Victor's POV
I ran like my life depended on it, like the world was ending, like nothing else existed except getting to Selene.
Branches whipped across my face, leaving stinging cuts on my cheeks and arms. Thorns tore at my clothes, ripping the fabric. My boots pounded against the forest floor, crushing leaves and snapping twigs.
I didn't slow down. I didn't even feel the pain.
Through the bond, I could sense her presence. It was faint, weakening. Like a candle flame flickering in the wind, getting smaller and smaller with each passing second.
Terror clawed at my chest. What if I was too late? What if she was already gone?
"Hold on," I muttered through gritted teeth. "Just hold on, Selene."
"Alpha!" someone called as I ran past. One of the outer patrol guards, his hand raised in gre
