Chapter 6:Buried Alive ‎

 Concrete dust fell on Dante's face as debris shifted above him, making breathing harder.

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He was trapped under the factory's main support beam for at least 20 minutes, with every breath feeling like a hot knife piercing his ribs.

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He had at least three broken ribs, and shifting would likely kill him, but his wolf was screaming for him to become an animal to crawl through the rubble.

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The mate bond pulled him towards Elena's location after Marcus pulled her from the crumbling building, like a rope.

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‎ Dante could die content after saving her from Viktor's clutches. Though it should have comforted him, the thought of dying under a pile of concrete after surviving everything tonight incensed him more.

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‎ He heard muted voices in the debris, but his attempts to cry resulted in a wheeze. As the debris settled, Dante's air pocket contracted, and he was beginning to fear for his life when he felt Elena pull the bond taut with both hands.

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‎ It was her return.

‎ She should have escaped with Lily and Katerina, not rushed back into the crumbling building to rescue him, leaving Dante frustrated despite his desire for relief.

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‎ A crack left in the cool night air, revealing Elena's face as the sound of concrete scraping neared him.

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‎ Instead of heroic parole, she said, "You're an idiot." Hmm.

Dante stated, "You were supposed to leave," and Elena took his hand across the room.

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‎ She said, "Yeah, well, the mate bond wouldn't let me," pulling on his arm despite being unable to move him with half a building on top. "Can you change?"

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‎ After Dante said, "Broken ribs," Elena swore a creative Russian curse and left. Dante heard Elena move above him and bones cracking and reforming, so his claws dug desperately into the concrete.

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‎ Although she had only shifted a few hours prior, her silver wolf form effortlessly ripped through the rubble.

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‎ Despite rib grinding, Dante ignored it and slowly pushed up with his strongest arm, widening the gap.

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‎ As Elena dug and pulled up the concrete chunks, their sharp edges cut her paws, dusting and bleeding her silver fur. Elena kept working at the debris until Dante could pass.

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His broken ribs made it difficult for him to pull himself out. Elena turned human and grabbed him by the arms, using her silver wolf powers to lift him out of the hole. Though no human woman should have been able to, she did.

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‎ They fell to the debris heap, gasping for air. Dante felt a warm sensation on his chest, likely an internal hemorrhage.

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‎ Elena encouraged him to live, speaking to his warm chest. "I dug you out of that hole not to see you bleed to death."

Dante tried to reassure her that he wasn't dying despite his failing lungs and vision.

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‎ He noticed Elena's hands were burning and her palms were glowing silver. His chest relaxed, and he could feel his ribs re-forming, just enough to breathe.

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‎ He asked, "How are you doing that?" after regaining his speech. Elena looked down at her glowing hands, as surprised as he was.

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‎ She stayed close to his chest until the light went out and Dante's ribs were strong enough to sit up without crying. She was in the dark despite her words.

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‎ While resting on the debris, Dante saw a figure 200 yards away watching them from the forest edge.

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Dante saw Dimitri Volkov's cold, calculated face from a distance, standing next to a black SUV with binoculars.

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Seeing Elena heal an alpha werewolf with full silver wolf abilities made her father realize her value.

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Dmitri abandoned the binoculars, got in his SUV, and drove away without attacking Elena. Dante's knowledge that Dmitri was reorganizing and not giving up made it worse.

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Ellena's father planned to profit from her recent declaration that she was more valuable than a marriage to Viktor.

‎ Ellena whispered, "He saw everything," as the taillights faded.

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‎"I know," Dante said, helping her stand up. They carefully descended the rubble pile because the building was unstable and could collapse at any time.

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‎Marcus worriedly waited at the bottom with the rescue team and SUVs until they were found alive.

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"Lily and Katerina are secure at the estate," Marcus said, his face alternating between awe and fear as he saw Elena as a silver-furred wolf. "The whole pack will know by morning.

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As they approached the cars, Dante whispered, "Let them know," and held Elena close. "If anyone objects to her being my mate and pack, they can talk to me."

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Ellena returned to Blackwood Estate in her human form, borrowing a jacket as her own had not survived the metamorphosis.

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Dante held onto her knee, clinging to their mate bond and survival despite the odds. At the estate, Dr. Chen and his medical staff awaited them. A stretcher was present.

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Dante shrugged when Elena said, "Dante first," during the doctor's exam.

‎"Ensure to check on Katerina," he said. After 18 years in captivity, her condition is unknown.

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‎ While sighing and beckoning them inside, Dr. Chen appeared to be addressing two defiant p

atients. "I'm looking at the three of you, regardless of your feelings."