I Bought A Male Escort, Turns Out He's The Lycan King novel Chapter 38

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**Leaves Falling Like Promises**
**By Amara Grant**
**Chapter 38**

**KAT**

The piercing scream shattered the cocoon of sorrow that had enveloped me, dragging me back to the surface of reality.

It was a sound that clawed at my insides, a chilling wail that felt as if it could slice through flesh and bone alike.

Mal and I sprang to our feet, instinctively alert, our hearts racing. For a brief moment, my mind flitted to Rivers. That despicable man had orchestrated something that pulled me into his twisted web.

We burst out of the office, and the scene that greeted us was chaotic. A throng of people had gathered at the rear of the building, their phones out, trembling hands dialing for help. I could see some individuals pressed against the walls, retching, while a few women clutched each other, tears streaming down their faces in silent agony.

From the basement storage door, two men stumbled out, their faces ashen, as if they had seen a ghost. One of them gagged violently, while the other, in a frantic motion, slammed the door shut using the hem of his shirt.

“No one else should go down there,” he croaked, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“What the hell happened?” Mal demanded, urgency lacing his voice.

“Someone’s dead,” came the hushed reply. “Murdered.”

“That’s not just murder; it’s… She was gutted. Torn apart,” the other man rasped, his voice trembling with horror.

I felt my legs weaken, my body recoiling at the gravity of his words. The storage room—Mal had turned it into a sanctuary for the lost and broken, a refuge for people like me, those who had nowhere else to turn.

Now, it had become a scene of unimaginable horror.

No, this couldn’t be real.

I forced my way through the crowd, ignoring the concerned shouts that echoed behind me. The door swung open violently against the wall as I raced down the stairs, the metallic scent of blood hitting me like a wall. And then, the sight that awaited me.

I staggered back, my mind grappling with the grotesque reality before my eyes.

She was pinned against the wall, her body horrifically open. The blood—there was so much blood…

My knees buckled, and I crashed to the floor, but the sensation of pain was lost in the fog of my mind. Hands reached for me, attempting to pull me back, but my gaze remained glued to the lifeless girl until the door slammed shut, shutting out the horror.

I clutched my chest, gasping for air, my eyes fixated on the door. The grief that had been my constant companion surged back, morphing into something darker, something more primal. We weren’t close, none of us were, but in this space, we had forged a bond of mutual protection. Now, that safety lay in ruins, shattered like glass.

Suddenly, Mal’s hands were on me, his voice a distant murmur amid the cacophony. I could see the pallor of his face, the deep lines etched into his skin deepening with worry. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, I found myself back in the office,

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struggling to reclaim my breath.

Everything blurred around me—the blaring sirens, the officers moving in and out of the building. My mind felt too raw, too exposed. I had been to crime scenes before, during my internship, but none had ever struck me like this, none had ever invaded my life so brutally.

Mal’s hand landed on my shoulder, grounding me.

“I’ll take you home. They’ll need statements later, but the Bureau agents are here to handle it now.”

I allowed him to guide me through the chaos, past the police barriers and the gawking crowd. He helped me into his old car, and I curled against the seat, wrapping my arms around myself as if I could shield my mind from the horror that had just unfolded. As we drove away, another Bureau SUV pulled in, but I tuned it all out.

All I craved was to vanish, to retreat into the cocoon of my home, to curl back into the bubble I had crafted with Hunter, where I could pretend that none of this had ever happened.

When I finally stepped into my apartment, the darkness enveloped me like a shroud, the silence pressing down like a weight. I could no longer hold back the sobs that had been building within me; they erupted, tears streaming down my cheeks. Where was he?

I felt as though I was drowning. Images collided in my mind—the girl’s body, Rivers’ smirk, Kostas’ voice. I struggled to breathe. My fingers hovered over the phone I had been gripping, aching with the desire to call Rivers and demand to know where my brother was. The world outside felt perilous, and I longed for the safety I once knew.