LOGINMaddie’s povMy hands were shaking as I stuffed the phone back into my pocket. *Get out. Find a way out.* Jax’s voice was still ringing in my ears, but the cold weight of the room felt like it was closing in on me. I looked toward the laundry chute he’d mentioned—it was just outside in the hallway, maybe twenty feet from the door. If I could just time it. If I could pretend to be sick, or maybe—The heavy clack of the electronic lock disengaging stopped my heart. I scrambled back, my heels catching on the rug. The door swung open, and two of the Elders' personal guards stood there, their faces like carved stone."Step out, Madeline," the one on the left commanded. "Now.""What’s going on?" I asked, my voice high and brittle. "I was told to stay here for my own safety. Where is Jax? Where is Dare?""Silence. You are requested by the Council." They didn't wait for my consent. Before I could even think of a way to slip past them, they each grabbed one of my arms. Their grip was like i
Jax’s povThe static in my ear sounded like a death rattle before Dare’s voice cut through, cold and jagged. "Jax, change of plans. Kael is dead. Someone just poisoned a member of the Council right under my nose."My heart did a violent roll in my chest. I gripped the edge of the tactical table so hard the metal groaned. "Dead? Dare, confirm—is he definitely gone?""Eyes open, skin purple, smells like a chemistry set exploded," Dare snapped back, his breathing heavy. "He’s gone. The game just changed, Jax. They’re weeding each other out.""Shit," I hissed, looking up at Rook, who had gone pale. "Rook, you heard that? Kael’s a corpse." I turned my focus back to the comms, my mind racing at a hundred miles per hour. The timeline was gone. The forty-eight hours we’d discussed were a fantasy now. "Dare, listen to me. We’re done waiting. This whole place is going to turn into a meat grinder the second they find that body. I want you to go straight to Maddie. Right now. Do not pass go, do n
Jax’s povThe static in my ear sounded like a death rattle before Dare’s voice cut through, cold and jagged. "Jax, change of plans. Kael is dead. Someone just poisoned a member of the Council right under my nose."My heart did a violent roll in my chest. I gripped the edge of the tactical table so hard the metal groaned. "Dead? Dare, confirm—is he definitely gone?""Eyes open, skin purple, smells like a chemistry set exploded," Dare snapped back, his breathing heavy. "He’s gone. The game just changed, Jax. They’re weeding each other out.""Shit," I hissed, looking up at Rook, who had gone pale. "Rook, you heard that? Kael’s a corpse." I turned my focus back to the comms, my mind racing at a hundred miles per hour. The timeline was gone. The forty-eight hours we’d discussed were a fantasy now. "Dare, listen to me. We’re done waiting. This whole place is going to turn into a meat grinder the second they find that body. I want you to go straight to Maddie. Right now. Do not pass go, do n
Dare’s povThe earpiece crackled with the sound of Jax’s voice, filtered through the static of the pack’s secure line. I leaned back against the rough brick of the alleyway, my eyes fixed on the monolithic silhouette of the Council building. The gargoyles on the roof looked like they were mocking me."I’m hearing everything on this end, Jax," I whispered into the mic clipped to my tactical vest. "The truth serum worked better than we hoped. Vane is singing like a damn canary. But he’s small fry. I’m staying put right here. If the Council tries to move Maddie or if any of those old fossils decide to make a run for it, I’ll be the last thing they see.""Patience, Dare," Silas’s voice broke through. "We need the Elders to feel secure for a few more hours. Don't go cowboy on us.""I'm not going cowboy," I snapped, my grip tightening on the hilt of my combat knife. "I’m staking the place out. If an anomaly happens—if even one of those bastards sneezes in a way I don't like—I'm going in."A
Jax’s POV The static on the comms line finally cut out, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence in the makeshift command center. I stared at the radio, my knuckles white as I gripped the edge of the table. Every instinct I had as an Alpha screamed at me to tear across the border and rip those Elders’ throats out."Did she just say 'vessels'?" Silas’s voice was strained, his face pale under the flickering fluorescent light of the garage. "Tell me I misheard that. Tell me these holy men aren't running a fucking human trafficking ring under the guise of the Goddess."Rook paced the length of the room, his biker leathers creaking with every agitated movement. "It’s worse than that, Silas. It’s a farm. They’re using the women to fuel their own longevity. No wonder they’ve been backing the Shadow Creek pack against us. We’re too loud, too disruptive. We ask too many questions about why our females go missing during the 'blessings.'""I can't believe this," Silas muttered, slamming a fist into
Maddie’s POV The palm was ice-cold against my skin, smelling of lye and old stone. My heart jackhammered against my ribs, a frantic, trapped bird, and I began to thrash. I slammed my elbow back, trying to catch my captor in the gut, but they were quicker. They shifted, their grip tightening as they hauled me away from the double doors and the sickening sight of the Elders."Stop it," a voice hissed into my ear. It wasn’t a man’s voice. It was soft, feminine, and laced with a desperate kind of terror. I didn't stop. I bit down hard on the hand over my mouth. The person let out a muffled gasp but didn't let go, instead using their weight to pin me into a dark alcove. I managed to twist my head, wrenching my jaw free from their fingers."Get off me!" I wheezed, ready to scream, ready to bring the whole temple down on us if it meant getting away from these monsters."Shhh! Maddie, please!"I froze. I turned my head fully and saw her. She was dressed in the same stark, white uniform as t
Madeleine's POV The walls of this place felt like they were shrinking, inch by inch, every time I took a breath. I spent the morning counting exits. Kitchen door, back mudroom, the heavy reinforced front entrance—three ways out, all of them locked. My pulse hummed in my throat, a rhythmic, frantic
Madeleine's POV The second time I woke, it wasn’t to the damp chill of the forest floor, nor the metallic tang of my own blood. This time, a warm, savory scent filled my nostrils – something cooked, something real. My stomach grumbled, a deep, hollow ache reminding me of the cold, scavenged scraps
“Are you finally awake?”The voice came before my eyes even fully opened, but I did not answer immediately because my mind was still negotiating with the fact that I was lying on something that felt like real comfort, something that did not resemble the ground, the road, or the endless strain of ru
Madeleine POVThe wind kept tearing at my face, flinging grit and dust against my skin until my cheeks burned raw. Every gust felt intentional, like the night itself was trying to keep me awake, trying to make sure I did not escape into darkness. I did not fight it. I refused to close my eyes. If I







