radicalducati Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Katrina’s POV
"Let me go, Nicholas."
My voice was low, sharp, carrying a warning that I knew he would ignore.
The servant quarters were dim, buried deep in the rear halls of the estate. The corridor was narrow, lit only by a flickering lantern hanging from an iron hook, casting orange light that swayed across the damp stone walls.
His grip on my wrist tightened instead, his nails digging into my skin just enough to sting. The pressure wasn’t brutal, but it was enough to remind me that he could hurt me if he wanted to. That he wanted me to know that.
His smirk was infuriating, his blue eyes gleaming with something vile.
"You were always too proud, Katrina," he drawled, leaning in slightly. "Too arrogant for your own good. But look at you now."
I yanked my arm, but he held firm, his grip like iron.
"You don’t want to do this, Nicholas."
He chuckled, low and mean. "Oh, but I do. See, when you were the Princess’s friend, when you were a warrior-in-training, you thought you were untouchable. But now? Now, you’re a piece of shit. Which means…" He leaned even closer, his breath hot and sour against my cheek. "You’re fair game."
Disgust curdled in my stomach. The nausea that swelled was instant and burning, twisting my gut with each word he spoke.
I glared up at him, my body tensing. The corridor suddenly felt narrower, the walls pressing in, the faint light casting distorted shadows on the uneven stone. Every sound—the creak of floorboards, the hiss of burning oil—was amplified in the quiet.
"I’m warning you. Let me go."
He laughed outright, shaking his head. The sound bounced off the walls, echoing down the hallway like a hyena’s howl. "Or what? You can’t fight back, Katrina. I’m a Gamma now. Not unless you want the Alpha himself to punish you."
Rage bubbled beneath my skin. I had lost everything—my rank, my dignity, my future—but I refused to lose myself. I wasn’t some defenseless Omega. I would not be toyed with. Not by him.
Without another word, I balled my fist and swung.
The satisfying crack of my knuckles colliding with his jaw sent a shockwave up my arm. For a brief, breathless second, time paused. Nicholas stumbled back, his head snapping to the side, his grip on me breaking. The dim lantern caught the fresh blood smeared at the corner of his lip.
He staggered for a second before regaining his footing, his face twisting into something dark and ugly.
"You little bitch," he hissed, wiping at the blood with the back of his hand, smearing red across his cheek.
I dropped into a defensive stance, bracing myself for what I knew was coming next. My heart beat against my ribs like a war drum. The service hall around us shrank into a tunnel, my focus narrowing to him and the danger he posed.
And then, like a wolf on the hunt, he lunged.
I spun out of the way, boots sliding slightly across the slick stone floor as I dodged his grasp. My chest heaved, adrenaline singing in my veins like fire. I couldn’t afford to be caught—not by him, not like this. I needed to get out of here before this escalated. Before someone walked in and saw me fighting a ranked warrior.
I bolted down the corridor, Nicholas’s footfalls slamming against the floor behind me.
"You can't run from me forever, Katrina!"
His voice chased me, louder than the rush of blood in my ears. I ignored him, legs burning as I turned sharply, slipping between crates and storage shelves deeper into the servant wing.
I reached for the wall to steady myself—and it shifted.
A narrow seam between two shelves gave way under my weight, and suddenly the panel swung inward. My boot caught on the edge of the uneven floor, and before I could catch myself, I tumbled through the hidden gap.
I landed hard on my back, the breath knocked clean from my lungs.
Above me, the hidden door clicked shut, sealing the world behind crates and linens.
Groaning softly, I pushed myself up onto my elbows, then to my knees. The room around me was cold, damp, and utterly silent—hidden behind the servant wing, untouched and cloaked in shadow.
A hidden chamber.
What in the Moon Goddess’ name had I just stumbled into?