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

and vulnerability. We walk, or rather, Zeke walks while I’m carried like a fragile doll. The world becomes a

mind.

time in a cramped space that smells of musty wood. Zeke lays me down on a narrow cot, and I watch as he rummages

that?” I ask, my

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

“Better?” he asks.

did the medicine come from?” I ask, my

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

20

his tone. “I know you

blush, but I’don’t

eat.” I admit, my stomach rumbling

of porridge fills the air. I glance at him in surprise. “Where did you get that

hint of mischief in his eyes. “I have my ways.”

my

that carries a trace of

I have a knack for

he ladles the porridge into a bowl, I can’t help but

me the bowl, and I take a hesitant spoonful. The taste is surprisingly comforting, the simple flavors a welcome reprieve from the complexities of

decent cook,” I tease, trying to lighten

smirks. “I have my

The porridge is a balm to the gnawing hunger within me, a reminder that even in the midst of

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

the empty bowl aside, “There’s more to

answering me, Zeke eats more of his porridge.

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

once–close friend, now scares me. Her eyes, once filled 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 changed in her. Maybe it was the pressure, the competition for survival. Or

a punch to the gut. 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

gnaws at me.

he would betray me. His charm, his smooth words – they were a mask hiding

It all seems like a cruel joke now. How

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 the ones who seem the least likely can

different path? Would I have

Thoughts

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