intrepidity

Aurora's breath came in ragged, uneven sobs, her entire body trembling as she ran. She didn't know how long she had been sprinting through the endless sea of trees, her bare feet torn and bleeding, her dress ripped and dirtied beyond recognition. The cold night air burned her skin, her lungs ached with each desperate gasp, and exhaustion clawed at her limbs, begging her to collapse.

But she couldn't stop. She couldn't.

Her captors were still behind her. Somewhere in the darkness, they were looking for her. Hunting her. If they caught her, she wouldn't get another chance.

Her vision blurred, but she kept running, blindly pushing past twisted branches and thorny bushes that snagged at her arms, leaving thin, stinging cuts in their wake. The sound of her own heartbeat thundered in her ears, mixing with the rustling of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig.

Then, voices.

Aurora's breath hitched. Her legs faltered for half a second before panic surged through her veins like fire. They found her.

No. No, no, no—

She had to hide. Had to—

But then, amidst the deep, commanding voices, she heard it.

A voice that struck her like lightning.

"Spread out. She has to be close."

Aurora's feet stopped moving entirely.

She stood frozen, her chest rising and falling in uneven gasps, her heart pounding violently against her ribs.

That voice.

That deep, low voice that carried the weight of authority, control, and an anger so lethal it made grown men cower.

Aiden.

The realization hit her like a sledgehammer to the chest.

Aiden was here. He was here.

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the darkened forest into nothing but a swirl of shifting shadows. Her lips parted, but no words came out, her throat too tight, too raw from her earlier cries.

Through the trees, she saw them.

Aiden stood in the clearing, his stance rigid, his sharp, calculating gaze scanning the darkness like a predator ready to strike. His gun rested in his grip with deadly ease, his suit dirtied from the night's search, but he looked untouched. Unshaken.

But Aurora saw it.

The rage.

The fury barely contained beneath the surface, simmering like a volcano waiting to erupt.

He was angry.

No—he was terrified.

The moment his eyes landed on her, his entire body went stiff.

Time stopped. The wind howled around them, but all Aurora could hear was the pounding of her own heart.

Then, the dam broke.

A choked, broken sob tore past her lips as her body gave out beneath her.

"Dad!"

Aiden froze.

Everything stopped.

The men surrounding him stiffened, their expressions shifting from unreadable to pure, utter shock. Some exchanged glances, clearly caught off guard.