24 hours have passed since Addison went missing. Liam immediately went out to find her, leaving me here alone to worry. He promised me that he would find her. I worry about what will happen when he does find her. He is going to once again dangle her life over my head to make me do his bidding for him. To be a good little trophy.

Maybe she escaped on her own. The glass cell that held her showed no signs of damage though. I groan, pulling myself out of my bed. I can't just sit here and wait for news. My mind has been left to wander. I am starting to think the worst has happened to my friend.

I prop my door open and head straight for the kitchen. It is dinner-ish time now, so my stomach has just begun to growl for something to eat. I pull the metal fridge door open and soak up the chilly air. My eyes immediately land on a glass container of pudding. It has an intricate crystal lid on top of it with a pale blue note stuck to it.

Don't worry, love. I will find your friend. In the meantime, try to relax.

-Liam

I shrug and pull the container from the fridge. I grab a spoon and sit down at the kitchen bar. I hunch over the counter and begin to devour the delectable chocolate pudding.

But it's not the same. My mind just wanders back to Addison. She has done nothing but suffer ever since the night that our pack was attacked.

I let out a small sob, letting the spoon fall back into the bowl. The spoon sinks into the pudding and out of reach.

A bubble of snot drips from my nose. I go to wipe it away with my sleeve and hear a loud bang on the window behind me. I jump in the air, my shoulders immediately tensing.

I am frozen in time for a moment. I could run right now. Maybe whoever it is will go away.

That is highly unlikely.

"Alex!" I hear a muffled voice through the thick glass.

My lips slowly part before I twist my body around in the leather barstool. Standing behind the window is a man I had completely forgotten.

Russell sees me and he immediately waves me to come closer. My bare feet hit the wooden floors and I slowly approach him.

I reach the window and then I pause. He was supposed to come back for me last night, but instead he disappeared. Why does he only show up when Liam is not around?

He did try to kill me in the woods. Well, Aubrey did, but he was involved the moment he decided to leave me lying on the ground in a puddle of my own blood.

"What are you afraid of?" I hear his muffled voice again. It's as if I come to a realization. Russell can be my way out of here.

I quickly unlock the large window, sliding it upwards to open. Russell smiles at me before climbing into the dark space. Chilly air immediately begins to flood the room.

"You're okay?" Russell finally breathes out in almost shock that I am still breathing.

"Yeah. Why?" I give him a puzzled look. He walks around me as if he is familiar with the house. He picks up the large bowl of pudding and inspects it with a suspicious eye.

"I don't know, it's just- Liam." He shoves his finger into the pudding.

Unsure of how to correctly respond, I make my way across the wooden floor to take my seat back at the barstool.

"You didn't tell him you saw me last night, did you?" Russell shoves a pudding-covered finger into his mouth before walking over to the fridge.

"No. Why would it matter if I did? Who are you?" I furrow my brows curiously. Russell wraps a hand around a can of whipped cream and then shuts the fridge door.

"Well," He begins, awkwardly tilting his neck, "Liam and I go waay back." He squirts the cream onto the top of the pudding from an angle. The sputtering sounds of the almost-empty can echo through the room.

"Way back to where you snuck into his party to 'take care of some business' without him knowing?" I give him a dull look.

I watch his lip quirk up as he takes another lick of the pudding.

"That is not the point." He deflects, his eyes remain on the bowl, "the point is," He points a pudding finger at me, "we need to get you out of here." He licks his finger.

"I can't leave!" I exclaim at the insane man eating chocolate pudding in front of me.

"Why would you want to stay? Are you insane?" He puts the bowl down and looks at me with confusion.

Addison. If I had Addison, I would easily walk out of here with a rogue. Hell, he could escort our happy asses all the way back to the SilverMoon pack. But if Addison is not here, I am not leaving. That is the only reason I am here in the first place.

"Liam has-had my friend captive. And I can't - if I leave and he finds her. I just can't leave." I try to explain.

"He had or has your friend? Was she also a wolf?" He questions, leaning onto the counter with his elbows.

I nod.

"You mean the same blonde mutt I found caged up last night?" He smirks.

My eyes pop out of my head as I shoot up from my seat, "You were the one that let her out?"

"Yep." He nods, picking the spoon up and shoving a brown blob of pudding into his mouth. "She's fine, back at my cabin."

"Oh my gosh Russell!" I scream with joy, running to hug him. He tenses at my sudden moves and drops his spoon in the pudding. He lets out a small chuckle before returning the gesture.

"Now that we got this mushy stuff over," he says as he stands straight and releases me from the hug, "are you ready to go?"

.

.

.

.

The soft leaves rustle beneath my white sneakers that are already beginning to accumulate mud. It has been about an hour of trying to keep up with Russell's unreasonably fast pace and my feet are beginning to ache.

"Liam has allies everywhere, spies even, watching." Russell sends a quick warning behind his back, "You can't trust anybody."

"What happened between the two of you anyways?" I pry.

I watch as the muscles in his shoulders tense. I contemplate taking my question back. It really isn't my business.

"I grew up around him and his brother." He breathes out, pushing a branch away from his face.

"Oh." I press my lips together.

"Yeah, it was great. He and I grew pretty close until his brother went ballistic. Then there was the whole drama about me trying to kidnap his hybrid." he sends me a wink.

A small shudder washes over me as I realize that I am walking through the middle of the woods with an absolute stranger.

"Careful!" Russell suddenly gasps, picking me up by my waist and moving me to the other side of him just in time for my ankle to barely miss a large bear trap. "These woods are rigged with traps," he warns in a hushed tone.

My mind flickers back to the last time I encountered a bear trap. It had sliced my ankle so deep that I could see bone.

I begin to walk closely beside him in fear of stepping on another trap. The sun had slowly been sinking behind the trees and soon the woods would be met with only the low glow of the vibrant sunset.

"It's getting late, are we there yet?" I finally whine. My feet ache and my stomach still rumbles from lack of food.

"Almost. Are you scared of the dark?" He flashes a wicked smile.

"No" I reply a little too quickly.

There is a loud roar in the distance. I immediately jump, grabbing onto Russell for moral support.

Russell simply lets out a mild chuckle as he grabs the hand that is clinching his arm tightly. My ears are then filled with a menacing growl from behind us. The hair on the back of my neck uncurls, standing up straight.

Russell and I turn around at the same time. His body hardens beneath my touch. My lips part as I am met with the dark chocolatey eyes that belong to only one man.

Tyler.

_______________

Updated chapter*

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