Prologue: Shadows and Snow

Snow at night is supposed to be peaceful.

Christmas is supposed to be comforting.

A time of warmth. A time of gentle light glowing from windows and laughter spilling into the cold air.

But not for me. Not tonight.

As I run through the forest, the world around me looks like a postcard—white snow drifting like feathers, moonlight reflecting on the ground like scattered diamonds, distant houses dressed in red and gold lights. The kind of beauty that usually makes my heart soften. The kind that almost makes you believe the world can be kind. Heck this is my favorite month.

But tonight, Christmas is a cruel joke.

Snow is just another layer of danger and its beauty is a sharp contrast to the nightmare swallowing me whole.

Branches whip at my skin as I sprint through the darkness. My lungs burn. Every breath feels like swallowing ice. I’m shaking—not from the cold, but from terror so strong it feels like it’s carved into my bones.

I don’t know what’s happening.

I don’t know what they want.

I don’t know why this is happening.

I don’t know why I’m the one running like prey while they chase me like hunters.

My feet stumble in the deep snow, slipping, sinking, sliding. My heart thunders so loudly that I swear it echoes off the trees. I keep hearing them behind me. Footsteps. Voices. Shouting. Heavy breathing. The crunch of boots closing in.

“Go around!”

“It’s dark. She couldn’t have gone far!”

“Don’t let her escape!”

Their words crack the night like gunshots.

“Selene!”

I let out a gasp but quickly cover my mouth. How did they know my name?

My throat tightens. I taste panic, bitter and metallic.

This was supposed to be a date.

A quiet night to fix things.

A chance to talk, maybe laugh, maybe apologize, maybe start again.

My boyfriend—my ex-boyfriend now—had invited me. He said he missed me.

Said Christmas Eve shouldn’t be spent in anger. Said he wanted to tell me something important.

I believed him.

I trusted him.

And now I’m running for my life.

The betrayal feels like a physical wound. Sharp. Deep. Paralyzing.

Did he know?

Was I led into this on purpose?

Was he watching when they grabbed me?

Every question tightens my chest until it hurts to breathe. I choke on a sob but force myself forward. The snow keeps falling, sticking to my hair, my eyelashes, my clothes. My fingers are numb; my legs tremble with exhaustion. Sweat mixes with the freezing wind, sending shivers down my spine.

My foot slams into something hard hidden beneath the snow.

I don’t even have time to scream.

I fall.

My body crashes onto the frozen ground with such force that stars explode behind my eyelids. Pain erupts through my knee—white-hot, agonizing. The sound that rips from my throat is raw, choked, desperate.

My palms skid across rough ice, skin tearing open instantly. Warm blood seeps out, only to freeze at the edges. Snowflakes land on the wounds, dissolving into sharp stings.

The pain is so intense I can’t breathe for a second. My vision blurs. My ears ring. The world spins.

“I heard someone falling. That way!”

“She’s close!”

“No… no, no, no—” I gasp through clenched teeth.

Voices echo behind me, closer than ever.

I force my arms to move, dragging myself forward through the snow. Every inch is agony. My knee throbs violently, like someone is hammering into bone. Hot tears streak down my face, freezing almost immediately.

The cold has teeth.

And it’s biting through me mercilessly.

I push myself up using a tree trunk. My hands sting and my leg screams in protest. But I make myself stand. I have to. If I stay down, I’m done. If I give up now—

A fresh wave of betrayal slams into my chest.

I trusted him. I went to meet him with hope—hope that maybe we could talk, maybe he still cared, maybe we could try again. I even wore the coat he said he liked and wore the necklace he got me last Christmas. I smiled when I texted him that I was on my way.

Was he smiling too, knowing this would happen?

The thought crushes me.

Thinking about this wouldn’t make my situation any better. I need to survive to find out why. Just what did I do to deserve this?

I stagger forward. I can’t run—not anymore. I can barely walk. But I keep moving, teeth gritted, breath shaking violently. My body is screaming at me to stop. My mind is a tangled mess of fear, pain, and disbelief. I still can’t believe this is happening to me. How I wish this were just a long nightmare.

My scraped palms drip onto the snow, leaving a trail of red.

The forest stretches endlessly, dark and silent except for the wind whispering through the branches. The moon hangs above like a cold spectator, watching me fall apart.

My legs give out again. I catch myself against a fallen log, but the movement sends a jolt of agony through my knee that steals my breath.

Something cracks inside me. Not physically—emotionally.

The realization that I might not make it.

That this might be where it ends.

That betrayal might be the last thing I ever feel.

 

“I trusted you…” I whisper, voice cracked and trembling. “Why did you do this to me…?”

 

As if someone would tell me. Of course, the night doesn’t answer.

 

My vision dims at the edges.

My head feels heavy.

The cold is sinking deeper, turning my limbs stiff and sluggish.

 

Am I going to die in the middle of nowhere? No one knowing?

 

Suddenly somewhere behind me, snow crunches.

 

Slow.

Steady.

Purposeful.

 

Not rushed like the men before.

Not frantic.

 

A different kind of step.

A different weight.

 

I blink hard, trying to lift my head.

A tall figure moves through the trees toward me. The moon outlines broad shoulders, a long coat, and deliberate strides. His face is lost in shadow. His presence is heavy, commanding, impossible to ignore.

 

My heart skips. Fear and hope clash violently inside me.

 

Is he another kidnapper?

Or… someone else?

 

My body slumps sideways as strength drains out of me. My vision flickers. The world fades in and out like a dying candle flame.

 

“Please…” I breathe, barely a sound. I don’t know what I want to say. Please don’t kill me? Please save me?

 

The figure comes closer.

 

My consciousness slips further.

Darkness pulls at me, warm and terrifying. My heartbeat slows.

 

The last thing I see—

Or think I see—

Is that shadowed figure stopping right in front of me.

As I slowly slip away the last thing I hear is a low guttural growl much like some animal closing by as if they found their dinner, their prey.

 

I hope.

I pray that someone finally came to save me.

 

Before the world turns black.