Chapter 00005

The Discovery

Phil's POV:

The next punch landed with a sickening crunch, right to her sternum. I knew it shattered a few bones—the kind of punch that knocked most wolves out cold.

This time was no different. Her body sagged even further in the chains, unconscious again.

The room reeked of old blood, sweat, and death. That scent always triggered something primal in me. The reinforced steel walls were soundproof and cold.

They kept everything inside. No screams, and more importantly no secrets ever left the Black Diamond pack’s torture house.

A heavy towing chain hung from the ceiling, hooked into the manacles binding her wrists.

She dangled like a ragdoll, her blonde hair matted with dried blood, her face nearly beaten beyond recognition.

I could barely tell what she looked like before—Japanese, maybe, judging by the slivers of her accent I’d heard.

But it didn’t matter anymore. Not when she was the rogue assassin responsible for Bradd Justin’s death.

Two nights ago, her bite had been the deepest. I still remembered the blood on my hands, trying to save him, watching him bleed out while the rogues retreated into the darkness. This woman—Stella Quinn—had torn through our borders and left us bleeding.

The torture guy—Marcus—splashed a bucket of icy water onto her. She gasped back into consciousness, choking, writhing as much as the chains allowed.

Her wrists twisted in the cuffs, as her eyes locked onto Marcus like a predator eyeing a weaker animal.

“You hit like a girl,” She spat, grinning through broken lips. “Is that all you’ve got? My grandmother punches harder.”

Her voice was hoarse, but there was that fire again. Marcus clenched his jaw and wound back for another blow.

“Stop,” I ordered, stepping out of the shadows.

“You don’t want to kill her before we get what we need, do you?” I asked, striding over the bones and discarded husks littering the floor.

Marcus backed off, fists trembling. “Not quite, my Lord.”

I nodded. “What have we gotten out of her so far?”

“Nothing, Alpha. She won’t talk. Just jokes and insults.”

Of course. She was playing the long game. Brave, stupid, or both.

“I’ll take it from here. Leave us.”

Marcus hesitated, but when I turned my eyes on him, he bowed and exited without a word.

I pressed the eject button on the chain’s pulley. The metal hook released, and her body dropped.

She would’ve face-planted on the concrete if I hadn’t moved faster than gravity allowed. I caught her, cradling her weight with one arm, then lowered her into a sitting position against the cold wall.

She was shivering. Not from fear, but exhaustion. I grabbed a towel soaked in warm water and disinfectant, knelt beside her, and began cleaning the blood from her face.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, dabbing around the cuts. “They shouldn’t have made you suffer this much. This wasn’t entirely your fault.”

She winced, flinching from the sting of the solution. But I kept going. “You came prepared that night. Your pack used the element of surprise well. You held the upper hand for a moment, I’ll give you that.”

“If you think cleaning my wounds is going to make me talk, you’re dumber than you look,” She muttered, glaring at me through one swollen eye. “Save your pity. Go ahead. Hit me. Let’s see if the mighty Black Diamond Pack still has teeth.”

I smirked.

“Courage. Good. I’ll give you extra credit for that too,” I said, still working over her cheek with the towel. “But if I just wanted to rough you up, I wouldn’t waste my time with warm water and antiseptic.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Then what do you want?”

“I want a lot of things,” I said.

Her lips trembled. From pain or anticipation, I couldn’t tell. The cut on her lower lip oozed again as I wiped it.

“I want to see you free of this pain,” I added. I smiled gently, the kind of smile I used when lying through my teeth.

She knew I wasn’t being sincere. But she couldn’t read what was behind my calm words. I was a monster when I needed to be. But I was patient, too.

Let her think I cared. Let her relax just enough.

“What else?” She asked, voice quieter now.

“Since you asked,” I said, pausing to dip the towel back in the basin. “I want to know who ordered the hit. I want to know what Pack you came from. I want to know why you targeted Bradd Justin. And lastly…”

I met her eyes again.

“I want to know how you’d prefer to die.”

Her smirk faded.

That line always did the trick. She stiffened, and her eyes darted around, calculating escape—even though there was none.

Not from me.

“You’re going to kill me anyway,” She said.

“Eventually. But how much pain you endure before then is entirely up to you.”

She was beginning to lose control of her body.

The wolfsbane in the towel—Cheteroil Six—was working. It had absorbed through her open wounds. It was subtle at first, but now it was crawling through her bloodstream like fire under ice.

She blinked, and then her mouth opened slightly. “What… what have you done to me?” She gasped.

Her left leg twitched, then went limp. She looked down at it like it belonged to someone else.

“You feel that?” I asked. “The numbness? That’s Cheteroil Six. A slow killer. It starts with your nerves, then your muscles, then your organs. Eventually, it’ll reach your brain. But there’s still time. You can save yourself.”

“You bastard,” She hissed, voice full of panic now.

Her hands flexed in their restraints, but the strength was gone.

“I’m giving you a choice,” I said. “Talk, and I’ll grant you a quick death. Stay silent, and you’ll feel every cell in your body scream as it shuts down, one by one.”

Her breathing grew ragged.

“My leg… I can’t feel it,” She whispered. “What the hell is this?”

“Told you,” I said, leaning back against the wall. “Chetroil Six. Invented for wolves like you.”

Silence stretched between us. I watched her battle herself. She was tough. But even the strongest rogue broke when their body betrayed them.

Finally, she spoke. “The answer you seek…”

She paused, coughing.

“…it resides in the Southern Moon Block.”

I tilted my head. That was just a location. It was not enough, but it was something.

“That’s all you get,” She added, trying to sound defiant, but her voice cracked.

I stood slowly. “We’ll see. Thank you for your cooperation.”

As I turned to leave, her breathing was already shallow. I had more ways to draw the rest of the truth from her. But for now, I had enough to move forward.

Bradd Justin would be avenged.