Claimed by My Bestie's Alpha Daddy novel Chapter 216

We were three corridors in when the pressure started. It settled behind my thoughts, electric and low, pressing against the base of my skull and radiating inward with steady, unwelcome heat. The sensation crept in slowly, winding its way through the edges of my mind like an unfamiliar frequency. It didn’t belong in this place, and neither did I.

The pulses grew stronger with every step, wrapping around my thoughts and tugging at the edges of my focus until I had to grit my teeth just to stay upright.

The pressure wasn’t just mental, it was trying to reprogram me, to twist me back into a sleeper agent and turn my own mind against itself. I had fought this influence before, but never this directly, and never in a place where the Dominion’s presence was so concentrated

Each footfall became a fight, not just to move forward, but to hold onto my thoughts, to keep my instincts clear. The more people I had freed from this, the stronger my resistance had become, but here, the signal was too strong for that to be enough on its own. I wasn’t just pushing it away, I was fighting it off, physically and mentally, forcing my body and mind to stay mine.

Simon’s voice came through the earpiece, low and careful. “You’re almost to the junction. Start the sequence now. Breathe first and count it through.”

I obeyed, inhaling slowly until my lungs were full, letting the air stretch my ribs until I could feel it press against my chest from the inside. My fingers slid along the stone wall beside me, finding the cold surface and holding onto the steadiness it offered.

“Three touches,” Simon said, steadier now. “Left shoulder, right palm, center chest. Keep the rhythm and let it guide you.”

I matched his pace, moving in time with his instructions, and eachtouch grounded me a little more. I could feel his presence alongside mine, not pressing, not controlling, but stable and quietly certain, like a hand held out in a dark room.

“You’re not alone, “he whispered. “You’re doing fine. I’ve got you.”

I didn’t speak, but | let the signal stay open between us. I allowed myself to feel him there, tracing the edges of my thoughts and staying just close enough that I could keep meving.

The tunnel curved and opened into a larger chamber, the ceiling dropping just enough to change the sound of my breathing. The air in here tasted sharper. Every step forward brought a new sensation, colder and denser than before, as if the atmosphere itself had been shaped with intent.

– “Simon,” I said, my breath catching in my throat. “It’s heavier in here.”

“They’re close,” he replied. “Keep moving. Keep your breath steady and stay inside yourself.”

For a second, my surroundings vanished. Through the haze of pressure, a vision forced itself into my mind, Richard, aboveground, staggering sideways as if the air itself had struck him.

He clutched the side of a rusted-out vehicle with one hand and pressed the other to his temple, his knees buckling before he caught himself. I saw the way his body braced, the way his face twisted with pain, and l understood instantly that it was me he was feeling.

The thin connection between us had flared, just long enough to transmit the truth of what I was enduring. In that instant, I knew he saw everything, the pressure trying to strip me down and rewrite me, trying to drag me back into the state I had once escaped, trying to reclaim me as a sleeper agent.

He felt how hard I was fighting, how much of my strength I had to pour into each breath just to stay myself. I saw him steady himself, his handshaking as he gripped the metal until his knuckles turned white,

Nathan turned immediately. What is it?

“She’s in pain,” Richard said, his voice low and unsteady. “They’re pushing on her.”

“You can’t break formation,” Nathan said, stepping in front of him before Richard could even move. “If you go after her now, the whole line will fall abart.”

Richard didn’t answer at first. His hand stayed clenched on the truck, his jaw locked. Every muscle in his body looked like it was poised to lunge.

“You’re not abandoning her,” Nathan said, softer this time. “You’re holding the line because she needs you to.”

Finally, Richard nodded. He stepped back into formation, but his gaze never left the mouth of the tunnel.

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