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.

1/7

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.

for long. We

the night air cool against my skin. I cling to him, feeling a strange mix of gratitude and vulnerability. We walk, or rather, Zeke walks while I’m carried like a fragile doll. The world becomes a blur of shadows and muted sounds, my senses dulled by the

mind.

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

that?” I ask, my

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

Victor’s bite.”

chill down my spine. I hold my arm out 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.

I

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

20

tone. “I know you are, I heard your

I’don’t

I admit, my

the air. I glance

mischief in his eyes. “I have my

eyebrow, my curiosity piqued. “Your

a sound that carries a

have a knack for finding

bowl, I can’t

in front of me is too inviting to resist. Zeke hands me the bowl, and I take a hesitant spoonful. The taste is surprisingly

cook,” I tease, trying to

“I have my

spoons against the bowl. The porridge is a balm to the gnawing hunger within

is charged with unspoken secrets, and I wonder if the darkness that haunts us goes

the empty bowl aside, “There’s more to this, isn’t

answering me, Zeke eats more of his porridge.

Maybe even with Victor, his cocky grin and

with warmth, now hold a glint of something 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

from trust to trepidation, but it’s

gnaws at me.

would betray me. His charm, his smooth words – they

guard down. It all seems like a cruel joke now. How could I have been so blind?

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.

taken a different path? Would I have avoided the Mating Run altogether, chosen

Thoughts

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255