I gasp in shock as cold water trickles down my face. My wrists are sore and my cheek throbs with a menacing ache. I glare over at Samuel, who inspects the cup that once had water in it. He tosses it to the ground and saunters over, reaching out and turning my face as he looks over my mangled face. "You broke your oath, Ali.” He tuts, pushing my face away, and steps back. He runs a hand through his graying blond hair and heaves a heavy sigh when I don’t respond. Then he moves to the cell door. peeking out to look for someone. “Serge. Bring it here.” The warrior from earlier walks in, looking rough. His nose has a white strip over it and both eyes are bruised. Though he is already healing, I take pleasure in knowing I did a thorough job. He scowls at me as he produces a brown wooden box, my box, and I freeze. The warrior named Serge smiles, knowing that it means something to me. Samuel takes it and reaches into his pocket

I hate the idea of waiting, and with Samuel as my new guardian for the day, it’s impossible to get a moment to see how plans are going. I can mind link my pack members, sure, but that’s not the same as being in the throes of planning it myself. Everyone has to go about their day as if nothing is out of the ordinary if we want to pull this off. Including me doing mundane Alpha work when my mate is being tortured. “I almost forgot,” Samuel says standing from the couch and striding over to my desk.  I lay my papers aside as I wait for him to continue. He reaches deep into his pocket and drags out a long silver chain. I swallow hard when I see the bloodstains on what I recognize as Ali’s necklace. The very necklace that kept her scent hidden from me. He swings it over and onto my desk, and it lands with a clunk right before my hand. I want to snatch it up and hold it close, but I’m not sure I can reach out without shaking hands. I glan

The guard’s body slumps to the floor with a wet thud. I step back to regain my composure, opening my eyes only to find a stunned Liam. Ali stirs, and I rush over to her, lifting her with ease. Without a word, I start down the hallway, Liam hot on my heels.  “Have to admit, I didn’t think you had it in ya.” Liam whistles. I ignore him and walk on until we hit the door leading outside. Liam heads out first, peeking around to ensure the coast is clear. I steal a glance down at Ali while we wait, and I regret it. Anger floods back over me and the desire to go make sure all the guards are dead makes its way to the forefront of my mind. Liam pops his head back in, breaking through my burning fury. “We are clear. Let’s move.” I nod, and as quickly as my leg will let me, I run across the opening with Ali. Sweat drips down my face from the pain and I’m grateful the guardian oath was broken. It would kill me knowing she was getting m

I know Samuel isn’t who I thought he was. He is clearly a seasoned manipulator and his soul is as black as they come. Yet, a part of me struggles to believe Uncle Corbin. I mean, this all happened because of him and his mate. But he didn’t pull the trigger. He didn’t deliver the sentence or beg for mercy for my father, which led to all of us being stripped of our wolves. No, those were all individual reactions to what had happened.  Taking a deep breath in, I look over at Corbin. I’m not sure what I’m hoping to find in his eyes. Perhaps I was looking for a trace of mistruths. Anything that would help lead me to believe that my hardships weren’t based on the lies of other men. That all my suffering and loss was actually about me doing something wrong instead of just being caught up in someone else’s misfires.  Instead, I saw the truth. Uncle Corbin had loved his mate, loved my parents and still loves me. He can’t make amends for the th

*Wade POV* I’m not accustomed to feeling like a prisoner in my home. Samuel continually banishes me to the confines of my packhouse. Not that it does much, I still walk around pack grounds, greeting my pack members. Even if he gets angry about it. I am not the type of person who cowers in a tower waiting for the bad guys to go away. Samuel, of course, isn’t happy about my resistance and begs me to respect his orders. Respect is a mutual thing and I can tell he thinks I am beneath him. He talks politely enough but his side remarks and whisperings with his men and then tries to act nonchalant when I call him out on it. I know Ali's escaping bothers him to no end. She bested him while being unconscious after all. That kind of blow does something to a man’s ego, especially a man whose ego is bigger than it should be. However, I think what worries him most is knowing she is out there and that she now knows he is no longer the good guy. Someone has discovered his true nature and it’s som