Chapter 15

The subterranean cells beneath the main Frostwell packhouse were cold, dark, and thick with the heavy scent of damp stone and burning silver.

Cindy paced the narrow length of her cell like a trapped animal, the heavy silver cuffs around her wrists hummed with a dull, sickening heat that kept her wolf subdued. Her pristine dress was torn at the hem, her blonde hair tangled, and her blue eyes wild with panic. Every shadow on the wall looked like Asher coming to rip her throat out.

A soft, metallic click echoed down the corridor, followed by the faint thud of an unconscious guard hitting the stone floor.

Cindy gasped, spinning around as a dark figure melted out of the shadows. Beta Cassius stepped up to the heavy iron bars, his face pale and contorted with suppressed rage as he slid his master key into the lock.

“Cassius!” Cindy whimpered, throwing herself against the bars. “Get me out of here! That bastard Liam had his guards drag me down here like a dog! The rogues double-crossed me, Cassius—they told Asher everything!”

“Shut up!” Cassius hissed, grabbing her through the bars and shoving her back into the cell with a hushed, lethal glare. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You were supposed to make sure the Caldwell girl was killed quietly in the woods, not leave a paper trail leading straight back to your door!”

“I didn’t know they would keep her alive!” Cindy cried, tears of pure self-preservation spilling over her cheeks. “Asher knows, Cassius! When Lydia wakes up, or when he comes down here to interrogate me, he’s going to kill me! You have to save me—I’m your mate!”

Cassius’s jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with dark, possessive anger. He reached through the iron bars again, his fingers digging uncomfortably into her jaw, forcing her to look at him. “I know what you are to me, Cindy. And I’m not letting Asher take what’s mine. But if you panic now, you ruin everything we’ve been building toward.”

“What do we do?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“Listen closely,” Cassius growled, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. “I’ve disabled the security feed along the western perimeter for twenty minutes. At midnight, when the guard shifts rotate, I’m coming back to cut those chains. I’ll lead you out through the old drainage tunnels beneath the eastern wing—no one uses them.”

“Where do I go?” Cindy asked desperately. “Where will I be safe from Asher?”

“Cross the border into the Black Ridge territory,” Cassius instructed, his eyes narrowing into sinister slits. “There’s an abandoned outpost near the valley line. My allies among the border rogues will meet you there and keep you hidden. You stay out of sight, keep your mouth shut, and wait.”

“And what about Asher?”

A cold, arrogant smirk cut across Cassius’s face. “Asher is completely unhinged right now over his precious, broken mate. He’s distracted, weak, and pouring all his power into keeping her alive. Once I have you safely out of the packhouse, I’ll finish what we started. I will poison his standing with the Elders, cripple his defence lines, and take the Alpha title from his cold, dead hands.”

Footsteps echoed faintly from the upper stairs, warning them that time was up.

“Midnight,” Cassius whispered, giving her jaw a firm press before stepping back into the shadows. “Be ready.”

Curtus pressed his broad back flat against the cold stone of the alcove, his breathing held so tight his chest ached. He had come down to the dungeons to personally inspect the guard placement on Cindy per Liam’s orders, only to find the guard slumped unconscious on the stairs—and his own Beta casually laying out a plan for high treason.

Every instinct roared inside the Delta to tear through the hallway and snap Cassius’s neck where he stood. But Curtus was a seasoned warrior; he knew a rogue move here would give Cassius time to spin a lie or trigger a panicked fight.

Waiting until Cassius’s stealthy footsteps receded toward the upper exits, Curtus slipped out of the shadow. He moved like a ghost, easing past the unconscious guard and darting through the rear servant corridors of the packhouse to avoid crossing paths with the traitorous Beta.

Five minutes later, the heavy doors to Lydia’s private recovery room at the pack hospital swung open.

Asher didn’t even turn his head. He was seated in a high-backed chair glued to Lydia’s bedside, his large fingers still entwined with her delicate, bruised ones. Golden sparks of mate energy continued to pulse faintly where their skin met, keeping her breathing steady and deep. Liam stood near the window, his arms folded, staring out at the darkening sky.

“Asher. Liam,” Curtus breathed out, shutting the door behind him and locking it with a sharp twist of the deadbolt.

Liam instantly straightened, his eyes narrowing at the Delta’s grim, winded expression. “Curtus? What is it?”

“It’s Cassius,” Curtus said, his voice dropping into a harsh, furious whisper. “I just came from the dungeons. Cassius knocked out the cell guard. He’s planning to break Cindy out tonight at midnight through the old eastern drainage tunnels.”

Asher’s body went completely rigid. The air in the hospital room plummeted in temperature as his golden wolf eyes flared to life, casting sinister light across the white walls. He didn’t release Lydia’s hand, but the muscle in his jaw flexed with a terrifying, silent rage.

“There’s more,” Curtus continued, stepping closer to the bed. “Cassius is her mate. He admitted it to her through the bars. He’s the one who coordinated with the rogues to ambush the convoy. He’s sending her to an outpost in Black Ridge territory, and he intends to stay here, poison your standing with the Elders, and take the Alpha title from you.”

Liam let out a dark, low growl, his claws extending with a sickening clack against his knuckles. “That snivelling worm... He’s been playing us from the beginning.”

“They think you’re weak, Asher,” Curtus added, looking at the Alpha. “They think you’re too distracted by Lydia’s recovery to notice what’s happening right under your nose.”

A slow, lethal smirk cut across Asher’s features—a look of pure, unadulterated vengeance that made even his trusted Delta feel a chill run down his spine.

“Let them think I’m weak,” Asher said, his voice dangerously smooth, dripping with cold fury. He gently pressed a kiss to the back of Lydia’s sleeping hand before placing it softly on the mattress.

He stood up to his full, towering height, turning to face his two most loyal commanders.

“We don’t stop Cassius at midnight,” Asher commanded, his eyes burning like twin suns. “We let him open that cell. We let him lead her into those tunnels. And when they think they’ve reached freedom...” Asher’s voice dropped to a guttural growl. “...we will be waiting at the exit to end them both.”