{ Mia }
I pushed off the wall and started running.
The tunnel was narrow, forcing me to duck and move through jagged stone. My breaths came sharp and fast, every breath scraping against my throat, my heart pounding in my ears. The symbols on the walls pulsed in my vision, but I didn't stop to look.
I couldn't !
Ace and Cole were alone. Unconscious. Vulnerable.
What if I was too late?
The thought struck like a stab to my heart, but I clenched my jaw and forced it away. I couldn't afford doubt right now. I needed to move. I needed to reach them.
A sharp gust of cold air hit me from somewhere ahead, carrying the damp, earthy scent of the cave. I wasn't sure if it was a good sign or a warning.
Then—
A sound.
Faint. Echoing.
A groan.
I came to a stop, my pulse hammering. Ace? Cole? I strained to hear, but the cave swallowed the noise as quickly as it came.
I took a slow, shaky breath and kept moving.
Whatever was waiting for me at the end of this tunnel I had to be ready.
As I continued to run I could faintly heard my captor whispering in my ear.
" Run all you want sweetheart... There's no running from me."
I shook my head hearing a voice purring in my ear. " Don't listen to him Mia !!"
I tilted my head to the side about to stop when the voice rang again. "Don't stop running! He's right behind you. GO!!"
Picking up my pace I snapped." Who the hell are you?!"
"I am Ash."
The voice rang clear in my mind, steady and firm.
I nearly stumbled. In my mind?
"What—?" I panted, my legs burning as I pushed forward.
"No time for questions, keep running!" Ash's voice was sharp, commanding. It sent a shiver down my spine, but something about it felt… familiar.
A presence. Strong. Wild. Protective.
My chest tightened. "Where are you? How are you in my head?"
A low growl spread through my body not in my ears, not in the cave, but deep in my bones.
"I've always been here," Ash said. "Waiting for you to wake up."
I didn't have time to process that.
A sudden chill crawled up my spine, the air thickening around me. The whispers of my captor slithered into my mind again, his voice smooth and mocking.
"You can run, Mia. But you can't escape what you are."
I clenched my jaw, my fists tightening.
"Keep moving!" Ash's voice cut through the fog in my mind. "Don't let him in!"
My breath hitched. ' Let him in?'
The shadows around me flickered, shifting like they were alive. A twisting mass of darkness loomed just ahead, blocking the cave's exit. My captor's presence oozed from it, his laughter curling around me like a serpent.
I skidded to a stop, my pulse hammering. "Shit."
"Mia, listen to me." Ash's voice was firm but urgent. "You don't fight shadows with light alone."
I swallowed hard. "Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"
A pulse of warmth spread through my chest different from the golden energy I had wielded before. This felt… deeper. Older.
"You let me in."
I stiffened. "What does that mean?"
"You'll see."
Before I could argue, the shadows lunged.
Instinct took over. I threw my hands up, expecting light to explode from my palms. But this time, something else stirred inside me.
Something primal.
A rush of power tore through me, not golden like before, but deep and raw, like the crackle of a storm.
A snarl ripped from my throat except… it wasn't mine.
The cave trembled. The symbols on the walls blazed, reacting to me.
Or maybe… to us.
The shadows hesitated.
For the first time, my captor's voice lost its amusement. "What…?"
I bared my teeth.
"Your move."
A low, rumbling growl echoed through the cave not from my captor, not from the shadows.
From me.
No.
From us.
Heat surged through my veins, but it wasn't like before. It wasn't the golden energy crackling from my fingertips. This was wilder, untamed. It felt like claws pressing against my skin from the inside, like something alive was pushing to the surface.
Ash's voice was calm, steady. "Let it happen."
The shadows lashed toward me again, but this time, I didn't flinch. I moved.
Faster than I ever had.
I ducked, twisting my body in a way that felt unnatural except it wasn't. My muscles burned, but they responded like they knew exactly what to do. I wasn't just reacting anymore. I was hunting.
The shadows slammed into the cave walls behind me, shattering rock. I barely registered it.
My captor took a slow step back. He's wary.
Good.
I crouched low, my breath steady, my senses sharper than ever. I could hear his heartbeat slow, calculating. I could smell the damp stone, the acrid tang of darkness curling around him. I could feel the air shift before he even moved.
"You're waking up," Ash murmured in my mind, satisfaction humming in her tone. "Good."
My captor's smirk returned, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Ah… so that's what's been sleeping inside you."
I didn't respond.
I leapt.
The world blurred. One second, I was standing still; the next, I was on him.
I didn't just tackle him I pinned him. One hand gripping his throat, my nails no, claws digging into his skin.
His eyes widened. "What the—?"
I snarled, my lips pulling back over sharp teeth. Not human. Not just light.
Something deeper. Wilder.
Wolf.
For the first time, his voice held something other than amusement.
Fear.