Chapter 276

AURELIA’S POV The streetlight above us fizzled out, swallowing the crossroads in darkness. My pulse hammered in my ears, every instinct screaming at me to run. But where? Back to the cage I’d just escaped? Back to silence and locked doors? No. I swallowed hard, forcing my trembling legs to move. One step. Then another. The man’s gaze followed me as I approached the open door of the sedan. The leather interior glistened faintly in the dark, the air smelling faintly of smoke and something sharper—iron, maybe. Every fiber of me resisted. My wolf snarled, a low warning in my chest, but I ignored her. Because this was the choice. The only one I had. I slid into the back seat. The door shut behind me with a heavy, final thunk. The sound made me flinch. The man took his seat up front, starting the engine with calm precision. No small talk, no introductions, just silence broken by the low purr of the car. We pulled away from the crossroads, tires crunching over broken asphalt, into the maze of