Pheromonal: One Night With the Alpha novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Freedom?

My feet pound against the last flight of stairs. Each step sends a burst of pain through my legs, but I can’t slow down. Not with the building threatening to crush us both.

Princess Paws lets out another pitiful cry from her box. My arms ache from clutching her so tightly, but I won’t risk dropping her again.

The exit sign glows like a beacon, and I burst through the stairwell door into what must be the main lobby. Tall windows stretch from floor to ceiling, revealing a gray morning beyond. Freedom lies just yards away.

A deep groan reverberates through the walls, like the death rattle of some massive beast.

"Almost there, baby." My voice is reedy with panic, even as I try to soothe my kitten.

I sprint toward the glass doors. Twenty feet. Fifteen. Ten.

The ceiling gives a horrendous crack. My stomach drops as I look up. Spiderwebs of fissures race across the concrete above, spreading faster than I can run.

A massive chunk of ceiling breaks free. I dive forward, but not fast enough. The impact throws me sideways. My shoulder slams into one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The box flies from my grip.

"No!" The scream rips from my throat.

Princess Paws tumbles out, skidding across the marble floor. Her frightened yowl pierces through the thunderous rumbling.

I lunge for her, but another section of ceiling crashes down between us. The impact shatters tiles, sending shards of marble flying. One slices across my cheek.

Dust billows up in thick clouds, choking out what little light filters through the windows. I can’t see. Can’t breathe. Can only cough, desperate for oxygen.

Princess Paws wheezes, her tiny body likely wracked with coughs that mirror my own. The sound tears at my heart.

"Princess!" My voice breaks on her name.

The window at my back vibrates with each new impact. Debris rains down, hemming me in. A steel beam crashes nearby, boxing me against the glass.

Princess Paws cries again, the sound muffled by falling concrete and twisted metal. Her coughing grows worse. Each weak sound stabs through me like a knife.

I press against the window, trapped between cold glass and the mountain of rubble. Dust coats my throat, burns my eyes. I try to call out again but double over, covering my face as best as I can, trying to give myself a barrier from the debris coating the air.

The building screams. A sound like thunder fills my ears as floor after floor pancakes down.

* * *

The silence that falls is so abrupt, it’s like the world ended.

No more crashes. No more screams of twisting metal. No Princess Paws.

My throat burns as I cough, each spasm sending daggers through my chest. The air tastes like concrete and metal, coating my tongue with grit. I can’t even see my fingers when I wave them in front of my face.

A high-pitched whine fills my head, making it hard to focus. My ears feel stuffed with cotton, pressure building behind them until my temples throb. The dust tickles my nose, threatening another coughing fit.

"Princess?" The word comes out as a croak, barely audible over the ringing in my ears.

I press my palm against the window at my back, using it to orient myself in the darkness. The glass vibrates with tiny aftershocks, or maybe that’s just my trembling hand. Sweat and dust mix on my skin, creating a gritty paste that makes my clothes cling uncomfortably.

Another cough racks my body. I pull my shirt collar over my nose, but it’s already coated in debris.

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