h4Chapter 77: Please Don’t Die/h4

    strongEira’s POV/strong

    The distant hum of helicopters reached my ears first, followed quickly by the sharp, relentless crack of gunfire. The sound swelled, filling the air with chaos, yet I remained seated, unmoving.

    Roman had warned me earlier that their enemies might attack. It seemed he had been right.

    But I felt nothing—no fear, no panic. Those emotions had abandoned me long ago, leaving me hollow. Thest time they had returned was that night... the night they tortured me with tarants.

    Roman strode into the drawing room, his tone clipped andmanding. "Eira, get to the safe room."

    I looked down at Vixen, warm and curled in myp. Even if I didn’t care for myself, I cared for her. She was pregnant, and there was no way I would allow her—or her unborn kittens—to be harmed.

    I rose, holding her gently, and made my way to the hidden safe room, following the instructions Roman had given me before. He didn’t wait to see if Iplied—by the time I reached the concealed door, he was already gone.

    Inside, the room was in but well-prepared, stocked for survival: a folded mattress with a thin nket in one corner, shelves lined with bottled water and packaged snacks, and even a small toilet tucked against the far wall.

    I ced Vixen on the mattress and found two empty bowls. One I filled with dry snacks, the other with fresh water. Satisfied she would befortable, I stepped back toward the door. This ce was the safest for her, no matter what happened beyond these walls.

    I didn’t lock the door. Instead, I left it slightly ajar—narrow enough that she couldn’t slip out, but open enough that, if something happened, someone could find her. She couldn’t remain here forever or she would die.

    Outside, the sound of shattering ss pierced the air as bullets tore through the windows. Sharp cracks and dull thuds echoed against the walls, leaving dents in the ster. Explosions shook the ground, each one rumbling through the floorboards.

    It was like standing in the heart of a warzone.

    And yet... I wasn’t afraid.

    Because for years, I had been seeking one thing above all else—death. Perhaps this was it. My chance. If nothing interfered, if nothing came between me and the end, maybe I could finally have it.

    But in these past years, I had also learned something else. The more I sought death, the more it seemed to run from me.

    Bastard.

    My feet were still hurt, and despite trying to ignore that pain—thinking it wouldn’t do any shit to me—I was still unable to make it out fast. Utterly weak, despite my will being stronger.

    I just hoped at least a bullet entering through the window would hit me straight, but damn, not only did few enter here and there, none of them were in my direction. What kind of shit fate did I have? What kind of enmity did death have with me to not give in to my wishes?

    Death must be a man—and just like every other man, that bastard wants me to suffer. But I was stubborn as well.

    Somehow, I managed to reach the exit of the home and saw the chaos outside—bullet fires from all sides, huge helicopters lingering in the air, sts, and many figures moving like shadows, some falling to the ground.

    I made my way outside from another direction, making sure Roman and the others wouldn’t spot me, so I would be found by their enemies and they would shoot me without even a moment’s dy.

    Slowly, steadily, determined, I continued to make my way toward where I could see bullets being fired toward the home. Soon, two men—who seemed like soldiers—appeared before me, their guns pointed toward me.

    I looked at them with a steady gaze as I was not scared. iThat’s it. Shoot me now. My soul will always be thankful to you./i

    But the bastards started to lower their guns. iWhat the hell? Why are they not shooting me instead? Want to fuck me before doing that?/i

    iFor God’s sake, at least just once in your life, think from your non-existent brains, and not from your cocks./i

    But then, one of them was shot straight in the forehead and fell to the ground, while the other one pointed his gun toward the direction from where the bullet hade...

    The next moment I knew—there was a bullet shot, and a huge wolf had jumped on the soldier before me and ripped away his head.

    A huge wolf with molten bronze fur, his mouth coated with blood, turned to me, stepping toward me—but I didn’t fear. He was someone I knew, a familiar wolf.

    But then, the next moment, he copsed on the ground, converting back to his human form. There was blood around his chest, a huge wound over his heart. The bullet had shot him straight in the heart—his eyes closed, brows knitted in pain, his chest barely moving to breathe.

    In a moment, that scene was reced with the scariest and most painful memory of my life.

    Alice.

    Instead of Lucian, I saw Alice there.

    She was right in front of me on the ground, a bullet shot in her heart and losing her life. I hurried to her and knelt next to her.

    "Alice... I am sorry... I didn’t mean to shoot you..." My trembling hands reached to her chest, not able to touch the wound, thinking it would hurt her. "I am sorry... I’m sorry..." I cried out. "Please... don’t die... please..."

    Alice opened her eyes and looked at me. "...You must be happy to see me die... goddamn bitch..."

    "I am sorry..." I could only mutter the words. "...I didn’t mean to..."

    "Get the hell away from him." A strong hand pushed me away, apanied by a furious voice, and I stumbled back to the ground.

    Roman was kneeling on the ground next to Alice. He looked at the wound on her chest and pressed his hand over it to stop the blood.

    "Stay with me, alright?" Roman told her. He looked like myst hope to save Alice.

    "Roman... this bitch is truly gonna kill every one of us..." I saw Alice tell him in a painful voice. "It’s fine, I die—but kill her before she bes the reason for my brothers’ deaths... Don’t let her kill any of you..."

    "You are not going to die, alright," Roman told her. "We will kill her once you make it alive out of here. Trust me, I will kill her with my own hands—and you have to stay alive to see it. Just don’t give up..."

    I had always known I didn’t deserve to live—not like I even wanted to continue living. It would be better if Roman killed me, but I wanted him to save Alice first.

    ’Please save her,’ I prayed, unable to stop my own tears.

    Reality of the present had long skipped me, as my delusional mind forgot Alice was already dead—and this was Lucian before me.