The Push That Saved (Part 1)
Thea’s POV
“This can’t be fucking real!” Aurora stared at Graves, her face as pale as mine, shock
written all over it.
Fear gripped my heart like iron claws, squeezing until I thought it might explode. I’d thought Kane’s betrayal and kidnapping was the worst moment of my life, but Graves’s sick plan made me realize that the real nightmare was just beginning.
He’d just called Sebastian right in front of us, forcing him to choose between Aurora and me. Only one person would leave alive. What kind of twisted psycho death game was this?
The walls seemed to close in around me. Fear raced through my body, making my thoughts jumbled and chaotic.
“What’s wrong, Thea? Cat got your tongue?” Graves’s cold smile cut straight into my
heart.
I turned away, unable to meet his gaze. My mind was blank, my throat too dry to speak. This was the fifth time I’d faced death threats, but Graves’s crazed eyes told me I might
not escape this time.
I forced myself to calm down, refusing to accept that thought. I had Leo and the baby in my belly who needed me. I had to survive for them.
“Worried your ex–husband will choose your sister instead of you?” he taunted sharply.
“She’s not my fucking sister!” I snarled, finding some courage to fight back.
He let out a cold laugh.
“Doesn’t matter. This game will be fun. I can’t wait to see the great Alpha Ashworth break down–no matter who he chooses, someone will die because of his decision. That kind of guilt will slowly devour his soul.” With that, he turned and left, the metal door slamming
shut behind him.
“What are we going to do?” Aurora asked, her voice trembling with fear.
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The Push That Saved (Part 1)
I didn’t answer her. Because Graves was right–Sebastian would never choose me. Aurora had always been the one in his heart. Even though we’d been married for seven years and I’d given him an heir, in a life–or–death situation, he would save her without hesitation. I’d already witnessed that at Derek’s funeral; I didn’t need another reminder.
I had to save myself. Seraphina and Maximus were surely looking for me, but they might not make it in time. If I waited for Sebastian to choose, I was as good as dead.
I began struggling, trying to break free from my restraints. I couldn’t flip the chair backward like I did during the last kidnapping because I was carrying a pup now–I
couldn’t risk hurting him or her. My only option was to try slipping out of the ropes.
I carefully examined the room–good, no surveillance cameras. These guys clearly thought two unarmed women couldn’t escape, and that overconfidence was our opportunity.
The more I twisted my arms, the deeper the ropes cut into my skin. Sharp pain made me
clench my jaw, but I didn’t stop. Every second was crucial now.
“What are you doing?” Aurora asked with confusion, that condescending tone instantly
pissing me off.
“What does it look like?” I replied coldly. “Trying to find a way out of here.”
“Why bother? Sebastian will come save us.” Her tone was full of confidence.
I looked at her like she was an idiot. “Did those shift–blocking drugs fry your brain? Who
do you think Sebastian will choose? I have Leo and the baby in my belly to protect. I’m not sitting here waiting for Sebastian to play God with my fate, all because your precious daddy and Sebastian were too fucking stupid to finish off their enemies, leaving them
with opportunities to strike back!”
She stared at me in shock, like I’d grown a second head.
“How dare you talk about my father and Sebastian that way!”
“Fortunately, I don’t give a shit about your feelings,” I shot back mercilessly. “Now shut up
or help think of a plan.”
She glared at me furiously but thankfully kept quiet. I focused again on untying the ropes, but as time passed, my hope dwindled. My wrists were raw and bleeding, each attempt
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The Push That Saved (Part 1)
driving the ropes deeper into my skin.
Finally, I had to face reality. “I have a plan, but I need your help,” I reluctantly admitted, even though everything inside me resisted.
“Oh? Now you need me?” She raised an eyebrow sarcastically. “Weren’t you just telling me to shut up and saying you don’t care what I think?”
I fought back the urge to snap at her. This wasn’t the time for arguments; both our lives were hanging by a thread.
“Are you going to help or not?” I asked bluntly.
She stared at me silently, as if assessing my sincerity. The feeling of being scrutinized made me uncomfortable, but I had no choice.
“What do you want me to do?” she finally asked.
The Push That Saved (Part 2)
Thea’s POV
I silently sighed with relief. “I can’t untie my own ropes, and neither can you. But if we position our chairs back–to–back, maybe we can untie each other.”
She thought for a moment, then nodded: “Fine.”
She carefully began moving her chair, trying to turn toward me. Her approach was smarter than I expected, generating minimal noise, so I was confident that even if someone was outside, they wouldn’t hear us.
After several difficult attempts, we finally managed to get back–to–back.
“Hurry,” I urged breathlessly, my trembling fingers feeling for the knots on her wrists. “We don’t have much time.”
With each passing second, my heart beat faster. At any moment, Graves could walk through that door, announce Sebastian had made his decision, and end my life.
Finally, the ropes loosened. I stood up from the chair and quickly untied the ropes on my legs. The sudden freedom sent blood rushing back into my limbs, causing a tingling
sensation.
“What now?” Aurora asked, her voice full of uncertainty.
Honestly, I didn’t have a detailed plan. But whatever happened, we needed to get out of here immediately.
“Find the exit and get the fuck out of this place.”
I carefully walked toward the door and suddenly noticed Aurora wasn’t following.
“What are you waiting for?” I turned and asked.
“What if Sebastian comes looking for us and we’re not here?” she hesitated, still waiting for her prince charming to rescue the princess.
I almost laughed at her naivety. “You think once they discover I’ve escaped, they’ll wait for
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The Push That Saved (Part 2)
Sebastian’s decision? They’ll kill you on the spot. You can choose to stay and die, or come with me, but I won’t sacrifice myself and my baby for your fantasy.”
With that, I ignored her and pushed the door open to look outside. No guards–a good
sign.
I stepped out of the room to find we were being held in an abandoned waste processing facility. Discarded machinery and metal heaps were everywhere, which meant plenty of places to hide. I felt Aurora follow me, standing behind me.
“We need to find a gap in the fence or a gate,” I whispered, “Stay low and quiet.”
She nodded, and we began carefully navigating between piles of junk, constantly watching
for Graves’s men.
“This place is like a fucking maze,” Aurora complained. “We’ve been walking forever and still can’t find the way out.”
I was starting to feel exhausted too. Blood was still seeping from my wrists, and my
morning sickness was returning as time passed.
Just then, a piercing alarm shattered the quiet, and the entire junkyard erupted with blaring sirens.
“Shit!” My heart sank. “They’ve discovered we escaped!”
I grabbed Aurora’s hand, and we started running frantically between the piles of debris. Fear gave me extra strength, but my body was becoming clumsy with pregnancy, each step feeling like a battle against my own limitations. We had no idea where we were going, just
knew we couldn’t be caught.
“Quick! I think there’s a car over there!” Aurora suddenly pointed to the right.
I had no time to think, just followed her direction. However, just as we were about to
reach it, a tall figure blocked our path.
I stopped abruptly, nearly falling. When I looked up and saw that familiar face, a wave of cold fear swept through me.
It was the henchman who had reported to Graves earlier.
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The Push That Saved (Part 2)
“Really thought escaping would be that easy?” I saw red light flashing in his eyes. “The boss isn’t done playing yet.”
I felt Aurora begin to tremble behind me, letting out a hopeless sob.
“Yeah, I did think it would be easy,” I answered, trying to sound calm while my mind raced
for an escape plan.
He smirked, slowly walking toward me, sharp wolf claws gradually replacing his human
fingertips. I quickly assessed him, noticing a gun holstered at his side.
“That mouth of yours is too fucking cocky. Maybe I should make the decision for your ex-
husband, kill you right now so he doesn’t have to bear the pain of choosing.”
He had come close enough. I took a deep breath, summoned all my strength, and
suddenly kicked hard at his groin.
He doubled over in pain, his gun slipping from his waist. I quickly bent down to grab it,
released the safety, and aimed at him.
“This shot is for what your boss did,” I didn’t hesitate, calmly aiming at his right leg and firing. The gunshot was deafening, and he fell to the ground with a scream.
“And this one is for threatening me and my child,” I fired another shot into his left leg.
I never thought I’d ever shoot someone, but thanks to Kane’s training at the police station, I can’t shift, but I learned how to use a gun. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but this was a life–or–death moment, and every instinct told me: I had to survive at all costs, for Leo and for the pup in my belly.
“Over there! They’re over there!” Shouts came from the distance–clearly his colleagues had heard the gunshots.
“Run!” I grabbed the stunned Aurora and we continued running.
Behind us, intense gunfire erupted, bullets hitting the surrounding metal with sharp clangs, and one or two inhuman growls–they were starting to shift. My heart clenched as I pulled Aurora, desperately weaving between containers, then hiding behind a wrecked car, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest.
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The Push That Saved (Part 2)
“You’re fucking insane, Thea!” Aurora looked at me in horror. “I never should have listened to you. If I die here because of you, I swear I’ll haunt you as a ghost!”
I didn’t bother responding to her complaints, focusing instead on observing our surroundings, looking for possible escape routes. After a while, the gunfire stopped, and everything suddenly went quiet.
“They must be tracking our scent,” I whispered. “We have to keep moving, can’t stop now.”
I carefully stood up, pulling Aurora as we continued forward. We had barely taken a few
steps when I suddenly felt a dangerous presence.
“Thea! Look out!” Aurora suddenly screamed.
The next second, I was violently pushed aside, hitting the ground hard. At the same moment, a crisp gunshot broke the air, echoing throughout the abandoned facility.
