Chapter 16

Midnight settled over the Frostwell packhouse like a heavy, suffocating shroud.

Beneath the stone foundations, the silent turn of a key signalled the start of Cassius’s gambit. He unlocked Cindy’s cell, slipping through the dark maintenance corridors and guiding her into the pitch-black mouth of the old eastern drainage tunnels.

For twenty agonizing minutes, the pair sloshed through inches of stagnant water, their rushed footsteps echoing softly against the damp concrete. Cindy shivered in the frigid air, her hand clutching Cassius’s forearm in a desperation that bordered on manic. Up ahead, the pale glow of moonlight filtered through the rusted iron grate at the tunnel’s exit, marking the threshold to the ravine and the border of Black Ridge.

“We made it,” Cindy gasped, a breath of wild relief escaping her lips as they stepped out onto the muddy embankment.

Cassius forced open the heavy iron door, his face twisting into a triumphant, arrogant grin. “I told you I’d handle it. Asher is probably still weeping at that bitch’s bedside—”

A sudden, blinding flood of light cut through the mountain darkness.

High-powered tactical lanterns flickered to life simultaneously from the surrounding treeline, illuminating the ravine in a stark, artificial glare. Cassius recoiled, throwing an arm over his eyes as heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed through the mud.

“Finish that thought, Cassius,” a voice rumbled through the quiet woods.

The Beta’s heart dropped into his stomach. As his vision adjusted, the blood drained entirely from his face.

Standing at the mouth of the ravine was Alpha Asher Frost, flanked by Liam, Curtus, and a dozen elite Frostwell warriors armed with silver-tipped pikes. Asher hadn’t even bothered to shift; his tall frame radiated a crushing, absolute Alpha aura that pinned Cassius and Cindy to the spot. His golden eyes burned through the dark like twin stars, devoid of a single shred of mercy.

Cindy shrieked, shrinking back behind Cassius as the circle of warriors tightened around them with lethal precision.

“How...” Cassius stuttered, his slick composure shattering into raw, naked panic. He backed away until his shoulders hit the cold stone of the tunnel, his jaw working uselessly as he looked from Liam to Curtus. “Asher, listen to me—I was bringing her out here to execute her myself! I was luring her away from the pack house to—”

“Save your breath, traitor,” Liam sneered, drawing his broadsword with a sharp clang. “Curtus heard every sweet word you whispered to your mate in the dungeon.”

Asher took a slow, deliberate step forward, the sheer force of his presence forcing Cassius down onto his knees in the cold mud. “You plotted against your pack, you conspired with rogues, and you handed my mate over to be broken,” Asher whispered, his voice vibrating with a terrifying, apocalyptic rage. “Your execution won’t be behind closed doors, Cassius. You will answer for high treason before the entire pack at dawn.”

“Secure them,” Asher growled, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that echoed across the damp ravine.

Before Cassius could even attempt to shift, four elite warriors lunged forward. Heavy, cold-forged silver chains snapped around the Beta’s wrists and neck, the burning metal searing his flesh and instantly suffocating his wolf. Cassius let out a strangled roar of pain, collapsing face-first into the freezing mud as the silver choked off his strength.

Beside him, Cindy screeched in hysterical terror, kicking frantically as two guards seized her arms and slammed heavy silver cuffs onto her wrists. Her manic screaming echoed through the dark pine forest, but not a single warrior offered a shred of mercy.

“Take them to the lowermost cells,” Liam commanded, stepping up with his blade still drawn. “Maximum security. Double the guard, bind them to the stone rings, and if either of them utters a single word, quiet them.”

The guards dragged the traitors to their feet, hauling them backward through the muddy ravine toward the heavy security transport. Cassius’s arrogant facade was entirely gone, replaced by the hollow, dead-eyed stare of a condemned man, while Cindy sobbed uncontrollably, her feet dragging in the dirt as she was paraded past the grim-faced elite forces.

“I’ll prepare the high courtyard for dawn,” Curtus said, turning to Asher with a sharp, respectful nod. “The Elders are already being summoned. Every member of the pack will witness their judgment.”

Asher nodded once, his golden wolf eyes slowly fading back to their striking, icy blue. Now that the immediate threat was neutralized, the fierce, possessive pull in his chest tugged him relentlessly in only one direction.

Leaving Liam and Curtus to lock down the subterranean dungeons, Asher turned and rushed back toward the pack hospital.

When he pushed open the quiet recovery room door, the sterile air instantly felt warm again. Lydia lay small and pale against the white sheets, her steady, even breaths signalling that the silver toxicity was continuing to drain from her blood. Asher stepped softly to her side, sliding back into the chair and taking her delicate, bruised hand back into his broad palm.

The moment their skin reconnected, tiny golden sparks danced over her knuckles, bringing a faint, peaceful sigh to her lips. Asher leaned over, resting his forehead against the edge of the mattress, his eyes closing as he squeezed her hand.

“They’re done, little one,” he whispered softly into the quiet room, his thumb gently smoothing over her knuckles. “They will never lay a hand on you again.”