apter 0236
Noah
Noah’s knuckles were white as a sheet on the steering wheel as the car sped along the winding mountain roads. His keen eyes scanned the darkness frantically, looking for any sign of the trailhead that Zoe had mentioned, but saw nothing other than dense trees and outcrops of jagged rocks lining either side of the
road.
“Are you sure it’s this way?” Noah asked for what felt like the millionth time that night, glancing at Zoe in the rearview mirror.
Zoe nodded, although she looked a little less certain than before. “I think so,” she said, her sparkling red dress catching the light as she shifted in her seat. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but I remember it being off this road.”
Drake, who had been silent for the past several minutes, suddenly spoke up. “Look, we’ve been driving for almost an hour and have found nothing. Maybe we should turn back, try another route?” he asked.
“Or maybe we should head back to the cabin,” Zoe suggested. “Maybe the police found a lead.”
Like hell I’m giving up, Noah thought to himself with a grimace, glancing at his phone. If the police had found any leads on where Hannah had gone, one of the girls would have called him. Until that happened, he wasn’t going to stop driving, even if it was the last thing he ever did.
Before Noah could respond, his phone rang, startling everyone in the car. Noah fumbled for it, his heart racing when he saw that there was an unknown number on the screen.
“You should pick it up,” Drake hissed through clenched teeth.
Zoe blanched. “Don’t pick up! It could be a trap!”
Noah shot Zoe a withering glance in the rearview mirror, effectively silencing her without having to say a word himself. Swiping to answer, he slowed the car slightly and pressed the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Noah!” Hannah’s voice came through, sounding strained but very much alive. “It’s me.”
Noah let out an immense sigh of relief. “Hannah!” Noah exclaimed, although there was a heavy dose of fear still churning in his stomach. “Where are you? Are you okay? I’ll come get you.”
There was a pause before Hannah spoke again. Noah strained to hear, and could just barely make out the sound of rushing water in the background. The waterfall… She had to be there after all.
When she finally answered, her words were slow and measured, and the strained tone in her voice gave Noah pause. “I’m fine. But… I need your help. The people who have me, they’re asking for money. Five million dollars, to be exact.”
Noah’s blood ran cold. He exchanged wary glances with Drake, who was leaning close to listen. “Five million? Hannah, what’s going on?”
“Please, Noah,” Hannah said, her voice trembling slightly. “They want you to wire the money immediately. If you do, they’ll let me go.”
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Chapter 05:
+25 BONUS
Noah’s mind began to race. Something felt off about this whole situation–and his wolf sensed it, too. Hannah’s voice, the way she was speaking… it didn’t sound like her usual self. She sounded almost like she was reading from a script.
Exchanging another glance, even Drake slowly shook his head. He was right; this seemed suspicious. He couldn’t just send five million dollars like that, although he had the money–he didn’t know if they would actually release her once he did.
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