Chapter 4:

~Jane~

“Good,” Zander growled from downstairs. “She’s still in her room. Waiting for me… like it’s a game. Just wait until she sees what I do to her for making me come after her.”

His footsteps thudded up the stairs like a second heartbeat.

One step.

Then another.

Each one landed harder than the last.

Every strike against the wood stole another piece of my courage.

I tried to hold on.

Tried to stay strong like Sara always told me I could.

But the strength I’d been clinging to was slipping through my fingers.

The voice inside me, the one that had spoken to me just minutes ago, had gone silent. Fear wrapped tight around my limbs, paralyzing me as his shadow crossed the crack beneath my door.

Please, voice…

Come back.

Tell me what to do.

Nothing.

Only his footsteps.

Closer.

Closer.

“I’m coming for you, Jane.”

His voice drifted through the hallway.

Slow.

Certain.

“Soon… You’ll be my mate.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“But before that…”

His boots creaked outside my room.

“I have a lot planned for you.”

Another step.

Closer.

“One way or another… You’re coming with me.”

“Jane!” Dad shouted.

His voice cracked.

“Run!”

“Don’t worry about us sweetheart.” Mom cried out.

"You can't hide forever," Zander hissed. "Come out, little girl. You're only making it worse."

My heart thundered in my chest. I could barely breathe. This was it. He was going to take me- just like he took Sara. Just like all the others.

Moon Goddess…

Please.

I don’t want this.

Please don’t let me become another one of his mates.

Please…

Save me.

My legs refused to move.

For one terrible heartbeat…

I almost believed there was no escaping him.

Maybe this was how Sara had felt.

None of them ever got to meet their true mates. None ever got to live the lives they dreamed of. Zander stole everything. The love, the hope, the freedom. Even Sara's baby- her daughter. Gone because of him.

And still, even in the center of that terror, I clung to one stubborn thread of hope. Two years, under the full moon, something had stirred inside me- an awareness I couldn't explain. I had felt a pull, like someone was calling out to me. Maybe it was only wishful thinking to keep me from breaking. But it had felt true. It had felt like a promise. Every day since that night, I continued to hope that maybe, just maybe, my mate was out there.

Somewhere…

Maybe he was looking for me.

Maybe he didn’t even know I existed.

Maybe we’d never meet.

The thought hurt more than I expected.

"You're not alone, Jane." The voice returned, calm, steady, like a hand on my shoulder. "You're going to be okay. I'm here. We'll make it together."

Relief hit me so suddenly my knees nearly gave out.

It came back.

I wasn’t alone.

"What should I do?" I whipstered.

My voice barely existed.

“Open your window.”

A pause.

“And when I tell you to jump…”

Another pause.

“Trust me.”

No hesitation, I moved before my thoughts could catch up, legs numb with fear and urgency. I ran to the window, lifted the glass, and pushed the screen out.

I turned back toward the bedroom.

Every second stretched.

My pulse hammered.

The open window waited behind me.

The bedroom door waited in front of me.

One meant freedom.

The other…

Him.

Then the doorknob turned.

The door swung open.

Slowly.

Zander stepped inside.

He didn’t rush.

He didn’t need to.

He already believed I’d lost.

His smile spread when he found me exactly where he’d expected.

He looked every inch a predator—confident, satisfied. "I told you, Jane. You can’t hide from me.”

He smiled.

“You already belong to me.”

His smile winded.

“You’re scared.”

His eyes glittered.

“Good.”

I backed towards the window, my hands clenched into fists.

He scanned me slowly- his eyes crawling over my body- and then looked into mine with a predator's grin. “You have a beautiful body, Jane Foster,” he said quietly. “And I plan to enjoy it. You’ll learn exactly what I expect from you. Try to fight me, and I'll punish you in ways you can't imagine."

My stomach twisted.

His words turned my blood cold.

Every horrible thing he might do to me flashed through my mind.

“Please…”

Tears blurred my vision.

“Don’t do this.”

“I’ll never be your mate.”

He chuckled darkly. “That’s adorable. Just like your sister.”

“Sara fought me too. It didn’t help her.”

He stepped closer. “And it won’t help you.”

He stepped closer.

He smiled.

Like he believed I wouldn’t escape him.

“That fire inside you…”

Another step.

“I’ll burn it out.”

His voice barely rose above a whisper.

“Then I’ll mark you.”

Time stopped.

Zander stepped closer.

The voice shouted.

“Now, Jane!”

My feet refused to move.

Fear rooted me to the floor.

“NOW!”

My body finally obeyed.

I knew if I stayed.

He’d take me.

Without a second thought.

I threw my legs out the window, and jumped.

The fall knocked the wind out of me, but I hit the ground, pain exploded through my ankles.

I ignored it.

And I started to run. Adrenaline surged through me. I didn't look back.

“Good Jane, you need to do this.”

The voice said calmly to me.

“Run!”

He laughed.

“I’ll enjoy catching you.” Zander yelled from the window.

I sprinted across the yard and towards the forest's edge. I stopped for only a second, panic rising-I didn't know where to go. I'd never been past the trees before.

"Head east," The voice urged. "This way."

I turned without thinking and followed where it directed me, feet stumbling over roots and thubbed rocks. My chest felt hollow and raw.

Every shadow looked like a hand reaching for me. Every snap of a branch sounded like Zander.

I kept glancing back, heart ricocheting every time a distant sound made me think he was near.

Don’t stop.

Don’t fall.

Don’t look back.

Dad told me to keep running.

Mom…

Tears blurred my vision.

Great Moon Goddess…

Please keep Mom and Dad safe.

Please don’t let tonight be the last time I ever saw them.

I’m sorry.

I didn’t want to leave you.

But I know this is the best chance I have.

Branches whipped my arms and face as I plunged into the trees.

Twigs snagged my hair.

Thorns tore at my sleeves.

I barely felt any of it.

The forest closed behind me like a wall of green shadow. My breath came ragged, loud in my ears. Every step felt like it might give him a way to find me.

"I'll find you!" Zander's voice chased me, echoing through the trees.

For a second, I beloved him.

That was the worst part.

Zander always got what he wanted.

I pushed harder. For Sara.

For Mom and Dad.

For the life I refused to lose.

I ran until my legs trembled, until my vision burned with tears and sweat. The world blurred into streaks of green and brown and the steady drum of my own feet.

I didn't know how long I fled- minutes, maybe more-but I couldn't stop. Giving in was not an option.

I didn’t know if I’d survive the night.

I didn’t know if I’d ever see Mom and Dad again.

I didn’t know if my mate was real…

…or if he’d been searching for me all this time.

Maybe I’d already lost him…

…before either of us ever had the chance to know the other existed.

But I knew, I refused to become Zander King’s mate.