The Three Who Chose Me
Chapter 29: Bleeding Shadows

Chapter 29: Bleeding Shadows

Josie

The moment the car stopped, it was like the world came unhinged.

Dark shapes emerged from every direction like phantoms, rushing toward us with terrifying purpose. For one second, I thought I was dreaming. The next, Thorne was pushing me off him, slamming open the car door and lunging outside.

"Stay down!" he barked, his voice edged with fury and raw power.

But I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

Panic slammed into my chest like a boulder.

I saw him through the window—Thorne. My arrogant, stubborn Alpha. His muscles strained as he tried to shift, his back arching, claws sprouting from his fingertips, his eyes glowing that eerie silver-blue.

And then it happened.

Bang.

The sound shattered the night like glass.

I watched in horror as Thorne stumbled back, his body jerking from the force. His shift halted halfway—fur retracting, bones cracking sickeningly. A choked, strangled noise tore from his throat before his legs gave out, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap of pain and powerlessness.

"THORNE!"

My scream ripped from my lungs so violently, I thought it would tear me apart.

I scrambled out of the car, crashing to my knees beside him. "Thorne! No—no, no, no, no..." My fingers grasped at his coat, pulling, shaking. His face was pale, twisted in agony, sweat glistening at his temples. He couldn’t move. His limbs twitched uselessly as if disconnected from his mind.

His lips parted slowly, and I leaned in, desperate to hear him.

"Run," he mouthed, his voice a whisper of air. "Run...Josie..."

"I can’t!" I sobbed, shaking my head. "I can’t leave you! I won’t!"

He tried to raise a hand, to push me away, but it barely moved. His jaw clenched in frustration, his eyes wild with fear—not for himself, but for me.

And I realized something—I loved him. Somewhere between his rough edges and unbearable arrogance, he’d carved himself into my chest. I couldn’t run. I wouldn’t.

That’s when hands grabbed me from behind.

Rough, calloused, and unrelenting.

"No! No!" I screamed, kicking, twisting, trying to hold onto Thorne. But they yanked me so hard I felt my shoulder nearly wrench from its socket.

"Thorne!" I cried, my throat shredding with the sound.

The last thing I saw before they dragged me away was Thorne slumped on the ground, blood staining his shirt, his eyes still locked on mine in silent anguish.

Then darkness swallowed me whole.

**************

I don’t remember blacking out. Just pain. So much pain.

I was somewhere dark. Cold. The air stank of damp earth and rusted metal. My limbs felt like they’d been crushed beneath a truck.

I opened my eyes—and immediately regretted it.

A bolt of pain shot through my skull like lightning. My left eye refused to open all the way, swollen shut from the blow I’d taken earlier. My lips were cracked, my cheeks stung, and my head throbbed like it was being split in two.

I tried to breathe—but I couldn’t. Something was in my mouth. A gag. My breath hitched violently, panic roaring back in full force. I was suffocating. I tried to suck in air through my nose, but it felt like I was drowning.

My hands were tied behind my back—tight, unforgiving. My shoulders burned with every small movement. My ankles were bound too. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t fight.

Tears blurred my vision.

The room—or wherever I was—was a cramped storage space. I saw crates, dusty sacks, rusted metal shelves. It smelled like mildew and rot. The walls were sweating, condensation dripping down onto the concrete floor. Something skittered across my foot and I shuddered violently, bile rising in my throat.

I wanted to curl up. I wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

But that was impossible.

Tears leaked down the sides of my face, burning the raw skin of my cheeks. My jaw ached from the gag. My shoulders were locked into a painful arch from the ropes. And worst of all—my soul felt like it had been ripped apart and left to rot.

Thorne...

Where was he? Was he alive? Was he okay?

God, please let him be okay.

My chest caved in with that thought.

I was still trying to breathe through the panic when the door creaked open.

My head snapped up, even though every nerve in my body screamed in protest.

A woman stepped in.

She was tall. Regal. Dressed in tight black leather, her eyes rimmed with dark makeup, her hair pulled into a perfect braid that fell over one shoulder. She looked like she’d stepped out of a villain’s handbook—and she carried herself like someone who enjoyed it.

At her side was a large grey wolf—lean, its eyes sunken, its fur patchy. A rogue. Its presence was unnatural. Wrong. Twisted.

The wolf growled low, and a chill crept down my spine. I knew what that meant. It wasn’t her pet. It was her weapon.

She stroked the beast like a prize. Showmanship. Intimidation.

It worked.

I shrank back instinctively, but the ropes didn’t allow much movement. My breath hitched, heart thrumming like it would burst through my ribs.

She smiled at my fear.

Then, without a word, she strode forward, reached down, and ripped the gag out of my mouth.

Air flooded into my lungs and I gasped, coughing, choking, crying all at once.

My voice came out hoarse and broken. "Why..." I panted. "Why am I here? Why are you doing this to me?!"

She didn’t answer.

She just snapped her fingers.

Two other women entered—dressed in black like her, but younger. Assistants? Followers?

They carried silver platters, covered with ornate domes like it was a fancy dinner.

I thought—food. Water.

Hope flared inside me, foolish and naive.

Then they removed the lids.

Empty.

They started laughing.

"Dinner is served," the woman said, voice like silk over steel. "If you’re hungry, darling omega, just imagine it’s there. And eat as much as you want."

They all laughed again. Cold. Cruel.

My hands balled into fists behind me, rage flooding through me so fast it made me dizzy.

"Go to hell!" I spat, my voice cracking.

Crack.

Her hand shot out and slapped me so hard I saw stars.

Blood splattered from my mouth. My head whipped to the side, and for a moment, everything went still.

"You filthy little worm," she hissed. "You dare speak to me like that? An omega? I don’t even know why the Alphas waste their time on you."

Then she turned, shoved the gag back in my mouth, and walked out—leisurely, like she hadn’t just shattered every ounce of my dignity.

I screamed against the cloth. Thrashed. Fought.

But it was all useless.

*********

Time lost meaning.

The pain in my shoulders had become a living thing, gnawing and twisting.

I tilted my head back against the wooden crate behind me, trying to stretch. Trying to breathe. Trying to stay alive.

But everything was fading.

The pain. The hunger. The light.

All I could feel was cold. And despair. And this aching, horrible emptiness inside me.

Thorne’s face flashed in my mind—his eyes, his snarl, the way he protected me, the way he kissed me like I was the only thing that existed in his world.

Then...his body. Collapsing.

Blood.

And I lost it.

Tears gushed down my cheeks. My sobs were muffled by the gag, but I cried until my body trembled. Until I could barely feel anything else.

How was he now?

Was he dying?

Was he already dead?

I felt responsible. I should have run when he told me to. Should have listened. Maybe then, he’d be okay.

My head sagged forward, my energy slipping away. But then, instinct kicked in. I shifted—just slightly—and the rope tore deeper into my wrist.

Pain burst across my skin. Hot. Sharp. Violent.

I screamed against the gag, writhing. My flesh tore. The rope bit in.

I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t take this.

I wanted to live. But right now, all I could do was bleed. And hope someone was coming for me.

Because if not...

I wasn’t sure I’d survive the night.