Chapter 30 · God-Mode Glitch

"Get back!" Sloane screamed, but the word was swallowed by a roar of collapsing concrete.

Dust exploded in a gray wall, blinding her. The mysterious creature from the shadows didn't just breathe—it detonated. The shockwave slammed Sloane backward, her spine hitting the jagged remains of a fallen pillar with a sickening thud.

She gasped, lungs burning with grit. Before she could even blink the dust away, a heavy weight crashed down on top of her.

Kaelen.

He didn't just land; he pinned her. His palms slammed into the rubble on either side of her head, his chest heaving, hot breath smelling of ozone and something ancient. His eyes weren't human anymore. They were glowing slits of molten gold, pupils narrowed like a predator's.

"Stay," he growled. The sound didn't come from his throat—it vibrated through the very stone beneath them. "Stay. Mine."

Sloane struggled, her wrists trapped under the sheer pressure of his arms. "Kaelen, let go! The creature—it's still—"

"I don't care about the thing," he snapped, his voice dropping an octave, becoming a dangerous purr. He leaned closer, the tip of his nose almost brushing hers. The air between them crackled. "I care that you almost died.