The Wolf's Obsession

Chapter 12: Into the Abyss.

.
The narrow, dark passage was suffocating, pressing in on Isabella from all sides as she crawled forward. Every inch felt like an eternity, each sound from above echoing through her like a dagger. The footsteps, the muffled shouts, Alessandro and Elena's voices-all of it was fading as she descended deeper into the stone-cold depths of the chapel's hidden escape.

She forced herself to keep moving, though each inch was filled with dread. She'd left them behind-Alessandro, wounded and barely able to stand, and Elena, the closest thing to family she'd found in this twisted place. Her heart pounded with the unbearable thought that she might never see them again, that the last glimpse of their faces might be the final one.

After what felt like an eternity, the passage finally began to widen, and she found herself able to stand, though the darkness around her was absolute. She extended her hands, feeling the rough stone walls guiding her toward the faint sound of water rushing somewhere in the distance.

Her hand brushed against something metallic, and she realized it was a gate-a heavy, iron structure barely visible in the faint light filtering in from above. She pushed against it with all her strength, the creak of rusted hinges echoing through the passage as the gate finally swung open, revealing the riverbank beyond.

The cold night air hit her face, a sharp reminder of the reality she now faced alone. She stepped out onto the bank, her gaze scanning the dark water, the quiet ripples breaking the silence of the night. But even in her escape, she felt no relief-only the hollow ache of leaving Alessandro and Elena to an uncertain fate.

The moon cast a silver glow over the water, illuminating a small boat tied to the bank. Alessandro's preparation, she thought, biting back a surge of emotion. He had planned every detail, knowing that one day he might need an escape route... and that she would, too. It was as though he had always expected that this day would come, that his own life would be forfeit if it meant giving her the chance to be free.

As she climbed into the boat, she glanced back at the forest's shadowed edge, where the chapel lay hidden within. Her hand lingered on the rope, her heart torn between escape and the urge to run back into the fray, to help them, to face whatever danger lay ahead at Alessandro's side. But his words haunted her: "Please, Isabella. Live."

With trembling hands, she untied the rope and pushed the boat into the current, letting the river carry her away from the place that had been her prison and yet, strangely, the only place she had ever felt a sense of belonging.

As the distance between her and the chapel grew, she forced herself to look away, to focus on the murky water, the trees casting shadows over the river, anything to distract her from the relentless ache that tore through her.

But the silence didn't last long. The distant sound of footsteps and raised voices drifted from the direction of the chapel. She froze, her heart leaping into her throat as she caught sight of shadows moving through the trees along the riverbank.

De Luca's men had tracked her here, relentless in their pursuit. She pulled the hood of her jacket over her head, hoping the darkness and the movement of the boat would conceal her.

Her breath came in quick, shallow bursts as she gripped the sides of the boat, fighting the urge to look back. Her only option was to press forward, to let the river's current carry her toward safety, even though every fiber of her being urged her to turn back.

The boat glided downriver, and soon, the shadows on the shore faded into the night. Isabella's tense muscles began to relax, though her mind continued to race.

She had no idea where she was heading, or what awaited her, only that she had to trust Alessandro's plan... whatever it might have been. He had hidden her escape route, chosen this boat-surely, he had prepared a destination as well.