"Do you hear that?" I whispered, snapping my eyes to Milly.

It'd been silent hours. The children thankfully had all gone to sleep and Milly and I were in too much anxiety to speak.

But now the muffled clanging of metal had crept up on us.

"It sounds like somebody trying to get into the vault," Milly replied, her voice hushed and hoarse.

The entrance to the vault was a small steel hatch shielded by rocks and vegetation.

"There's no way anybody would just stumble across us," She said surely, "Maybe it's the Alpha or my brother. Maybe everything is over."

I shook my head.

There were about ten different locks, passcode and scans but Leo and Max both had access to them all. They wouldn't be trying to break through the thick, sturdy metal.

"Just an animal, maybe?" she suggested.

I forced a smile and held Stefano tighter in my arms, "...maybe."

We sat for ten minutes just nervously listening to the banging. As the time passed, it became apparent that whatever or whoever was out there, was incredibly determined to break through and with every single attempt they made, my heart jumped, praying they wouldn't succeed.

But eventually, it stopped.

I glanced at Milly.

Maybe they'd given up.

Maybe they'd gone.

A few more tense minutes passed with no sound and I began to relax again.

The children still slept and we were still safe. That's about all we could be thankful for but at least it was something.

I rested my head back on the wall and took a deep breath as I ran my fingers softly along Stefano's little tufts of silky blonde hair.

His eyes were shut peacefully as his long black eyelashes flickered ever so slightly with every gentle breath he took. With his head rested on my chest and his little hands folded close to his face, I could cuddle him close, keeping him shielded from the harsh, cold darkness of the volt.

He was not even a year old yet and he was lucky enough to stand no chance of remembering any of this. But that also meant he wouldn't remember anyone we lose tonight. His father, his siblings, Luca, Max, his Grandparents, me.

He'd never know them and that broke my heart.

I placed my lips on his precious head and closed my eyes, holding in my tears.

But just as I left the lingering kiss, I had to scrunch my eyes shut, my head suddenly filled with a high pitched, thudding, piercing ring.

I could feel the gritty floor under my knees and hands, as my body was suddenly overcome with the pain of impact and my eyes filled with dust. The already dim light bulb flickered off and apart from the wretched wail in my head, I was completely deafened, leaving me almost senseless.

All I could smell was powdery concrete and smoke as I staggered to my feet, clutching in the dark.

"Stefano," I said.

I couldn't even hear my own voice.

"Stefano!" I shouted, "Kids! Milly!"

"Ella?" A croaky voice replied as I felt a pair of hands reach for me.

The ring was quietening and being replaced by the screams and cries of my children.

"Milly," I repeated, clutching the hands.

"The vault," she whispered, "It's open. The door is broken."

I rubbed my eyes, wiping the dust as I glanced around incredibly disorientated.copy right hot novel pub