Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

A lex

The night air feels heavier than usual, dense with an unspoken tension that clings to everything. Every sense I have is dialed up, sharp and alert, as if the world itself is warning me that something’s about to go down. Sophia’s beside me, her face set in hard lines of determination. She hasn’t said much since we found the documents, but I know her well enough to see the fear lurking just beneath her surface. She’s thinking about Zeus—her protector, her closest companion—and what almost happened to him. What could still happen.

I can’t let her face this alone.

We’re weaving through the shadowy maze of the circus, heading back toward the animal enclosures. The sense of being watched has been gnawing at me since we left the trailer, and my gut tells me we’re not the only ones in the know anymore. The conspirators are moving. And they know we’re onto them.

“Alex,” Sophia whispers, her voice cutting through the stillness like a blade. I turn to see her staring ahead, eyes wide, her breath catching in her throat. My gaze follows hers, and my blood runs cold.

The locks on Zeus’s enclosure have been tampered with. The door is cracked open.

“Shit.” The word slips out before I can stop it, my heart slamming into my ribs. We’re too late.

Sophia doesn’t hesitate. She’s already moving, sprinting toward the enclosure, her movements precise, controlled, but I can see the panic in her eyes. I’m right behind her, adrenaline surging through me as my mind races. Whoever did this, they’re still close. Too close.

“Zeus, stay calm, boy,” Sophia calls as she reaches the cage. The lion is inside, prowling in agitated circles, his massive body tense. His golden eyes flash in the darkness, but he’s not panicking yet. Sophia’s voice, steady and sure, keeps him from fully snapping.

I scan the shadows, searching for movement, for anything that might tell me who we’re dealing with. But it’s too dark. Whoever they are, they’ve slipped into the night, leaving only the threat behind. My fists clench, frustration mixing with the sickening fear that we almost lost him—lost everything.

“They were trying to take him,” Sophia mutters, her voice low, trembling with barely contained fury. She kneels beside the cage, checking the locks, reinforcing them. Zeus watches her closely, but he’s calmer now, sensing her presence. “They knew we were coming. They made their move.”

“Yeah, and they didn’t expect us to get here this fast,” I reply, my eyes still scanning the shadows, heart pounding. “They’re not done, though. This isn’t over.”

Sophia looks up at me, and for a second, I see something raw in her eyes—fear, yes, but something deeper, something that makes my chest tighten. She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t have to. We both know how close we came to losing him.

“Get Zeus secured,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady even though my mind is racing. “I’ll check the perimeter.”

She nods, her lips pressed into a thin line, and gets to work, her hands moving deftly over the locks, securing Zeus’s safety with a speed and precision that’s second nature to her. I step back into the shadows, moving silently around the enclosure, my senses on high alert. Every nerve in my body is screaming that this isn’t over. Whoever they are, they’re close.

I don’t get far before I hear it—the faintest rustle behind one of the tents, the telltale sound of someone trying to stay hidden. I freeze, my muscles coiled, and then I move, quick and silent, circling the area. A figure darts out from behind the tent, and I don’t hesitate. I’m on them in a flash, tackling them to the ground, my grip tight around their arms as I slam them against the dirt.

“Who the hell are you working for?” I growl, the adrenaline surging through me like fire.

The figure writhes beneath me, but they don’t answer. They’re smaller, wiry, and I can feel their panic as they try to slip out of my grip. I tighten my hold, and finally, the fight drains out of them.

“You’ve got nowhere to run,” I hiss, my face close to theirs. “So start talking.”

He mumbles something in broken English. Shit. I’m not going to get any answers out of this guy.

I hear Sophia’s voice from behind me. “Alex, leave them.”

I glance back at her, and the look on her face stops me cold. She’s pale, her eyes dark with something I can’t quite place—fear, yes, but something more. Something like clarity.

“They’re not the mastermind,” she says, her voice trembling slightly. “They’re just the pawn.”

I hesitate, but then I release the figure, pushing them away from me. They scramble up and disappear into the shadows, but I barely notice. My eyes are locked on Sophia.

She’s standing next to Zeus’s cage, one hand resting on the bars as if she needs to ground herself. Her face is tight with fear, with anger, but there’s something else too—something like realization.

“We almost lost him,” she whispers, her voice hoarse. “I almost lost him.”

I step closer, my chest tight with the weight of everything that’s happened, everything we’ve been through. “But you didn’t,” I say, my voice soft. “We didn’t.”

She looks at me then, and the intensity in her gaze nearly knocks me off balance. For the first time, I can see the cracks in her armor, the vulnerability she’s been trying so hard to hide. And in that moment, I know she’s not just talking about Zeus. She’s talking about us. About what almost happened, about what’s still happening.

“I… I can’t do this alone, Alex,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper. “I thought I could, but I can’t.”

I step closer, my hand brushing against her arm, and for the first time, she doesn’t pull away. The connection between us, the thing that’s been simmering beneath the surface for so long, flares to life. It’s undeniable now, and we both know it.

“You don’t have to,” I say, my voice low, steady. “We’ll figure this out together.”

She looks up at me, her eyes shining with a mix of fear and something deeper—something real. And in that moment, I know we’ve crossed a line. There’s no going back.

Not now. Not after this.