Chapter 41. In the Wilds

Adeline's POV

I leaned against a rough bark of a tree, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath. We had been running for sometime but I did not know what to do anymore. There was no exit, nothing and We were lost.

I wiped sweat from my brow and turned to Luciano, who had stopped a few paces ahead of me.

He stood rigid, his back partially turned to me, one hand pressed tightly against his forearm. His jaw was clenched, the muscles in his face taut as though he was biting back a scream.

I quickly straightened, my breath catching for a different reason now.

“Luciano?”

I called, my voice wavering as I stepped closer. His head snapped toward me, but he quickly averted his gaze, shaking his head as though to dismiss my concern.

“It’s nothing,” he muttered, his voice strained, but the slight quiver in it betrayed him.

My brows furrowed and my heart pounded, a mixture of residual adrenaline and a growing sense of dread. I