CHAPTER 19

CATRIONA

I woke up in the dark, my heart racing, my chest tight. The moonlight spilled across the floor in pale streaks, and next to me, Abriel slept—peaceful, unaware. But I couldn't rest. Not with everything clawing at the edges of my mind.

I turned to look at him, really look at him. His small chest rising and falling in a quiet rhythm, those long lashes casting shadows across his cheeks. I raked my fingers gently through his soft hair, and a tear escaped before I could stop it.

"I couldn’t protect your siblings," I whispered brokenly. "But I will protect you. Even if it means dying."

The memory of him trapping Jayden midair in the magical orb with a force I couldn’t comprehend burned through my chest. That raw power. That fear in his eyes. And then, the elevator. His sudden disappearance. And then finding him at Gabriel’s house.

I wiped my face with both hands and slid out of bed, careful not to wake him. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t go another day with this weight between Jayden and me.

I padded down the hall toward our bedroom. My steps were slow. Heavy.

I loved Jayden. With everything in me. I knew he had so much on his shoulders—an entire pack to protect, the looming threats, the unknown force targeting our son. The last thing he needed was a battle inside our home.

I just wanted to talk. To make things right. To apologize for pushing too hard, for not thinking through what it meant to him.

I opened the door quietly, whispering, “Jayden?”

Nothing.

The room was empty. The bed still made, untouched. Not even a dent in the pillow.

I blinked in confusion, stepping fully into the room.

He hadn’t slept in it?

I reached for my phone on the nightstand, checking the time. 2:03 AM. No messages. No calls. I scrolled, heart starting to race—nothing from him since hours ago.

I texted quickly:

Where are you? Are you okay?

Seconds later, it showed read—but no reply.

A chill crawled up my back.

Maybe he was still angry… maybe he just needed space. Still, he always texted back. Always.

I grabbed my robe and padded barefoot downstairs. Maybe he was in his office, going through reports to clear his head. Maybe out on a short patrol, like he sometimes did when the world got too loud inside his skull.

But the office was empty.

I stepped out onto the porch. The night air bit at my skin. A few of the men were patrolling—heads low, quiet murmurs between them—but none of them were Jayden.

A shaky breath left my lips.

He must’ve gone out to think. That had to be it.

I turned to head back inside—then buzz.

My phone vibrated in my hand.

I didn’t even wait. I swiped it open, expecting Jayden’s name.

It wasn’t.

It was a number I didn’t know.

The image loaded slowly.

I froze.

It was Jayden.

Bloodied. Face bruised. Shirt torn. Slumped against a concrete wall. Arms limp at his sides.

Another image followed—his ribs clearly beaten, blood soaking into the floor.

My knees gave out.

I caught myself on the doorway, breath caught in my throat like I’d been strangled. My thumb shook as I called his number.

Voicemail.

Another message came through.

One word:

EmberSin.

My mouth went dry. What the hell was EmberSin?

Before I could even type a reply, another message came through:

Come alone.

I called Jayden again. The line rang once.

Then nothing.

Phone off.

“Jerome!” I screamed, stumbling back inside. “Godmother—Sandra!”

The house erupted.

Footsteps from every direction. Doors slamming open. Sleep-blurred faces snapped to full alert.

Jerome was the first down the stairs, his voice sharp. “Catriona—what happened?”

I shoved the phone into his hand. “Look.”

He stared at the screen, face hardening. His fingers clenched the phone. “Shit.”

“He’s hurt,” I whispered. “And they’re telling me to come alone.”

He looked at me, jaw working. “Then I’ll go. I’ll take the phone. You stay here with Abriel.”

“No.” I gripped his arm, eyes locked to his. “They want me. If I don’t go, they’ll kill him. Or worse.”

Another voice came from behind—Sandra, already tying her robe tighter. “I’ll stay with Abriel. I’ll watch him like a hawk.”

Godmother came through too, her hand on her heart. “Child, don’t go alone—”

“I won’t,” I said, breathing fast. “Jerome is coming with me. We’ll be fast. We’ll be smart.”

She nodded reluctantly.

Sandra squeezed my hand. “Be careful. You come back with him.”

“I will.” I forced a nod and turned to rush outside.

Jerome was already shouting orders to a few guards, voice low and clipped.

He met me at the car, got in the driver’s side.

As the engine roared to life, I turned to him. “Do you know what EmberSin is?”

He gave a tight nod. “Yeah. It’s a club in Kingshade.”

I stared out the window, my heart hammering like a war drum. “Then we’re in the right place.”

As the gates opened, the car sped into the night, leaving the safe walls of the pack behind—straight toward whatever trap lay waiting.

The silence in the car was suffocating, only broken by the low hum of the engine and the occasional crackle of gravel beneath the tires.

When the dark, neon-glowing building of EmberSin finally appeared in the distance, my stomach knotted.

Jerome slowed down as we pulled into the lot—and there it was.

Jayden’s car.

Parked awkwardly, like he’d arrived in a rush. Or been dragged out.

Jerome’s eyes scanned the area. “Text them. Let them know you’ve arrived. We’ll play this the smart way.”

I reached for my phone but hesitated, fingers hovering.

“What if they send someone to collect me?” I asked quietly. “And they see you? They said to come alone.”

Jerome met my eyes, steady. “Then I vanish into the shadows. I’m not leaving your side completely, but I’ll keep my distance. I’m not letting you walk blind into this.”

I nodded. That was all I needed.

I typed: I’m here.

Almost instantly, a reply came back: Walk through the front door. Take the hall left of the bar. Room at the end. Don’t be late.

Jerome studied the screen and pointed. “Go. I’ll keep close behind you. You won’t see me, but I’ll see everything.”

I stepped out of the car and headed toward the entrance. The bouncer didn’t even look at me as I passed him. Like he knew or like he just didn’t care who entered.

Inside, EmberSin pulsed with sweat, smoke, and base-heavy music. The air felt too thick, the lights too sharp. Bodies swayed, drinks clinked, and all around me. I wasn't a werewolf but I could tell that there were a lot in this club, mixed with humans like gasoline and fire.

I kept walking.

Left of the bar, just like they said.

A narrow hallway stretched before me, flickering bulbs overhead and red-painted walls that looked like they’d once seen blood.

I moved forward, one step at a time. My senses were wide open now, searching, listening.

At the end of the hall was a black door. No markings. No guards.

My hand hovered just an inch from the handle.

I turned slightly, scanning behind me—nothing. But I knew Jerome was there, somewhere in the shadows.

I looked forward again, exhaled once… and opened the door.

The cold air that met me wasn’t from the building.

It was something else entirely.

And Jayden was behind it.

The moment I saw him, something inside me snapped.

Jayden.

Bruised, bloodied, hunched like his body had taken the weight of a storm and barely survived it. My feet moved on instinct, like my soul launched forward before my mind could catch up.

“Jayden!” I cried.

But before I could reach him, a wall of flesh blocked me. One of them—tall, mean-eyed, already smirking like I was prey.

He grabbed me hard by the arm. Wrong move.

I slammed my heel onto his foot with everything I had. Heard a satisfying crunch.

He snarled, raised a hand to strike me—

—but I was already moving. I caught his wrist, twisted it down hard, yanked it toward my face and sank my teeth into the thick flesh at the base of his thumb. I bit deep. Hard.

His howl was deafening.

He flung me off with a roar, but I rolled with the motion, sprang forward and landed near Jayden. Blood filled my mouth, bitter and hot—I spat it out and turned to him.

His face. Goddess.

He looked like hell.

“Jayden…” My hands were on him, scanning his face, brushing his jaw, touching the blood with trembling fingers. “What did they do to you?”

He tried to sit up. “Catriona… what the hell are you doing here?”

Before I could answer, one of the tall guys spoke up from behind us. “I called her here.”

So, he's that bastard, I thought.

Gabriel’s voice cut in sharp and cool, coming from the shadows like he belonged to them. “This was uncalled for, Drake. This had nothing to do with them.”

I turned to him sharply. “And yet you stood there and let it happen.”

Drake opened his mouth to speak—

BOOM!

The doors exploded inward, wood and steel splintering into the room like a cannon blast.

Jerome burst in, his massive wolf barreling through the first two rogues like they were paper. He didn’t stop. He didn’t hesitate.

Everything went to chaos.

Fur rippled across the room.

Growls. Snarls. Bones cracked and bodies twisted.

Every rogue in the room shifted, a wave of fangs and muscle ready for war.

And Jayden? He stayed human.

He was still on one knee, bleeding, breath ragged. But his eyes—his eyes were only on me.

And all I could think was: I would burn the entire place to the ground for him.

Wolves—massive, snarling beasts—tore into each other in the tight, smoke-choked room. Claws raked over walls, chairs shattered under lunging bodies, and the floor shook from the weight of bodies slamming into one another.

I shoved past two wolves locked in a brutal grapple, ignoring the sharp sting of debris cutting my arm. One of the rogues tried to lunge at me, but I grabbed a broken table leg and slammed it into his snout. He yelped and staggered back.

"Jayden!" I screamed as I reached him, panting.

I wrapped his arm over my shoulders, dragging him out through the chaos. "Come on! We need to get you out!"

"I... I can't feel him," Jayden said between clenched teeth.

I stared at him. "What?"

"My wolf. It's like he's gone. Weak. Disconnected. I can't shift."

Fear gripped my throat, but I forced it down. "Okay. Okay, we’ll talk about that later. Let’s just get you out of here."

I helped him to his feet. He winced, leaning heavily on me, but we pushed through the hallway and out into the club’s main floor.

The music was still pounding, people dancing, laughing—oblivious.

Thank God.

We were almost to the door when a growl tore through the air.

Low. Bone-deep.

The music stopped. Screams followed.

People turned—and chaos bloomed again.

A massive wolf, taller than anything I’d seen, stepped out onto the dance floor. Eyes like coals. Its fur rippled like smoke.

"Run!" someone shouted.

The crowd surged toward the exits, trampling over tables, chairs, each other. The wolf leaped—and I felt Jayden push me aside.

We hit the floor hard.

But the attack never landed.

Another shape slammed into the giant wolf midair.

Gabriel.

His wolf form crashed into the rogue like a freight train, sending both of them sprawling across the dance floor, shattering lights and tables in their wake.

I scrambled up, pulling Jayden with me. Behind us, Jerome’s wolf plowed through another attacker trying to flank Gabriel, keeping him covered.

"Come on!" I shouted.

We pushed through the panicked crowd and burst out the club doors, into the open night. Alarms blared behind us. Lights flashed. The scent of blood clung to my skin like fire.

Jayden stumbled but didn’t fall.

We were alive.