Chapter 8

Aliyah Sundane

The world was a blur of shadows and muffled sounds. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt impossibly heavy. Where was I? What happened? The last thing I remembered was meeting Helena at the Lunar Café...

Helena. Her words echoed in my mind, fragments of a conversation that now seemed like a dream.

"Alessandro isn't who you think he is, Aliyah," she had said, her eyes gleaming with what I now recognized as malice. "He's dangerous. Involved in things you can't even imagine."

I had scoffed, ready to defend Alessandro, but then she'd slid a folder across the table. "See for yourself."

The contents of that folder... No. I couldn't think about that now. I had to focus on where I was, on getting out of here.

I forced my eyes open, blinking against the harsh fluorescent light. The room was small, bare except for the chair I was tied to and a rickety table in the corner. My head throbbed, and there was a metallic taste in my mouth that I suspected was blood.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice hoarse. "Is anyone there?"

The only response was the echo of my own voice. Panic began to rise in my chest. I was alone, trapped, and Alessandro...

Oh god, Alessandro. Did he know I was missing? Was he looking for me? Or was he...

No. I couldn't let myself think like that. I had to believe he would find me. Despite everything Helena had told me, despite the damning evidence in that folder, I had to believe in Alessandro.

Because if I didn't, I wasn't sure I could survive this.

Alessandro Caprio

"What do you mean, you can't find her?" I roared, my patience wearing dangerously thin. We had been searching for hours, combing through every lead, every possible location where Corio might be holding Aliyah.

Daniel flinched but stood his ground. "We're doing everything we can, boss. But Corio's gone underground. None of our usual informants have heard anything."

I slammed my fist into the wall, leaving a sizable dent. The pain barely registered through my fury and fear. "It's not enough. We need to do more. I can't... I can't lose her, Daniel."

My voice broke on the last words, and I felt Daniel's hand on my shoulder. "We'll find her, Alessandro. I promise."

I took a deep breath, trying to center myself. Losing control wouldn't help Aliyah. I needed to think clearly, to be the leader my men needed me to be.

"Okay," I said, straightening up. "Let's go over everything again. Where was Aliyah last seen?"

"According to her roommate, she left for lunch at the Lunar Café," Daniel reported. "She was supposed to meet a friend."

Something about that niggled at the back of my mind. "A friend? Did the roommate say who?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, Aliyah didn't specify."

I frowned, a suspicion forming. "Check the café's security footage. I want to know who Aliyah met."

As Daniel hurried off to make the call, I paced the room, my mind racing. Who would Aliyah meet that she wouldn't tell her roommate about? And why did I have a sinking feeling that Helena was involved somehow?

Helena Petra

I watched the chaos unfold from the safety of my apartment, a glass of wine in hand and a satisfied smirk on my face. Everything was going according to plan.

My phone buzzed with a message from Corio. "Package secure. Awaiting further instructions."

I smiled, taking a sip of my wine before replying. "Excellent. Keep her sedated but unharmed. For now."

Setting down my phone, I walked to the window, looking out over the city. Somewhere out there, Alessandro was frantically searching for his precious Aliyah. The thought sent a thrill through me.

"Soon, my love," I murmured. "Soon you'll see that I'm the only one who truly understands you. The only one who can stand by your side in this world."

A knock at the door interrupted my reverie. "Come in," I called, not turning from the window.

Rely entered, his face grim. "Helena, are you sure about this? If Alessandro finds out we're involved..."

I whirled to face him, my eyes flashing. "He won't. And even if he does, it'll be too late. Once Aliyah sees the evidence we planted, once she realizes what Alessandro really is, she'll want nothing to do with him."

Rely didn't look convinced. "And if she doesn't? If she accepts him, monster and all?"

For a moment, doubt crept in. But I pushed it aside ruthlessly. "Then she's a fool. And fools don't survive long in our world."

The implied threat hung in the air between us. Rely paled slightly but nodded. "What's our next move?"

I smiled, cold and calculated. "Now, we wait. Let Alessandro stew for a bit longer. Let him imagine all the terrible things that could be happening to his precious mate. And then... then we'll give him a taste of true despair."

Alessandro Caprio

Hours had passed, and we were no closer to finding Aliyah. I was on the verge of losing control, my wolf clawing at the surface, demanding to be let out to hunt for our mate.

Just as I was about to give in to the urge to transform and tear the city apart, Daniel burst into the room. "Boss! We've got something!"

I was on my feet in an instant. "What is it?"

"The café's security footage," Daniel said, slightly out of breath. "We've identified who Aliyah met with. It was Helena."

A growl rumbled in my chest. "Helena? Are you sure?"

Daniel nodded grimly. "Positive. And that's not all. We tracked Aliyah's movements after she left the café. She looked upset, boss. Really upset. And then... she got into a car. We lost her after that, but we're working on tracking the vehicle."

My mind raced. What had Helena told Aliyah? What game was she playing?

"Find Helena," I ordered, my voice low and dangerous. "I don't care what you have to do. Find her and bring her to me. Now."

As Daniel rushed off to carry out my orders, I closed my eyes, reaching out through the bond I shared with Aliyah. It was faint, muted by distance and whatever drugs Corio was using to keep her sedated, but it was there.

"Hold on, my love," I whispered. "I'm coming for you. Just hold on."

Aliyah Sundane

Time had lost all meaning in the small, windowless room. I drifted in and out of consciousness, my mind a haze of confusion and fear.

In my more lucid moments, I tried to make sense of what was happening. Why had Helena set me up? What did she gain from this? And the things she had told me about Alessandro...

No. I couldn't think about that now. I had to focus on staying alive, on finding a way out of here.

I tugged at my restraints for what felt like the hundredth time, wincing as the rope bit into my already raw wrists. It was no use. I was well and truly trapped.

Just as despair threatened to overwhelm me, the door creaked open. I tensed, expecting to see Corio or one of his thugs.

Instead, a familiar face peered around the door. "Aliyah?" Rely whispered, his eyes wide with concern. "Oh god, what have they done to you?"

Relief flooded through me. "Rely? How... how did you find me?"

He hurried over, already working on untying my restraints. "It's a long story. But we need to get you out of here. Can you walk?"

As the ropes fell away, I tried to stand, only for my legs to buckle beneath me. Rely caught me, supporting my weight.

"It's okay," he soothed. "I've got you. We're going to get you somewhere safe."

As he half-carried, half-dragged me out of the room, a small part of me wondered if this was too good to be true. But the larger part, the part desperate for safety and freedom, didn't care.

I just wanted to go home. I wanted Alessandro.

But as Rely helped me into a waiting car, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that this ordeal was far from over. In fact, it might be just the beginning.