickly. Zeke watches me carefully, his eyes searching for any signs of

“Better?” he asks.

from?” I ask, my voice a

unease crossing his face. Zeke changes the subject, his

20

in his tone. “I know you are, I heard your stomach

I’don’t deny

admit, my stomach

porridge fills the air. I glance at

a hint of mischief in his eyes.

eyebrow, my curiosity

that carries

I have a knack

bowl, I can’t help but wonder

in front of me is too 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

I tease,

“I have

a balm to the gnawing hunger within me, a reminder that even in the midst of uncertainty, there are moments of simple

is charged with unspoken secrets, and I wonder if

setting the empty bowl aside, “There’s

eats more of his porridge.

Maybe even with

darker. I never expected that. We were supposed to navigate the challenges of the Mating Run together, support each other. But as the days passed, something changed in her. Maybe it was the

Ettie, who was supposed to be my ally, has become a threat. I don’t know when it 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 has become a stranger, and the fear of what she might

gnaws at me.

of this twisted journey, I never would have believed that he would betray me. His charm, his smooth words – they were a mask hiding the true nature of the predator within. I trusted him, foolishly believed that he might be an unexpected ally in

let my guard down. It all seems like a cruel joke now. How could I have been

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

out, would I have taken a different path? Would I have avoided the Mating Run altogether, chosen a simpler life with

Thoughts

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