"Jasmin!"
Max's combat boots thundered against the grimy floors of the underground brothel. Red neon lights pulsed like a dying heartbeat, casting shadows that danced across peeling walls. His chest heaved with each desperate breath, muscles burning from the relentless pace, but he refused to slow down. His wolf clawed at his ribcage, howling with a primal desperation that made his bones ache.
Her scent lingered in the stale air, but it was growing weaker. Fading. Like someone was deliberately erasing every trace of her existence.
The mate bond stretched thin between them, threatening to snap.
He rounded the final corner and threw his shoulder against the door where her presence felt strongest. Wood splintered. Hinges screamed. The door crashed inward with a sound like thunder.
"Jasmin!"
Empty. The room stared back at him with hollow silence.
