13. Grace

13

GRACE

S hakily, I reach the parking lot, looking behind me all the while. Adam has never scared me before, but his demeanor in the office was different. Menacing somehow.

I rummage through my bag for my keys. "Come on, come on," I say frantically. My hand hits the bottom of the bag and still no keys. Where are they?

Horror floods me when I realize I left them on my desk. Should I chance it and go back for them? Or just leave my car here and get it in the morning? As I stand there going over my options, I spy Adam leaving the building by the side entrance. I quickly duck behind my car. Luckily, I'd parked on the left side of the building, and he couldn't see me from where he was.

Releasing a huge sigh of relief, I crouch down and quickly make my way back to the office. Knowing the elevator will take ages, I rush up the stairs into the second floor.

The office is now pitch black. Adam must have turned the lights off when he left. Still taking no chances, I see my keys and quickly grab them. The minute I turn, I hit Adam's chest, and then all I see is black.

When I come to, I can scarcely tell where I am. A gag has been placed firmly across my mouth, making it hard to breathe.

I try to stand and realize I've been tied to a chair. My arms have been pulled behind me and my wrists tied together at the bottom of the backrest. My ankles have each been tied to a wheel on the chair so tightly, I think my feet have lost circulation.

Straining to see through the darkness, my eyes take some time to adjust. After a while, I start distinguishing between shadows. I realize that I'm alone, and that I'm in Don's office. I don't see Adam anywhere.

Where is he?

I struggle against my bindings, but all I succeed in doing is bruising my wrists. The chair rolls a bit at my movements. The noise must have alerted Adam that I'm awake, and in a flash, I see him in front of me.

Slowly, as if he has all the time in the world, Adam turns on Don's desk lamp. I blink quickly, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness.

Adam takes one of the chairs in front of Don's desk and spins me around to face him. Placing both palms in the arm rests, he leans toward me with a jeer.

"Well, well, well, here's Miss Star Reporter herself, Grace Mallone… Are you ready for your feature interview?" he asks, a crazy grin on his face.

I try to speak, but the gag in my mouth makes it impossible. I can feel my mouth turning dry every time I try to respond.

"Oh, can't talk, can you? No matter… I don't really need to hear what you have to say," he sneers. "You must be wondering why I'm doing this. I've always thought you were a snoop, always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," he says with a glare.

I just stare at him, confused. What is he talking about?

"For a while, I thought what you were doing was harmless. After all, you could prove nothing, and you knew nothing. No one would believe you anyway, a small-town reporter from some one-horse town. But, today… I caught a glimpse of your research, and I realized I should have put a stop to it earlier on I thought your interest was in mythology. I've been foolish to think your research was innocent."

Adam leans back against his chair and steeples his hands in front of his face.

"I should have realized what you were doing, you meddlesome fool. Don't you understand what you've done?" he snarls, ripping off my gag.

I sputter and gag, trying to add some more moisture into my dry mouth.

As I stare into Adam's menacing smile, confusion swirls within me like a tempest. What does any of this have to do with him? My mind races, desperately searching for answers, but he remains silent, reveling in my bewilderment. Suddenly, a realization strikes me like a bolt of lightning.

The truth is dawning on me, and my eyes widen with terror.

Adam... he's a shifter.

The words tumble out of my mouth before I can even fully comprehend them. "You're a shifter, aren't you?" I accuse, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and newfound understanding.

Adam's grin widens, confirming my suspicions. His eyes gleam with a feral intensity, and without warning, he extends an offer that sends shivers down my spine. "I can give you an exclusive story, Grace. You'll finally have the front-page news. Wait, let me correct myself – you'll be front-page news. But first, I want you to witness something."

In an instant, Adam's form begins to contort and twist, his body contending with an otherworldly force. I watch in horror as he transforms before my eyes, his human facade replaced by that of a monstrous creature—a wolf.

My heart pounds in my chest as I stumble backward, my mind grasping at the fragments of a long-forgotten memory. The wolf... it's the same one I saw as a child—the one that took Becky's life. A chilling realization settles over me, freezing my bones. Adam is the rogue shifter, the killer responsible for my friend's tragic demise.

Fear claws at my senses, urging me to run, to escape this nightmare. But I'm still tied to the chair. There's nowhere for me to go. The hopelessness of my situation fills me with despair.

I should have listened to Ethan. I understand too late that he only wanted to protect me. That I had no idea what I had gotten myself into, and that I wish he was right here with me.

But then, my luck turns.

Adam smiles. "Why don't we make this a little bit more… fun?"

With a predatory expression, he slashes the ties keeping me to the chair.

As I turn to flee, Adam cuts me off with a ferocious growl, his wolfish eyes locking into mine. He towers over me, his presence suffocating, as he taunts me with a voice that drips with malevolence. "You should have just let sleeping dogs lie, Grace."

Anger surges within me, fueled by grief and the unwavering determination to uncover the truth. "I would never let my friend's death go unsolved," I retort, my voice laced with defiance, even in the face of this monstrous creature.

Adam's snarl reverberates through the room, his frustration at my refusal to back down palpable. With a baleful glare, he confesses, his sinister admission punctuating the air between us.

"Becky was my first kill. I was still in line to be Alpha back then. But I realized the pack mentality wasn't for me. The rules were suffocating. I'm so much better than they are, Grace, superior to the pack and any Alpha that may come after."

His words hang heavy in the air, each syllable a chilling reminder of the darkness that resides within him. I can't help but draw a parallel between Adam and Ethan. The realization hits me like a punch to the gut, filling me with a renewed determination to save Ethan from this grim fate.

Ethan is my mate. The connection between us has been determined by the universe itself. I won't allow anyone to come between us. Least of all this… monster.

Time becomes my weapon as I desperately try to buy myself a moment of reprieve. "Do all those who turn feral become killers like you?" I inquire, my voice laced with a mix of hope and trepidation.

Adam's snarl intensifies, his eyes narrowing with disdain. "No," he hisses, his voice dripping with venom. "I am one of a kind. How dare you compare me to anyone else!"

With those words, the tension between us reaches its breaking point. Adam lunges at me, his monstrous form propelled by a feral instinct, his intentions clear. Panic engulfs me as adrenaline surges through my veins, propelling me to fight or flee.

But before I can react, Adam's transformation into a wolf is complete. The room trembles with his predatory presence, and I find myself face to face with the embodiment of my nightmares.

I slowly move backward towards the door. I don't dare look back, using my instincts to remember how far I was into the room. My heart pounds in my chest as I brace myself for what lies ahead, unsure if I will emerge from this deadly encounter unscathed.