CHAPTER 42LILIANA POVThe cell was cold, and the smell of concrete and mold stuck to the air like glue. The only source of warmth was Stella's big body and the other girls in the cell. We were all huddled up together like sardines in a can of tuna, trying to beat the cold.My eyes slowly fluttered open. I wasn't sure what time it was, but something told me we were getting closer to nighttime.The smell of incense was the giveaway. I had been here for a total of three days and had already gotten the hang of the routines in this cave.I could tell it was morning when the soldiers brought us pancakes that looked and tasted like cardboard and were particularly chatty. And evening was when they burned incense, and the cave was cooler.Slowly, I moved away from the huddled bodies and immediately regretted it as the cold seeped back into my bones from all angles. I shivered, crossing my hands around my body.I could hear footsteps running up and down outside th
CHAPTER FORTY-ONEGERALD'S POVWe follow Selena's coordinates and find the warehouse just as the sky bruises with the first hint of dawn. The cold air bites at my skin, sharp as the steel in my veins. The place looks abandoned, but I can feel eyes hiding in the shadows.Max kills the engines, and we pack the truck a few feet away from the target. Far enough to not be seen or heard, but close enough to nab any unsuspecting prey.I could see the rotting walls and broken windows clearly from where we were hiding. Selena's coordinates were dead on. This place looks like it hadn't been used in years. A place I would have never suspected to check, but I know better now.A few of my men crouch in the shadows around the lot. They've been here longer than us, keeping track of every movement, every sound. One of them, Jared, jogs up to my window and leans in. His breath fogs in the cold."Alpha Gerald," he whispers. "No movements inside, only two outside. They don't lo
CHAPTER FORTYGERALD'S POVWe leave the merchant's muffled sobs bleeding into the night. His confession gave me scraps, not answers. And scraps won't bring Liliana back.I have our next destination already in mind: the farmer's cabin. I get a feeling he didn't tell us everything he knew about the pack.My head feels too clouded with thoughts to concentrate, so I let Max drive. The truck rattles down the dirt path with the headlights slicing through the mists curling over the fields.Landen is occupied at the back seat, cleaning the dried blood off his hands using an old rag. Soon, the farmer's cabin comes into view just at the edge of the trees. Crooked and small, just like the people living inside of it.We don't bother parking quietly. Max kills the engine, and I slap the door shut behind me, marching towards the house, gravel crunching beneath my feet. I pound my fist once against the door and don't even wait for a response before barreling into the house.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINEGERALD'S POVThe woods feel different at night, breathing like a living thing, every shadow watching, every branch whispering. My breath fogs in the air, crickets sing, and the scent of iron...something metallic drifts on the wind.Her blood. Faint now, but I can still smell it. This is the same forest where they took Liliana from me. "Wait for me." I whisper beneath my breath, "I'm coming."I step into the clearing and look down at the man tied to the old tree. The ropes cut deep into his arms from how much he has been thrashing. I watch him, silently mocking him in my mind. He can struggle all he wants, but nothing is getting him out of my trap.The merchant stares at me like I'm the monster in his worst nightmare, and he's not wrong. Max stands behind him, rolling his shoulders, while Landen leans against a nearby trunk, boots half-buried in dead leaves, watching everything with that lazy look that fools people into thinking he's harmless.I squat before the mer
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHTGERALD'S POVThe glass-shattering sound was deafening. The sound wasn't just a scream; it rolled in waves, guttural and strange, like words twisted backward. My skin crawled. A witch's chant? Or something worse?"What the hell was that?" I asked Max, who was as stoned as me."No idea." Max said, already unmounting his bike."Must have been the woman we'd seen up there.""You think it can be Lilliana?" Landen asked, his expression very much stoic."Go check." I said to Max, ignoring the way my body stiffened in anticipation.Max nodded and quickly ran inside to check without another word.I waited outside with Landen.It wouldn't look good if we all rushed there. I couldn't afford to raise suspicion."Are you sure you don't want me to go either?""No, you're too impatient," I said to Landen.Max was efficient and empathetic. He could easily coerce him to answer his question."You think Liliana might be up there.""I doubt it. You or Max would have smelled her." I s
Chapter thirty-sevenGeraldIt was dawn before I knew it. The sun was slowly creeping up from the east, illuminating the once.I had not gone to the motel all throughout last night.I couldn't sleep knowing that Liliana was out there, probably scared to death.I had ridden my bike round town, hoping to find more clues of where she could have gone, but I hadn't gotten much.I suspected it was the doing of the rogues. Not just any rogues. The rogue pack ran by Parker. I could feel it in my guts. Plus Selena's report that they had another hideout in Delta made perfect sense.What about those men that appeared to have been killed by her? They had the tattoos and markings resembling Parker himself.The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I could be wrong, but it was the only lead I had for now, and I was going to cling to it until I found out otherwise.Landen and Max walked out of the motel in their leather jackets and sunglasses."Let's go." I told them not to be interested