The Mating Run

Chapter 57

In His Eyes: Lost Zeke’s POV The first thing | become aware of as | wake up, groggy, is the sound of birds chirping outside our makeshift shelter.

My senses are immediately met with a void, as | notice the absence of any sights or sounds around me. The bed feels cold, colder than it should be. Instinctively, my hand reaches out and pats the empty space beside me, hoping for warmth, only to be met with cold.

Like an unwanted visitor, panic begins to infiltrate my being amidst the hazy morning.

My eyes dart around the shelter, desperately searching for any trace of her presence, but it remains vacant. Alina’s gone. She didn’t return. Just as she has gone missing, so has my hoodie, adding to the sense of loss and confusion.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Shit!” The realization hits me with the force of a gut-wrenching blow. “Alina?”

Desperately, | call out, my voice bouncing off the walls of the empty space. There’s no response, and the silence becomes almost oppressive, filling the air with a haunting presence. Anxiety tightens its grip on my chest, causing my heart to ace. Scrambling for my clothes, | feel the urgency building inside me, urging me to

hurry.

| pull on my jogger pants, the worn-out material reminding me of the countless miles I’ve run in them. Frustrated, | let out a sharp exhale of curses under my breath. The panic intensifies, my heart pounding like thunder in my chest.

Where has she gone off to? Why did she leave me? As if she could materialize out of thin air, | frantically scan the surroundings, my

maze, eyes darting in every direction. The familiar forest now feels like an intricate devoid of any sense of direction. My voice trembles with desperation as | call out for her again, the fear inside me growing stronger.

“Alina! Where are you?”

My words hang in the air, lingering, waiting for a response that never comes. My pleas fell on deaf ears as the stoic forest remained indifferent. | stumble out of the shelter, my eyes darting anxiously in every direction, desperate to catch even the faintest trace of her presence.

As | look around, all | can see are endless trees and a sea of vibrant green leaves. My throat tightens as | swallow the lump forming, my hand instinctively reaching up to claw at my hair, all while the cameras continue to document my

every move. “Alina, please!”

Every syllable | utter is tinged with desperation, my voice wavering uncontrollably. Waking up alone sent shivers down my spine, a feeling of terror | never anticipated. Although I’ve often woken up alone, her absence has left me feeling like a fragment of myself is missing.

Avoice inside my head taunts me, saying that if | had marked her, | wouldn’t be in this situation. | grit my teeth and try to block it out, but my growling persists, causing me to pace restlessly around our shelter.

| trudge through the forest, the branches scratching against my skin, my steps hesitant and unsure. The dense foliage seemed to encroach upon me, taunting my fruitless search. With each passing moment, the fear grows stronger, twisting my stomach into a tight knot.

| reach the edge of the small clearing, and the warm sunlight filters through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Alinal Where are you??

| call again, the echoes of her name fading away, leaving behind a profound

emptiness.

Did she leave willingly? Was she taken?

Each question grows more menacing, echoing through the silence.

| stumble through the underbrush, the sound of twigs snapping under my feet echoing through the silent forest. My heart leaps at the slightest rustle in the leaves and the faintest sigh of the wind. A pang of regret washes over me as | wonder if | should have been more attentive. Should | have picked up on something being off?

My mind races, vividly imagining different scenarios of what could have transpired. Perhaps she was overwhelmed with fear, causing her to hastily retreat. Maybe somebody stumbled upon us, forcing her to make the difficult decision to leave and shield us from harm. The possibilities stretched out before her, each one carrying a weight of foreboding.

As | find myself back at the shelter, the emptiness of her absence is amplified by the cold bed. The panic rises, its intensity growing like a storm brewing inside

1. me.

| remember the way her presence beside me brought a sense of warmth and contentment. Now, all that remains is the chilling absence of a vacant bed. Frustration bubbles up inside me, causing me to mutter a curse under my breath. Why did she just up and leave like that?

| grab my head, attempting to physically rid myself of the mental fog that engulfs me. run my fingers through my hair again, feeling the knots and tangles that only add to my frustration.

There’s no way she went far. | remember her telling me she needed some space to breathe, and | feel guilty for leaving her by herself. | should have gone to her, embraced her tightly, and offered solace for whatever burden she carried.

But | chest. was a fool, and now all | could feel was the weight of regret settling in my

I sit alone, surrounded by the shadows of the shelter we built together. The emptiness echoes in the silence, a haunting reminder of her absence. The cold bed, untouched and unshared, reflects the void that has grown within me. And now, the weight of regret settles like an anchor in my chest.

Alina. Her name reverberates through my mind, a bittersweet melody that taunts me with what could have been. | had a chance to make her mine, to claim her. She wanted it, her eyes revealing a vulnerability that | chose to ignore..

Regret, a bitter taste, rises in my throat. | had the power to make her mine, to cross the threshold that separated us, but | hesitated. Fear clutched at my heart, whispering doubts that now echo in the emptiness of the shelter.

Should | have taken the risk?

The question lingers like a specter, haunting my thoughts. Alina, with her warmth and laughter, deserved more than the uncertainty | offered. | let her slip through my fingers, and now the regret gnaws at me, an insidious force that refuses to be ignored.

| thought | wasn’t ready for a relationship. The commitment, the vulnerability, it all felt like a daunting abyss that | wasn’t prepared to navigate. But looking back, was that just an excuse? A shield to protect myself from the unknown?

Alina was ready. She wore her heart on her sleeve, her desire for connection evident in the way she looked at me. And I, in my indecision, failed to reciprocate. | failed to see that she could be the anchor in this chaotic world, the one constant that could tether me to something more.

| sit alone, surrounded by the shadows of the shelter we built together. The emptiness echoes in the silence, a haunting reminder of her absence. The cold bed, untouched and unshared, reflects the void that has grown within me. And now, the weight of regret settles like an anchor in my chest.

aten through my mind a bittersweet melody that

taunts me with what could have been. | had a chance to make her mine, to claim her as more than just a companion in the Mating Run. She wanted it, her eyes revealing a vulnerability that | chose to ignore.

Regret a bitter taste, rises in my throat. | had the power to make her mine, to cross the threshold that separated us, but | hesitated. Fear clutched at my heart, whispering doubts that now echo in the emptiness of the shelter.

Should | have taken the risk? The question lingers like a specter, haunting my thoughts. Alina, with her warmth and laughter, deserved more than the uncertainty | offered. | let her slip through my fingers, and now the regret gnaws at me, an insidious force that refuses to be ignored.

| thought | wasn’t ready for a relationship. The commitment, the vulnerability, it all felt like a daunting abyss that | wasn’t prepared to navigate. But looking back, was that just an excuse? A shield to protect myself from the unknown?

Alina was ready. She wore her heart on her sleeve, her desire for connection evident in the way she looked at me. And I, in my indecision, failed to reciprocate. | failed to see that she could be the anchor in this chaotic world, the one constant that could tether me to something more profound than the fleeting moments of the Mating Run.

| let fear dictate my actions, and now I’m left with the aftermath of my choices.

| trace the familiar path through the trees, each step a desperate plea for her presence. The branches seem to reach out like accusing fingers, pointing at the consequences of my indecision. | cry out her name, my voice resonating in the calmness of the forest, but its secrets remain locked away, refusing to disclose her

location. Suddenly, my senses become heightened. | take a deep breath, hoping to catch a whiff of her delicate scent lingering in the air. A

subtle mixture of wildflowers and warmth that lingers in the air. The trail beneath my feet acts as a lifeline, leading me forward through the vast expanse of uncertainty.

Hope flickers as | catch the first whiff of her scent.

Asmall, involuntary smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. Right, it was possible that she had taken a bath in the cool waters of the nearby lake. The thought warms me like a cozy fireplace, providing a glimmer of solace in the midst of this relentless search.

But as | keep following the smell, things start to shift.

The air thickens, and underneath the familiar fragrance of Alina’s skin, there’s a metallic tang. My instincts scream, and a cold shiver runs down my spine.

In the face of fear, my chest tightens, and | am left with no choice but to break into a run. | feel the rush of wind as the forest blurs past me, my focus solely on the scent ahead. Panic surges through me, making it hard to breathe as if my throat is being clenched by an invisible force. A series of fleeting images, all about Alina looking vulnerable and hurt, race through my mind.

| can’t let anything happen to her; | won't. Blood. My senses are overwhelmed as the scent of blood and her scent merge, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.

The scent grows stronger, permeating the air, guiding me to the edge of a familiar clearing. The lake, tranquil and reflective, mirrors the torment in my eyes. My heart races, the sound echoing in my ears, as | scan the surroundings with heightened senses.

And then, | see it. “No, no, no, no.”

In the clearing, there was a patch of grass stained with a deep crimson color. The undeniable truth confronts me, but my mind stubbornly clings to denial, refusing to process it. Blood. Alina’s blood.

Panic takes hold, and | feel myself teetering on the edge of blacking out.

My hands shake uncontrollably as | touch the damp earth, feeling the cold, wet texture against my skin. The overpowering scent fills the air, and a wave of dread washes over me, constricting my chest, | call out her name, my voice trembling as it reverberates through the eerie stillness of the clearing.

“No... no!” But the only response is the ghostly echo of my own voice, lingering in the silence.

My breathing becomes erratic, each breath coming in short, gasping bursts. As an enraged sob threatened to escape my throat, my attention was diverted by something else in my line of sight. Within a few feet of Alina’s blood, there were clear footsteps imprinted in the ground.

Tracks that go somewhere far into the woods. With a menacing snarl, | sprint forward, the sound of my footsteps echoing in

my ears.