Zara

Bringing my irritated face close to his, I demanded in a shrill voice,

"Password, you idiot!" Blood had already caked under his nostrils and on his chin, and his eyes were barely open.

He tried to grab me, but I kicked him right between the balls with my heel, aiming the sharp end right where it would hurt the most.

He roared like a donkey, doubled over in pain. Panic began to build. My heart sank, and I didn’t know how much longer I could keep this up before a full-blown panic attack overtook me.

"F... bitch," he shrieked as I straightened up and began pressing down, trying to crush his balls.

"That’s... 4... 1..." and then his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.

No-o-o, no-o-o.

In desperation, I kicked him in the stomach and balls several times, but he was already lying in a heap.

In desperation, turning to the broken glass of the control panel, I tried to dial the two numbers he’d given me, but it wasn’t enough. The elevator refused to move, and I found myself trapped in it.

Somewhere with the attacker.

I tried to press the emergency button, but to no avail; it didn’t work. My heart was pounding, and I grabbed the emergency phone, but there was no dial tone.

’Examined every part of this steel death trap to make sure there was an emergency exit.’ Nova suggested.

’There wasn’t one.’ I replied.

’What the hell kind of elevator was this?’ Nova was angry, too.

’It seemed like this bastard had planned this whole thing, and I wasn’t getting out of this damn thing anytime soon.’ I thought.

Grabbing my hair, I screamed, hoping someone would hear me. There should have been a camera in this tin can of claustrophobia, but my frantic eyes couldn’t see anything.

Panic, panic was growing with every second. My hands were slippery from sweat, and my feet were growing cold. I foolishly tried to force the elevator door open, digging my nails into the tiny crack, but only ended up breaking two and howling in pain.

Alpha Kane, the thought of him washed over me, and I tried not to lose my balance and not to lose my balance.

"Hellooooo!" I screamed, pounding on the thick steel elevator door.

The energy seemed to be draining from my body, turning it to jelly. The oxygen in this confined space was dwindling, and I gasped for air in huge gulps, but my lungs still wouldn’t fill.

My fists ached from pounding on the steel door.

"Alpha! Help!" I screamed with all my might.

Hoping, wishing, for someone to hear me. I knew he was in a meeting and couldn’t even know I was locked in this rectangular steel coffin.

I turned my head to look at this bastard who had brought me here.

’Maybe he was stalking us?’ Nova rolled her eyes.

’Is he planning to kill me?’ I yelled.

Take me somewhere and hold me hostage? Demand a ransom from my parents?

So many questions swirled in my head that I started shaking. My legs gave way, and I fell onto the cold floor of this damned elevator.

A full-blown panic attack set in, and I couldn’t breathe, no matter how hard I tried to fill my lungs. Grabbing the front of my dress, I tried the breathing exercises I’d been taught to do in case of an impact in this situation.

But nothing worked now. No, please, don’t let me die. Here. The worried faces of my family flashed before my eyes, and I realized I had to be strong.

"Daad!" I screamed in panic, tears finally spilling from my eyes.

I tried to stop and gather my courage, but all I felt was weakness and swaying on the verge of losing consciousness.

I clutched my throat, desperately trying to breathe. I rubbed my chest, but it was no use.

"Help! Please! Alpha..." I called out again desperately, but my voice was so weak, and my eyelids were starting to droop.

I tried to stay awake, even though the darkness now seemed so inviting; at least I wouldn’t have to fight for oxygen.

And then I heard a buzzing sound, like a door opening. I made a last effort to keep my eyes open and saw him before the darkness overtook me.

"Kane?" My voice sounded weak.

Or was it just me?

Was he here?

Or was it just my imagination?

Did I imagine those huge, yet comforting arms embracing me and lifting me?

Did the soothing scent of his whiskey overcome me?

"Zara, I’ve caught you, you’re safe..." Were those words spoken, or was I simply sleeping in the afterlife?

I had no clear answer as I sank into the valley of darkness.

***

Kane

I presented the quarterly report to the board of directors. But I was plagued by a nagging feeling. I couldn’t put my finger on it, something was nagging at me deep down.

"I’m going to present our key performance indicators (KPIs) for this quarter. Our revenue grew 13% year-over-year. Online sales grew 21%, which was a huge boost, and I plan to focus on digital growth," I continued, recounting the various ups and downs, challenges, and NPS data.

"How are things with customer retention?" Azbial asked, making notes with his gold pen.

I presented the data along with strategies for improving it.

They were generally impressed with the company’s performance. I was still about to report on the winter gala when Masja interrupted the meeting.

She opened the door and walked in, her face covered in worry. Her gaze found me, and without hesitation, she blurted out, "You sent someone to get Zara? Right?"

The ground seemed to drop beneath my feet.

"No, where is she?" I asked her, not even intending to raise my voice.

Her eyes widened in shock, and her hand flew to her lips.

Larry stood up and approached Masja, who was shaking slightly. The others watched with deep concern.

"About half an hour ago, a waiter in uniform came for her. I thought the meeting was postponed, but I just contacted someone else and they told me you were in a meeting for the last 45 minutes. That worried me, so I started looking for her, but I couldn’t find her; then I came here," Masja admitted, her body shaking uncontrollably.