LOGIN“I just wanted to leave the city for a while, just to clear my head,” she said, returning the hug.“You could have at least sent a text, I called you over a hundred tunes Elara…I thought something bad had happened to you,” I finally pulled away from the hug so I could see her face.“I'm sorry,” she apologised without hesitation.I should be mad at her for leaving me hanging but I just couldn't bring myself to do that.“Where exactly have you bee…” She interrupted me mid sentence as her hands slipped to the back of my neck, pulling me in for a kiss, but I found myself holding back as I stopped her.But she pushed harder, pulling me close to her with even more strength I had to stand up to evade the kiss.“Elara,” I spoke softly. “What's going on?”Yes, I wanted to kiss her, but I couldn't help but notice something…off.A foreign expression flickered across her face for a split second but long enough for me to catch it before it was quickly replaced with her usual bubbly look.“I just
Morning came quicker than I imagined, twelve hours had passed since she disappeared.Twelve f*cking hours and no one had a clue where my wife was.I hadn’t closed my eyes for even a second, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Every minute it felt like someone was tightening a wire around my chest.Theron swore he had nothing to do with it, I wanted to believe he was lying but I knew he didn't have a reason to do that, and that's what made it worse.Because if it wasn’t him…then I had no clue who was behind this?“Axel,” Knox called as he walked into the room. “You need to try to get some sleep. You’re no good to her like this.”I laughed under my breath like he had said something absurd because he in fact did. “Sleep?”He stepped closer. “You’ve been up all night. We have men searching everywhere and the police are already involved. You need to clear your head.”"How am I supposed to clear my head when my wife has vanished into thin air!!?" I roared, voice cracking under the weight of
*****Axel’s POV*****The drive felt longer than it actually was, empty road, no music.Just the sound of the engine and my own thoughts clawing at me from the inside.Eventually the city lights disappeared behind me, replaced by darkness and open land. A wide field stretched ahead, dead quiet except for the hum of engines and the soft rustle of the wind over the grass.Cars were scattered across the open space, headlights spreading across the darkness, illuminating the field just a tiny bit.Theron's men.Each one ready to spring into action if necessaryI drove straight to the car parked alone, in the middle of the field, the only one with a figure standing outside, sitting on the bumper like he owned the world.Theron Graves.I parked opposite him, turned off the engine, and stepped out. Dry grass crunched beneath my shoes as I walked toward him, each step composed, radiating formidable confidence. I stopped a few feet away, the distance enough to give both of us room but close e
Cyrus pulled back after a short minute, “Take care of yourself, okay?”“You too," I replied.He gave Axel a cautious nod, then left.Axel didn’t say anything. He just took my hand, firm and possessive as he led me to the car.The drive home was...quiet.Axel drove with one hand on the wheel while the other rested on my thigh.His thumb moved slowly, back and forth, a steady grounding motion that sent small sparks of heat through my skin. But It wasn’t sexual...not even close. It felt more like he was anchoring himself… or anchoring me.My anxiety had been all over the place since we landed, my mind replaying everything Axel had said, knowing what Theron was capable of.But that simple touch kept me from spiraling completely.We got home after a couple hours as the gates slid open, slowly revealing the house, with a number of armed men posted at every visible point. It looked less like a house and more like a fortress now.Axel parked, cutting the engine, and for a moment, neither of
“I didn’t waste any time after getting the text, I went straight to your home," Dorian said quickly, still breathing hard.Finding out he had Axel's address was of course a shocker, but there was no time to go into that now.“You weren’t there,” he continued, eyes fixed on me. “I went to your company, but none of the staff had seen or heard from you for days, no one had seen Axel either.”"Always snooping your nose where you're not supposed to,” Axel muttered coldly.Dorian ignored him and continued, “I called everyone I could think of, your friends, colleagues, anyone I could reach, but nobody had seen you for days.” His jaw tightened. “That’s when I started thinking maybe… maybe the message I got was legit.”“That Axel kidnapped me?” I asked, disbelief echoing my voice.He winced. “I didn’t want to believe it, Elara. But you were just… gone.”The silence in the room grew heavier as Cyrus face-palmed. “So you decided to play hero,” he said dryly, not even trying to hide the disappoin
He breathed softly as his shoulders dropped.“I’m scared,” I admitted.His thumb brushed under my eye. “I’m just being cautious, okay,” he said carefully. “I would never let you end up in a situation where you’d have to use it. I just want you to have the skill, just in case.”I wish I didn't have to learn how to use a gun just in case.If wishes were horses.“Let’s stop for today," Axel said, reaching for the gun.“No,” I fired.Before he could take it, I adjusted my stance again and aimed, firing at the target, missing it of course, but I didn't stop.I aimed at the target and fired again, and again, and again.Each shot releasing the anger boiling in my veins as the memory of being abducted replayed in my head, the sound of gunfire, the suffocating fear that I wouldn't make it out alive, the knowledge that Theron was the reason we were hiding like fugitives in a house that felt like a prison.The anger kept surging through me as my eyes burned in rage, firing away at the target un
He froze.Immediately letting go of my arm the moment those words came out of my mouth.The color drained from his face, the look on his eyes was enough to give him away. Fingers curling at his side into a fist, he swallowed hard, jaw tightening, fear flickering in his eyes as he stared at me sile
He rolled over on the bed and let out a deep exhale, then took my hand, prompting me to look at him.“Are you okay?” He asked softly.“Yeah,” I nodded my head.“Alright, just making sure…because that was really intense.”Intense?Intense doesn't even begin to describe it.“It's nothing I can't hand
“You’ve got to be f*cking kidding me,” I cursed as I lay flat on the bed. “Is this some kind of game to you? Trying to make me sexually frustrated.” An exasperated sigh slipped from my lips, gaze fixed on the ceiling.But he didn't answer.“I honestly don't see what you're trying to achieve with t
“Not so fast,” he shook his head and gave me the most menacing smirk.“What the F*CK!!” I couldn't hide my disappointment and I didn't even try to.“I had no idea you used cursed words,” he chuckled, carefully lifting me off his legs and back on the car seat.“Oh yeah,” I let out a sarcastic smile







