Chapter 39

**Elise**


Kane pulls me hard against him. One of his arms wraps around my waist and I try to pull away but he only tightens his hold. His other hand grabs onto my hair so he can keep my eyes fixed on him.

"Now, it's time to bring you home." He says and smirks down at me. "You may not want to admit it now but part of you knows that you belong with me."

"I can't be yours," I say. "I'm already bonded."

He chuckles darkly. "That can be easily fixed. All I need to do is cut off the connection between them and you."

I cold chill of fear runs through me.

The only way to sever a bond is...through death.

"You can't. Please, Kane." I know that there is no way begging will get him to change his mind but I have to try.

The hand that was in my hair moves down to the side of my neck where he brushes his thumb over the pulse point in my neck.

"Your fear is addicting." He makes a sound and face that makes it seem like he just off on the idea of that alone.

"Kane." A man's voice makes me jump and I glance over to see three men standing a few feet away.

I hadn't even noticed them. Not only did I not notice them but several cars joined us as well.

"What?" Kane snaps.

"We have word that they're moving. They might realize she's gone." The man says.

My heart kicks up slightly at the hope that my guys will come looking for me soon. Why didn't I leave at least a note?

Because I didn't have a plan! I'm so stupid.

"Let's go," Kane says to the men.

They start to move to the cars. Kane finally releases my waist but he grabs onto my elbow and starts to pull me toward the car. This is what pulls me out of my frozen panic. If I get in the car with him then the guys may never find me. I need to do something.

All the lessons Weston has been giving me through the weeks start to rush through my mind. I don't have a lot of time to remember specific moves so I pull on muscle memory.

I push my hand forward bending my arm straight. The sudden movement forces Kane to release me. He whirls around and reaches for me but I throw my other hand out and it hits him in the neck. He gags and stumbles back but now the other men are coming. I haven't trained on taking on multiple assailants, so I turn and take off running.

Although I don't know if I trust Haven, it's the closest thing to me and I'm low on choices. I can hear the sound of the men running behind me but I push harder. When I reach the gate I bang on it as hard as I can. There was a security guard here not long ago, so he couldn't have gone far.

It's too late though because the men are getting too close. I can't wait.

"Get her!" I hear Kane call and the sound of a car being started.

My eyes move all around as I try to find where I can go. The neighborhood looks quiet and empty but I see someone stepping out of a car a few feet away.

"Help! Please help! Call the police!" I yell at the man.

His eyes widen when he sees me and he immediately pulls his phone out, but I can't stop. If I try to hide with him then Kane's men might hurt him.

"Tell them my name is Elise!" I call out as I pass him.

I can hear him talking just as I run past him. Thank god for cardio because there is no way I was able to run like this before. I'm not even listening for the men behind me anymore. I'm just running, but no amount of cardio will let me run forever. I need to find cover. When I finally make it out of the residential area I spot several shops, but when I glance behind me I see Kane's cars too close behind me.

There is a wall just before the main street so I make a sharp turn and run along the wall to a shopping center on this side of the street. There is a back alley so I turn in and hide behind a big trash can. It's too obvious of a hiding spot but I'm hoping that they hadn't seen me run into it. I crouch and take a minute to catch my breath. My muscles ache but I can also feel a kind of strength in them still. As tired as I am I can still feel that I can run just a bit more.

I just have to keep running until the police come. That will scare them off. It has to.

My breaths level out just enough for me to focus on the sounds around me instead of the sound of my blood pulsing in my ears. It's hard to make out anything with the sound of the traffic on the street, but I don't hear the sound of any cars coming in my direction. With a quick glance around the garbage bin, I don't see anyone so I stand and move toward the next one. I stay crouched in hopes that it will make it hard to see me.

I check once again to see if the alley is empty and it still is. That is enough for me, so I start running toward the end of the alleyway. My steps falter when a large car pulls up at the end of the alleyway and Kane jumps out.

"You almost got the slip on us little wolf, but this isn't our first hunt." He walks toward me slowly like he's confident I won't turn back around and run.

It doesn't matter. I take a step back but he tisks at me. Several other men climb out of the car and there are suddenly several guns pointed directly at me.

"Are you going to shoot me, Kane? I thought you wanted me for yourself." I yell but she shrugs.

"What's that saying? If I can't have you then no one else can. I think that sounds like a good idea to me. We can send your body to your pack. They will be so distraught that they will give up their search for me and leave my business alone. Win-win."

"If you kill me they will never stop hunting you. Revenge is an angry monster." I sneer at him.

My fear has been replaced with anger now. If he is going to kill me then there is no reason to play nice.

"Yeah, but they will grieve first and that will give me plenty of time to get out of town. It's a big world out there. Plenty of places to hide." He says with a cocky smile.

He really believes he is untouchable.

I'm ready with a reply but the sound of sirens cuts me off.

"Boss! we should get out of here!" One of the men calls out.

Kane doesn't seem worried at all.

He sighs and reaches behind him to pull out a gun of his own. "I guess this is goodbye little wolf."

There is no point in turning to run now. With so many guns pointed at me, there would be no point. Suddenly all traces of fear and worry slide away and the world goes strangely silent. I guess knowing you're going to die and there is no way out it's easier to make peace with it. I don't look away from him though and when he pulls the trigger it almost seems like the world around me slows. Then there it is. My body jolts back and I fall back. The hard way my body falls is the only pain I feel at first.

Kane appears over me and he shakes his head. "What a waste."

I expect him to shoot me again and end things then and there but he doesn't. He disappears and all I can see is the sky above me.

I'm not sure how much time passes but I don't move. I feel tired and the clouds are starting to fade slowly into each other. They turn darker and it doesn't take long for me to feel the first cold drop of rain. As the water starts to fall the pain starts to spread and the shock falls away. I can't help but gasp as the hint of pain turns into a full-on flood. It's like I have been shocked back to reality. I lift my hand and rest it over the area that is aching with a pain I've never felt before.

When I lift my hand above my face I see dark red covering my whole hand. I try to lift my head but pain shoots through me when I try to tighten my stomach. I cry out and start to gasp for breath.

No one has come for me yet. Maybe no one ever will.