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CHAPTER FOUR

Mireya’s POV

I was detained immediately after I got to the police station. No one cared enough to tell me the exact charges I was being locked up for. I even asked them to contact the company’s legal team, but they told me Corvin had instructed them not to bother with me.

Ava, my wolf, remained deathly quiet as I sat on the cold jail floor while the other detainees stared at me like I didn’t belong there.

And honestly, they were right.

I didn’t belong there. But how did I even end up here? Where had everything gone wrong?

“What could I possibly have done to Corvin?” I whispered under my breath, unable to wrap my head around it.

I had been good to him. Too good. I gave him everything I had, and if he had asked for my soul, I probably would have handed that over too. Yet this was how he repaid me.

“Corvin… how dare you?” I muttered, my lips quivering with anger.

Even while I sat there feeling betrayed and humiliated, a pathetic part of me still wanted to make excuses for him.

Maybe this was all some elaborate misunderstanding. Maybe Corvin was only trying to scare me. But I immediately shook the thought away.

There was no reason for him to go this far for some cruel joke. Corvin had never been playful or reckless.

My thoughts were interrupted when a police officer suddenly appeared outside the cell.

“Mireya Quinn, your bail has been granted.”

I immediately stood up from the cold floor in shock. I had no idea who could have come for me because I had already been told the company’s legal team refused to take my case.

For one stupid second, hope flickered inside me. Maybe Corvin had changed his mind after all. Maybe this truly had been one giant misunderstanding, but the tiny hope shattered the moment I stepped outside and saw the person waiting for me.

“Mr. Collins,” I called softly.

The older man, who looked to be in his early sixties, turned toward me immediately. His slightly wrinkled face was filled with worry as his eyes met mine, and shame instantly washed over me.

Mr. Collins had been my father’s old friend. They grew up together in the same pack, and when my father was alive, he served as the head of the company’s legal team.

Even after my father passed away, Mr. Collins stayed loyal to our family.

At least until Corvin took over the company.

I remembered how strongly he opposed my decision back then, warning me not to hand over so much power so easily.

But I ignored him because I believed Corvin could never hurt me. Looks like Mr. Collins had been right all along.

“Are you alright?” he asked gently.

The simple question almost pushed me into tears again, but I blinked rapidly and forced myself to stay composed. I couldn’t afford another breakdown.

“Yes,” I breathed weakly. “Thank you for coming for me.”

I started walking toward him but accidentally bumped into a drunk man being escorted by two officers.

“Such a pretty doll…” the man slurred lustfully as he grabbed my wrist roughly.

My wolf instantly growled inside me, and for a second, I wanted to tear his hand off.

“Leave me alone!” I snapped sharply.

The officers quickly dragged him away before the situation escalated further.

After Mr. Collins completed the necessary paperwork, I was finally released from the station, though the officers informed me that I would still have to return for further investigation.

I remained confused about the entire situation until Mr. Collins finally explained things to me outside the station.

“Corvin has been diverting company funds for a while now,” he said gravely. “But since he has been running the company in your stead, the responsibility falls on you.”

My heart dropped painfully. I had been so neglectful.

So blindly trusting. And Corvin had used that trust to destroy me completely.

“I don’t know what exactly you’re going through,” Mr. Collins continued carefully, “but your father... Beta Quinn... would turn in his grave if he found out about all this.”

That finally broke me. The tears I had been desperately holding back rolled freely down my cheeks. I had failed my parents. Failed my father’s legacy. And worst of all, I handed the weapon to the man who ruined everything.

After declining Mr. Collins’ offer to take me home, I walked out of the station alone.

At that moment, the only thing on my mind was confronting Corvin.

He had hurt me in the worst possible way, but I wasn’t going to sit quietly and let him take everything from me.

My thoughts were interrupted when a black car suddenly parked beside me.

The driver rolled down the window. “Get in, ma’am,” he said politely.

I frowned immediately. “Who are you?”

“Mr. Blackwood sent me to pick you up.” Something instantly felt wrong.

Even Ava stirred uneasily inside me, warning me not to trust the situation. But I ignored the feeling. I needed answers from Corvin. I needed to confront him face to face.

So despite my instincts screaming at me, I entered the car. The moment I settled into the seat, darkness swallowed me whole. The next thing I heard was the sharp splash of cold water hitting my face.

“Are you finally awake?” My eyes snapped open instantly.

Fear gripped me immediately as I looked around frantically. I was no longer in the city. I was on a deserted mountain surrounded by darkness.

Cold silver chains wrapped tightly around my neck and ankles, suppressing my wolf completely.

Ava whimpered painfully inside me. And standing directly before me were Serena and Corvin. My breathing stopped.

They had kidnapped me.

“What have you done?” I whispered in horror as I stared at the silver chains digging painfully into my skin.

Tears filled my eyes immediately because I could feel Ava weakening from the silver’s effect. How could they do this to me?

“What we should have done a long time ago,” Serena replied coldly while rubbing her swollen stomach. “Keeping you around was becoming exhausting.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t bother asking questions,” Corvin said casually. “You won’t need those answers for long anyway.”

For the first time since this nightmare began, real fear settled inside me.

Before now, part of me still believed his cruelty was temporary anger or impulsive betrayal.

But now I could see the truth clearly. This wasn’t sudden. This wasn’t accidental. They genuinely wanted me gone. But when had all this started?

How long had they been planning this behind my back?

“Corvin…” My voice shook badly. “Do you really want to do this?”

I desperately searched his face, hoping to find even the smallest trace of the man I once loved.

What about our memories together? What about the years we spent building a life together? Did all of that truly mean nothing to him?

“Don’t you think I’ve already come too far to care anymore?” he rasped.

His eyes looked almost crazed. Dangerous.

“I’ll forgive you,” I whispered quickly, hoping the words would reach whatever humanity he had left.

But instead, Corvin burst into laughter. The sound sent chills down my spine.

“Forgive me?” he mocked. “I don’t think you understand the situation you’re in, Mireya.”

He suddenly crouched in front of me and grabbed my chin roughly

.

Pain shot through my face as his claws dug slightly into my skin. Because of the silver chains weakening Ava, I couldn’t even suppress the pain properly.

“To completely take over your company, I need you gone,” he whispered darkly. “You cannot stay alive.”

Fear tightened violently around my chest.

“If only you knew how long I’ve waited for this day,” he added, his voice almost trembling with excitement.

At that moment, Corvin no longer looked like the man I married. He looked like a devil. A bloodthirsty monster wearing my husband’s face.

“Do you want to play a game?” Serena suddenly asked sweetly as she pulled Corvin away from me.

That was when I sensed unfamiliar presences approaching us.

Rogues.

My body stiffened immediately as several rogues stepped out from the shadows. Panic flooded through me instantly.

They looked strangely familiar, though I couldn’t remember where I had seen them before.

Then realization struck me. They had been following me for weeks. I had noticed suspicious figures around me before but ignored them completely.

“What stupid game?” I snapped shakily.

Serena smiled.

“It’s a survival game,” she said calmly. “You just have to save yourself from these people.”

I froze completely.

A survival game?