My Fated Alpha's Cruel Game (Elena and Marcus) novel Chapter 146

Chapter 146: Chapter 146 Moonlight Before Dawn

Dawn’s POV

Sleep refused to come to me that night. I twisted restlessly between the thin sheets, my body aching from the day’s events while my mind raced with unwelcome thoughts. The small dormitory room felt suffocating, the silence pressing against my ears like a weight.

Hours seemed to drag by before I finally heard the distinctive creak of the main building’s door closing. The sound cut through the quiet like a blade, instantly putting me on high alert. My muscles tensed as I slipped from the bed, bare feet silent against the cold floor.

Moving carefully to my door, I pressed my ear against the rough wood and listened. My heart hammered against my ribs as footsteps echoed faintly down the corridor. Fear crawled up my spine at the thought that it might be Fletcher making one of his unwelcome late-night visits. He had done it before, appearing at my door with that predatory smile that made my skin crawl.

But as the footsteps grew closer, I recognized something different about the rhythm. When I cracked the door open just enough to peer outside, relief flooded through me. Liam stood in the dim hallway, his dark hair disheveled and his clothes wrinkled.

"Are you completely insane?" I hissed, pulling the door wider. "If anyone catches you sneaking around at this hour, they’ll tear you apart."

Liam’s shoulders lifted in a casual shrug that didn’t match the tension in his jaw. "The worst they’ll do is throw me in solitary for a few days. I’ve survived worse."

The casual way he dismissed the danger sent irritation flaring through me. "Where the hell have you been? You disappeared for hours."

"I needed space to think. Couldn’t do that trapped in here." His eyes searched my face in the dim light. "Why aren’t you sleeping? You look exhausted."

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly aware of how vulnerable I felt standing there in just my thin nightclothes. "Sleep isn’t exactly cooperative tonight."

"Have you seen the doctor about those injuries?"

A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. "What’s the point? He’ll just tell me to rest and take it easy for a few days. We both know Fletcher will never allow that to happen."

Liam’s expression darkened at the mention of Fletcher, something dangerous flickering in his usually gentle eyes. "You need proper medical attention, Dawn. This isn’t something you can just ignore."

"I’ll be fine. I always am." The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but I’d become an expert at pretending everything was manageable. "Just promise me you won’t sneak out again tonight. I can’t handle worrying about you on top of everything else."

A ghost of his familiar grin appeared, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "I’ll behave myself for the rest of the night. Scout’s honor."

"You were never a scout," I pointed out, but some of the tension eased from my shoulders.

"Details." He winked before continuing down the hallway toward his own room, his footsteps deliberately quiet on the worn floorboards.

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