Chapter 182: Fire

"Are there really people against that kind of freedom?" I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt and then Matthias’s.

Stepping out of the air-conditioned car, I helped my son down as he looked around the narrow street with unsuppressed curiosity. While the alley was fairly busy, it was nowhere near as congested as the main avenue.

"Of course there are. Think about it—all those financial and social subsidies from the government now go directly into the breeders’ hands instead of settling in the pockets of their families or husbands. Naturally, a lot of males aren’t thrilled, which is why the city is in absolute chaos right now. But the council leadership pushed the bill through at their last assembly anyway."

Adam’s words brought me to a sudden halt on the sidewalk. A vague thought that had been trailing in the back of my mind clicked into a crystal-clear realization. He had mentioned the council before.

"Is that council... by any chance the same one Magnus belongs to?" I asked Adam, my heart skipping a beat as I looked him in the eye.

Jake, who was already holding open the heavy glass door to the salon, answered over his shoulder with a grim glance:

"Not quite, Luna. He doesn’t just belong to it. He rules it."

***

"You look absolutely breathtaking! We’ll just make a tiny adjustment around the waist so it fits flawlessly, and then we’ll wrap everything up for you," the young shop assistant chirped, fluttering around me while I sat before a grand mirror, absently plaiting my lengthened hair into a loose braid.

They had paired my gown with exquisite hair ornaments—a delicate silver tiara studded with tiny jewels, accompanied by shimmering threads woven into the strands to create a magical inner glow.

"It’s going to be a total sensation! Jane, you have no idea how grand tomorrow’s celebration is going to be! The local reporters are going completely wild—new articles are dropping every hour, and even these foolish protests can’t overshadow news of your wedding!" Annie’s voice rang with delight.

Nearby, the staff were carefully packing her outfit into a large branded box tied with a wide silk ribbon. Annie had chosen a head-turning, form-fitting dress with a dangerously high thigh slit made from a mesmerising iridescent fabric. As she moved, the material shifted between rich rose and deep crimson depending on the light.

I sat there, continually amazed at how the craftsmen here managed to create such masterpieces.

"Mom! Look! Fire..." Matthias suddenly blurted out, his voice sharp with alarm as he pointed a finger toward the front of the shop.

I turned in confusion toward the huge panoramic window just as it shattered with a deafening, terrifying crash. Thickets of heavy glass rained down onto the floor, followed by a glass bottle wrapped in a flaming rag arching through the air and dragging a trail of smoke behind it.

The Molotov cocktail hit the plush carpet, bursting with a muffled thump that instantly engulfed the rug and a row of white gowns in a roaring blaze.

Jake, reacting with unnatural, inhuman speed, threw his broad frame over Matthias and me, using his body as a shield. But the sheer force of a brutal shockwave knocked us off our feet a split second later when our armored SUV exploded right outside the entrance with a deafening roar.

We scrambled up off the glass-littered floor, clinging to overturned furniture. For a few horrifying seconds, I was completely blinded by the flash, my ears ringing with a sharp, high-pitched whine that drowned out the continuous detonations on the street outside. Through the ringing, the screams of a frantic mob cut through the air. Thick, suffocating black smoke flooded the opulent salon, stinging my eyes and scraping at my throat.

Coughing violently, I looked around in a panic. Annie, her face smeared with soot, was crawling toward me alongside Adam. Matthias was trembling uncontrollably, his tiny hands clutching my sweater as he buried his face against my stomach, trying to hide from the nightmare unfolding around us.

And then, through the shattered display window and billowing clouds of smoke, I saw him.

A tall man clad in dark clothing stood completely untouched by the aggressive crowd currently tearing the street apart and hurling Molotovs into luxury storefronts.

He stood motionless, staring directly at me through the wall of fire. In the flickering glare of the flames, I caught the dark lock of hair straying from beneath the black bandana tied across the lower half of his face.

His massive frame was terrifying—and his eyes were sickeningly familiar.

A sharp, paralyzing bolt of pain shot through my lower abdomen, born from a dreadful intuition that something terrible—something utterly catastrophic—was about to happen.

. . .

The salon was ablaze. Roaring and hungry, the fire consumed pristine white gowns and expensive fabrics at the speed of a ravenous beast catching the scent of blood. In the chaos of the sudden madness, Jake scooped me up like a feather, keeping a fierce eye on the rest of our group to ensure they stayed right behind him as he headed for the back exit.

My vision swam, everything blurring together in a haze. I must have inhaled too much of the acrid black smoke in those first few seconds, but my pounding mind could focus on only two things: Matthias, and my unborn baby.

I wouldn’t be feeling this searing, gut-wrenching pain inside if I weren’t pregnant.

Annie had swept Matthias into her arms, while Adam took the rear to cover our backs. The young shop attendants had fled first, their shrieks fading into the smoke before we had even managed to push ourselves off the floor.

"This is a nightmare! What is wrong with them?!" Annie wheezed, never slowing her pace as she held the frightened child close.

"Don’t talk! You’ll breathe in the fumes!" Adam barked, coughing heavily behind us. "These fabrics are full of chemical dyes and synthetics—you’ll poison yourselves!"

A cold, sickening dread settled in the pit of my stomach as I realized what was happening to me. My magnificent, custom-tailored wedding gown had been the first to catch fire. Standing closest to the blaze, I had inhaled the foul, chemical stench directly.

Matthias was terrified, looking around with wide, anxious eyes in Annie’s arms, but physically he wasn’t nearly as sick as I was. He had buried his face in my stomach during those first crucial seconds.

Reaching the back exit, Jake set me down on my feet and threw his shoulder against the heavy door.

It was locked.