#Chapter 40: The Rescue

Alexander's POV The trail was faint, but it was enough. The forest was thick, the trees towering above us like silent sentinels, casting long shadows over the path. Lauren walked just behind, her face tight with worry, her steps quick but careful as she followed my lead—broken branches, disturbed earth—leading us toward the hideout. She was trying to keep it together, but I could see the fear in her eyes. Her daughter, Abigail, was still out there, and I knew this was the moment we had to act. The tension in the air was as thick as the fog, the city was left far behind in far of the shadow woods beyond the skyscrapers. The farther we moved into the woods, the heavier the silence grew. Every snap of a twig beneath my boots, every rustle of leaves in the wind, felt like it could be a signal that we were being watched. I tensed, and stopped suddenly, holding up my hand. She didn’t need me to tell her; she could already hear it—the low hum of voices, the occasional harsh la