I Ran From My Psycho Step-brother Straight Into The Alpha's Lap novel Chapter 181

**When Night Grows Softer Hope Returns To Lead Us by Asa Rowan Finn 181**

**Chapter 181**

“I don’t know; I don’t care,” Alec declared with a dismissive wave of his hand. The corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk as he elongated the word, “money,” relishing the taste of it as if it were a fine wine. “Well, I would say it was good to see you, but that would be a blatant lie.” With that, he strode out of the room, flanked by the two vampires, the heavy door thudding shut behind them. In an instant, the shadows reclaimed the space, wrapping it in a suffocating cloak of darkness.

“Well, I guess you can’t choose your family, huh?” Talya ventured, her voice barely breaking the silence that lingered in the air. Emma remained silent, lost in her thoughts. “I’m really sorry, Emma,” Talya added, her tone softening as she tried to reach out.

Emma let out a weary sigh, the sound echoing her internal turmoil. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s always been a nightmare. But what do you think about what he said? Do you think Sage is part of this… whatever this all is?”

Talya settled herself down on the cold, hard floor, leaning her back against the unforgiving wall of their cell. “I suppose it’s a possibility,” she mused, her brow furrowing in contemplation. “The wolf mentioned that there were more of us. What Alec said aligns perfectly with what the wolf told me. He claimed we were born of wolf magic.” She turned her gaze toward Sage, who lay still and unresponsive. “If you’re the Finder and I’m the Dreamer, I can’t help but wonder what Sage’s role is in all of this.”

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Emma replied, her voice barely above a whisper. A heavy silence enveloped them, stretching on for a few moments before Emma broke it again. “What do you think they’re planning to do with us? Why haven’t they come for us or done anything yet?”

“I think they’re trying to locate the fourth one of us, all while attempting to create more vampires by turning girls into their kind. They need us out of the way—well, at least me. If I’m out of the picture, the vampire can continue his sinister plans without any interference. I don’t think he realizes that I can still dream walk in this place. The connection to Liam is blocked, though, so something must be interfering with that,” Talya explained, her voice steady despite the weight of her words.

“If that’s true, you know what they’ll do when they find the last person, right?” Emma asked, her voice tinged with dread.

“Kill us,” Talya answered without a moment’s hesitation, the grim reality hanging heavily in the air between them. “We have to escape before that happens. You don’t have any weapons on you, do you?”

“No, they took my knife while I was unconscious,” Emma replied, shaking her head in frustration.

“There’s no way out of here,” she added, her voice laced with despair. Talya didn’t respond; fatigue began to creep in, wrapping around her like a thick fog, and soon she succumbed to sleep.

“Dreamer,” the wolf greeted her as soon as she entered the dream realm. “We must hurry and uncover those locations.” Talya nodded in agreement, determination surging within her. Without another word, she delved deeper into the dream, seeking the vampire realm with urgency. Hours passed in the dreamscape before she finally stumbled upon something significant.

“I think I found it,” Talya announced as she materialized back in the wolf realm, excitement bubbling within her. She quickly relayed her discovery to the wolf, her heart racing with hope.

“Excellent work, Talya. I will relay this information to the wolves,” the wolf responded, his voice filled with approval.

Talya halted, her eyes wide with curiosity. “You can communicate with them?” she inquired, a spark of hope igniting in her chest.

“Great work, Talya!” Emma praised her enthusiastically, a smile breaking through her worry. “While you were sleeping, they brought some stale bread and water. It’s not much, but at least it’s something.”

Talya’s hands fumbled around in her cell until they found the bread and water bottle. She quickly opened the cap and drank deeply, savoring the cool liquid as it quenched her thirst. Halfway through, she capped it again, mindful to save some for the uncertain hours ahead. She glanced over toward Sage. “Did Sage wake up at all?”

“No,” Emma replied, shaking her head with a hint of sadness.

Time dragged on in the cells, each minute stretching into eternity. Talya felt as though she existed in a limbo between the vampire prison and the dream world, where time was a fickle friend. When awake, the hours dragged, filled with endless conversations with Emma, while Sage remained unresponsive, a quiet ghost in their midst.

In her dream state, however, Talya dedicated every waking moment to uncovering locations. She discovered two more, and the wolf promised to inform the others. But just as she was deep in the dream stasis, she was jolted back into her body, her eyes flying open to find a group of furious vampires looming over her. A scream escaped her lips, involuntary and raw, as they yanked her to her feet.

“Talya!” Emma’s voice pierced through the chaos, but Talya couldn’t respond; fear had paralyzed her. They dragged her out of her cell, ascending a set of stairs before continuing on, their grip unyielding. As they climbed higher, Talya squinted against the sudden brightness, her eyes struggling to adjust. They maneuvered through a series of twists and turns before finally halting. Talya slowly opened her eyes, blinking through the tears that threatened to spill.

The room they entered was small, equipped with a desk and a solitary chair. Before she could take in anything else, the door swung open with a violent crash against the wall, heralding the arrival of whatever fate awaited her next.