The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 281

Callum's blood boiled with fury. He abruptly stood from his chair and stormed out of the room. "I refuse to believe we can't find her!" He declared.

Outside, the wind was howling, and the rain was lashing down hard. The sky had turned a deep, dark black. Even Callum couldn't explain the fear that was creeping over him. What was he afraid of exactly?

Was he afraid that Lexi had escaped? Or was he afraid she was in danger?

At this moment, those questions were irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was finding out Lexi's whereabouts.

Callum led the search party, instructing his men to spread out in a line and conduct a thorough, carpet-style search.

Dozens of flashlights lit up the forest, startling small animals that were hiding in the underbrush, and causing them to scamper away in fear, as if hunters had come to capture them.

It wasn't long after Lexi had been knocked unconscious that she was rudely awakened. The cold and sharp rain slapped against her face, pulling her back to her senses. She became terrified when she realized something was dragging her along the ground.

She managed to lift her head and caught sight of a bear - a giant grizzly!

She was being dragged along by the scruff of her jeans by a hulking grey-black bear. Lexi froze with fear. She'd fallen into the clutches of a grizzly bear!

She was terrified but didn't dare make a move. All she could do was stay as still as possible, while desperately trying to remember what to do if you encountered a bear.

She remembered that grizzly bears didn’t usually eat dead people. Yes, that was it! The bear must have thought she was dead, so it wouldn’t eat her.

She was covered in mud and scratches and was completely terrified. Lexi wished she could just pass out. But if she did, she knew that she may never wake up.

As she was wracking her brains, she heard the distant sounds of footsteps and the faint yelling of orders, "Be careful. Watch your step! Don't miss an inch of ground!"

Was that Callum?!

Lexi was overjoyed and wanted to cry out, but she feared agitating the bear. What if it decided to devour her?

The bear seemed to have heard the human noises, too. It stopped dragging Lexi and sniffed around her face, seemingly checking if she was indeed dead.

Lexi held her breath, but the bear's foul breath made her want to retch. She was so scared she was about to pass out!

Finally, the bear seemed to confirm that Lexi was indeed “dead," and left her to hide.

The bright lights seemed to scare the bear. Even the fiercest wild animals feared humans, especially when they were outnumbered.

Lexi lay quietly on the wet ground, listening to the fading sounds of the bear, until she could no longer hear it, but Callum and his men's footsteps were also getting further away.

Lexi knew that this was her only chance to escape the bear. She had to seize the opportunity!

Instinctively, she stood up and ran in the direction of Callum's voice. She stumbled and fell, and the heavy rain blurred her vision. Lexi was fighting for her life.

She hadn't run far when she heard a roaring sound behind her. Lexi didn't look back. She knew the creature chasing her was the grizzly bear. It must have seen that she was alive. It had been hiding and watching her. When it saw her suddenly run away, it was enraged and began to chase Lexi.

Next, she heard people rushing over, asking, "Ms. Lexi, are you okay?"

"Ms. Lexi, are you hurt?"

"Mr. Callum is amazing; he killed the bear with one shot."

"It was a close call. If he didn't act fast, that bear would have bitten your neck."

Lexi pieced together what had happened from their disjointed voices. She felt like she had just walked a tightrope between life and death, and now she didn't have the strength to even move.

She managed to open her eyes and saw Callum standing in front of her. He bent down and lifted her from the muddy ground. "Let's go home," he said.

And then, Lexi felt herself being cradled in Callum's arms. She was so weak she didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.

It's funny how people thought death was easy until they came face to face with it. That was when they realized just how precious life was.

Held in Callum’s strong arms, and feeling his powerful heartbeat, Lexi noticed that his face was deathly pale. Could it be that he was worried about her?

To confirm her suspicion, Lexi lifted her head, trying to read his expression.

Maybe her gaze was too direct because Callum caught her looking. He bowed his head, staring at the grubby Lexi in his arms, and said solemnly, "I can give you freedom, but you've got to promise me, Lexi, you won't pull stunts like this again. If something like this happens again, I can't predict what I might do."