24 Hours

Flora’s body had just begun to turn.

“Ryan Carter and Flora Bennett.. Please come forward.”

The voice cut sharply through the moment.

Flora froze as her body halted mid-motion, her gaze still angled slightly to the side.

And just like that, the feeling was gone. 

That presence. 

The weight of those eyes she felt burning into her back was gone...

Her heart slammed harder.

No…

“Flora?” Ryan’s voice came softer now, closer. “They’re calling us.”

She swallowed, forcing her body to respond. 

Then she took a long breath…

She slipped her phone back into her clutch with trembling fingers.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I heard.”

Ryan reached for her hand without hesitation, his grip firm and steady. 

Flora let him take it. Just for the show at least. 

The walk to the stage felt longer than it should have.

Each step she took felt heavier than the last.

Flora kept her gaze forward, though her instincts screamed at her to turn, to search, to find—

Who was behind me?

But the moment had passed.

And now…

She was on display.

A large wave of applause thundered through the hall as they stepped onto the platform.

Flora felt it hit her like a wave. For a second, her knees nearly buckled. 

Ryan’s hand tightened around hers, almost stinging now. 

He smiled out at the crowd, his posture proud. 

For him, he was getting what he wanted the most… 

The recognition. 

Flora, on the other hand, had to force her lips to smile.

Below them, faces blurred together.

Pack members.nFriends. Strangers.

All looking up at them. 

Flora knew one thing for sure…

Somewhere in this crowd was that mystery sender.

But who? 

The officiator began to speak.

Words about unity and commitment.

And about a future with the child.

Flora barely heard them, her mind was elsewhere.

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears, even louder than the speech.

Ryan leaned slightly toward her.

“Relax,” he murmured. “You’re shaking.”

Flora stilled, forcing her body into stillness.

“I’m fine,” she whispered back.

He smiled faintly, clearly unconvinced..but satisfied enough.

As the official continued, her eyes began to draft across the room. 

And her eyes landed on him.

Marcus.

He stood apart from the others, his presence as commanding as ever, his posture straight and.his expression unreadable.

“And so,” the officiator raised his voice snapping her back, “this gathering marks the beginning of a union that will be sealed before the pack tommorow—”

The doors burst open.

The sound echoed through the hall like a crack of thunder.

All attention snapped toward the entrance.

A guard stood there, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his expression was grim.

For a moment… 

No one spoke.

Then, Marcus moved first.

“What is it?” his voice cut through the silence, his tone commanding.

The guard swallowed hard.

“There’s been an incident.”

The room shifted instantly, tension stirring up slowly. 

“What kind of incident?” someone called out.

The guard hesitated.

Then… 

“A pack member… she’s been found.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

Flora’s stomach dropped.

And just like that, the room descended into chaos.

Voices rose and overlapped each other, people moving about in panic mode. 

Ryan stepped back from Flora, his focus already shifting.

“Stay here,” he said quickly. “I’ll check what’s going on.”

Flora didn’t respond or even acknowledge him a little.

A cold thought settled deep in her. 

What if this wasn't random? 

She didn’t remember stepping down from the stage or even remember following them.

But somehow… 

She did.

 Flora moved through the crowd and their whispers like a ghost.

Toward something she already knew she didn’t want to see.

When she stepped out of the hall, the cold air hit her sharply. 

A small cluster had already formed near the end of the corridor.

Guards and a few pack elders.

Marcus stood at the front.

Flora slowed as she approached, her pulse roaring louder now.

Her instincts screamed at her to stop and to turn back.

But she didn’t.

Then she saw it.

And everything inside her went still. 

A girl. Not much older than she was…

 Flora recognized a little. She lived a different life from Flora’s, but still, she was still a happy soul. 

And now… 

She hung there still and lifeless. 

Her body suspended from above, her head tilted at an unnatural angle, her hair falling forward, partially obscuring her face.

Flora’s breath caught in her throat.

The world narrowed to that figure.. 

Everything else blurred except—

That.

And the wall behind her. 

Flora’s eyes lifted slowly.

The message was written in dark blood. 

“TELL THE TRUTH.”

   “OR I WILL.”

Her stomach twisted violently and her hands trembled at her sides.

No…

No, no—

This wasn’t—

This couldn’t—

“This area is to be cleared immediately,” Marcus’s voice rang out, sharply. 

Guards moved at once as people were ushered back.

But Flora couldn’t move.

Her feet felt rooted to the ground.

Her eyes locked on the wall.

On the message.

On the blood.

This is about me. 

The thought came uninvited. And even the thought itself was terrifying enough. 

“Flora.”

She barely registered Lily’s voice beside her.

Barely felt the hand that gripped her arm.

“Flora, don’t look—”

Too late.

She had already seen everything.

She turned away slowly, almost stumbling slightly as she stepped away from the scene, from the body, from the message that burned into her mind.

The corridor felt colder now, the air heavier.

Every face she passed she ppm dangerous.. 

She needed air and space.

Flora stepped out toward the quieter edge of the hall, her breathing uneven, her thoughts spiraling.

Her hands shook as she pressed them against her dress.

Trying to ground herself.

Her unknown sender.. Did he do this?

Because of me.

A cold wave of guilt washed over her.

Then soft and silent footsteps approached her. 

Flora barely noticed.

Not until—

A figure passed close beside her, their shoulders brushing. 

She stiffened instantly.

A deep voice whistled into her ears. 

“You have twenty-four hours.”

Flora’s entire body went rigid. 

“Or it goes public.”

Flora turned sharply, her heart racing. 

But the figure had already disappeared into the crowd.

He was gone like he wasn't even here at all. 

His words still rang in her ears. 

Twenty-four hours.

Tomorrow at the mating ceremony.

That was her deadline…