Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

SILAS

The gunshot pierces the air, a thunderclap of violence and death. My heart seizes in my chest as I see Bella crumple to the ground, crimson blossoming across her dress.

"No!" The scream rips from my throat, raw and primal. I abandon my rifle without a second thought, my legs pumping furiously as I race towards her fallen form, leaping from the ledge of the balcony.

In my peripheral vision, I see Hector and Sam fighting their way to her, twin expressions of anguish and fury contorting their faces. But they seem impossibly far away, the distance stretching out before me like an endless fucking chasm.

Liam stands over Bella's prone body, his eyes glinting with malice as he points the gun at her head. His finger tightens on the trigger, ready to snuff out her life once and for all.

Desperation claws at my chest, a yawning abyss of helplessness. I'm not going to make it in time. I'm going to fucking lose her.

Suddenly, a blur of movement catches my eye. Motherfucking Nicolai of all people, lunges forward, throwing himself between Bella and the barrel of the gun. The sharp crack of the shot rings out and he jerks backward, the bullet meant for Bella finding a home in his flesh instead.

"Nic!" Bella's anguished cry rends the air as Nic crumples to the ground beside her, his blood mingling with hers on the cold concrete. He was shot in the head, and the light in his eyes is gone immediately.

Nic is dead. Fucking gone, just like that.

Bella is screaming, but it turns into a gurgle as blood begins to spill from her parted lips. I reach her just as Sam appears behind Liam. Sam doesn't say a damn word as he pops Liam in the back of the skull with his Glock, sending the alpha's brain splattering everywhere.

I drop to my knees in a pool of Bella's blood, scooping her into my shaking arms. Rage battles with terror as her eyes roll back in her head, her dark lashes fluttering against her blood smeared cheeks.

I let out a roar of anguish, the sound tearing from my chest like a wounded animal. "Bella! Bella, stay with me," I beg, my voice cracking with desperation as I cradle her limp form against my chest. Her blood is hot and slick on my hands, the coppery scent choking the air.

Hector and Dante reach us, their faces ashen with shock and grief as they fall to their knees beside me. Sam stands frozen, his gun hanging limply at his side as he stares at Bella's broken body in my arms.

"No, no, no," Dante chants under his breath like a prayer, reaching out with a shaking hand to brush Bella's blood-matted hair back from her face. "Bella, don't do this to me."

Smoke begins to fill the room, acrid and thick. The fire is spreading, the flames licking hungrily up the walls. But none of us can move, paralyzed by the sight of Bella bleeding out in front of us.

"You can't leave me," I rasp, my vision blurring with tears that scald my cheeks. "Bella, please. I love you. I fucking love you."

A scream rends the air and I look up to see Rosa shoving her way through the debris, her black hair wild around her face. She stumbles to a halt, her eyes widening in horror when she sees Bella's blood-soaked form cradled in my arms.

"No!" Rosa's anguished cry pierces the smoke-filled air. "Bella!" She staggers forward, falling to her knees beside us, her hands shaking as she reaches for her sister.

I clutch Bella tighter to my chest, a feral snarl ripping from my throat. "Don't fucking touch her!"

Rosa recoils, her eyes wide and glassy with unshed tears. "P-please," she whispers brokenly. "We have to get her out of here. I know a way out the back."

The flames crackle and hiss, the heat searing my skin as the fire consumes everything in its path. Sweat and blood mingle on my brow, dripping into my eyes, but I can't loosen my grip on Bella. Her shallow breaths are the only thing tethering me to sanity.

"Silas." Hector's voice is rough with grief, but there's an undercurrent of urgency that penetrates the haze of my panic. "Rosa's right. We have to move now, before it's too late."

I look down at Bella's face, so pale and still against the crimson ruin of her chest. Her lips are tinged with blue, her breaths coming in short, wet gasps. Each one feels like a shard of glass in my heart, slicing me to ribbons.

"We have to go now!" my cousin Micha shouts over the roar of the flames. "The whole building is about to come down!" His brothers are right behind him, and several of our father's only bodyguards follow behind.

The club is full of bodies now, and the De Luca alphas are finished. Their lifeless corpses can burn to fucking ash for all I care.

I struggle to my feet, Bella's blood-soaked body cradled against my chest. Her head lolls lifelessly against my shoulder, her breaths shallow and labored. Dante and Hector flank me, their faces grim with determination as they help support Bella's weight.

Rosa staggers to her feet, wiping the tears from her cheeks with a shaking hand. "This way," she says, her voice hoarse with smoke and grief. "I know a way out through the back."

We stumble through the burning debris, the heat searing our skin and singeing our hair. The smoke is thick and acrid, burning our lungs with every breath. Bella's blood drips steadily onto the floor, leaving a macabre trail in our wake.

Rosa leads us through a maze of dressing rooms, the once glamorous space now reduced to ash and ruin. The mirrors are shattered, the costumes nothing more than smoldering rags. We dodge falling beams and jump over piles of flaming rubble, the adrenaline pumping through our veins the only thing keeping us moving.

Finally, we burst through a door and into a narrow alleyway, the cool night air a shock to our overheated lungs. Sirens wail in the distance, drawing closer with every passing second. The flashing lights of emergency vehicles paint the alleyway in shades of red and blue, casting eerie shadows on the brick walls.

I clutch Bella tighter to my chest, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. Her blood is sticky and warm against my skin, the coppery scent filling my nostrils. I can feel her heartbeat fluttering weakly beneath my fingers, growing fainter with each passing second.

"We need to get her to a hospital," I rasp, my voice raw with desperation. "She's losing too much blood."

Rosa shakes her head, her eyes glinting with determination in the flickering light of the flames. "No hospitals," she says firmly. "They'll be watching for us. We need to go somewhere safe, somewhere they won't think to look."

I want to argue, to demand that we get Bella the medical attention she so desperately needs. But I know Rosa is right. The De Lucas may be finished, but they still have allies, people who will be looking for loose omegas to snap up.

Hector nods grimly, his jaw clenched tight. "Rosa's right. We need to go, someplace off the grid where we can tend to Bella's wounds without drawing attention."

I swallow hard, my throat constricting with fear and desperation. Every cell in my body screams at me to get Bella help now, but I know we can't risk it. Not with the remnants of the De Luca empire still out there, hungry for revenge. I have no idea how many omegas escaped, or their alphas, but they'll be prowling the area.

"Fine," I grit out, my voice barely above a whisper. "But we need to move fast. She doesn't have much time."

As if on cue, Bella stirs in my arms, a pained whimper escaping her bloodstained lips. Her eyelids flutter open, her once warm, rich brown eyes, now glassy and unfocused.

"S-Silas?" she rasps, her voice barely audible over the crackling of the flames.

I tighten my grip on her, my heart clenching at the weakness in her voice. "I'm here, baby. I've got you. Just hold on, okay? We're going to get you somewhere safe."

Bella's eyes drift shut again, her head lolling limply against my chest. Panic surges through me, hot and sickening. We're losing her.

"Let's go," Dante says urgently, his eyes darting around the alleyway. "We need to move

Micha steps forward, his eyes blazing with intensity. "There's no time to argue. We need to get Bella to St. Mary's Hospital, now. I know a doctor there, Dr. Smith. He's treated our people before, off the books. He won't ask questions."

I shake my head vehemently, my grip tightening on Bella's limp form. "Are you fucking insane? We can't just waltz into a hospital with Bella looking like this. They'll call the cops before we even make it through the doors."

Micha grabs my shoulder, his fingers digging into my flesh. "Listen to me, Silas. Dr. Smith is our only chance. There's an entrance in the back, away from prying eyes. I'll call ahead and get him there.We can get your mate the help she needs without drawing attention."

"Why the fuck are you helping us? After what we did to the alphas?"

Micha pauses, meeting my eyes with his cruel gaze. "Because we're family, asshole."

I hesitate, torn between my desperate need to save Bella and the fear of walking into a trap. But as I look down at her ashen face, her lips tinged blue and her breaths growing shallower by the second, I know I have no choice.

"Fine," I grit out, my jaw clenched so tight it aches. "But if this goes sideways, it's on you."

Micha nods grimly, his eyes flickering to Bella's still form. "You have no choice but to take that chance. Now let's move, before it's too late."