Chapter Sixty-one

Lucian’s POV “Vance,” I called out, my voice low and rough. My cane struck the ground once, steadying me. “Has the location been confirmed?” Vance stiffened somewhere to my right. I heard the shift in his boots, the slight catch in his breathing. “Yes, Alpha. Two rogues are in the old storehouse.” The three workers, the ones who had begged and pissed themselves while claiming they were “just cleaning the cells,” were already dead. The last one's body still swayed gently from the ceiling, like a broken puppet dripping slowly onto the stone floor. But before I ended him, he had talked. He had spilled everything in broken, sobbing words. The rogues who had kidnapped and sold Avery at the auction were operating from an old storehouse three miles west of the black river near the abandoned mill. He had given me names, routes, and even a rough description of the place. It sounded real. Detailed enough to chase. I had listened to every desperate syllable while the bond screamed in

Chapter Sixty-two

Lucian’s POV “Raith,” I repeated, the name tasting like ash and blood on my tongue. The rogue on the floor laughed, choking on his own blood. His severed arm still twitched a few feet away, fingers curling uselessly. The second one whimpered, cradling his shattered knee. “Where is Raith?” I asked, standing over the rogue whose arm now lay severed on the floor in a spreading pool of red. He tried crawling away from me, nails scraping desperately against the concrete. I heard the drag of his body, the panicked hitch in his breathing. I stepped forward and grabbed his leg, dragging him back face-first across the floor. There was a particular stink to men faced with the consequences of their actions. They reek of fear because they know they are going to die. “Where is Raith?” I asked again, my voice cold and devoid of emotion. I heard his breath hitch, the way his throat bobbed as he worked to swallow. “F-fuck you, Nightfall. You think Raith’s just going to hand her over?” I smi

Chapter Sixty-three

Avery’s POV. Yes, Moon Goddess. Let me die here. Now. I stared at my reflection, hardly recognizing the person staring back at me. Dark circles lined my eyes, and my hair fell over my face in tangled strands. I squeezed my eyes shut and ran a hand through my hair, trying to push the tangled mess away from my face. The movement sent fresh pain shooting through my ribs, but I sucked my lower lip between my teeth and forced myself to breathe through it. When was the last time I smiled? The day before Mia died. Then my life was ripped away from me. I didn't know if I was capable of smiling anymore. I forced the corners of my mouth upward. The woman in the mirror didn't smile back. Her eyes stayed hollow. The expression crumbled almost as soon as it formed. The anniversary of her death was only a few days away, and I was trapped here with a rapist bent on taking revenge for things I knew nothing about. No. I refused to die here. If I wanted to leave this place alive, I couldn't ke

Chapter Sixty-four

Avery’s POV Don't thank me yet, Avery. Seth's words lingered in my mind like smoke after a fire. What did he even mean by that? Crossing the room slowly, I pretended to look at my reflection again while my eyes searched the room instead. There. The small pair of scissors Seth had used a moment ago to trim the bandages still lay on the washstand. I stared at the scissors, my mind racing. Had he forgotten them? Or had he left them there? I glanced towards the door, listening for footsteps in the corridor before reaching for them. The cold metal disappeared into my palm. Whether it was a mistake or a message, it didn't matter. *** The sudden uproar ripped me from a deep sleep. I jolted awake in a cold sweat, disoriented and confused. Shouts echoed through the corridors outside my door, followed by the unmistakable pounding of heavy boots against the floorboards. My breathing quickened as my heart pounded against my ribs. Before I could even swing my legs over the edge of the

Chapter Sixty-five

Avery’s POV Lilith's fingers remained locked around my arm as she dragged me down the remaining steps. The deeper we descended, the more panicked everyone became. No one spared me a second glance. Every pair of eyes was fixed on the growing disaster beyond the walls. When we reached the passageway leading to the courtyard, I let my steps falter again, allowing my knees to buckle just enough that nearly all of my weight sagged against her. Lilith stumbled with a strangled curse, barely managing to keep us both upright. "For Goddess's sake," she hissed, yanking me forward so violently my shoulder nearly tore from its socket. "Walk!” I swallowed hard and deliberately let my feet drag across the uneven stone. "I'm trying," I whispered, my voice trembling convincingly. "Everything hurts.” The words had barely left my mouth before she spun around so abruptly that I nearly walked straight into her. "No!" she shrieked, her voice echoing violently through the corridor. "You're doing

Chapter Sixty-six

Avery’s POV I bucked beneath her with everything I had, twisting my hips hard enough to throw her balance off for the briefest second. The opening was enough. I lunged, my fingers finally closing around the handle of the scissors. Lilith saw the movement at the same time. "No!" She grabbed my wrist, but desperation made me faster. Her blood-soaked hand clamped around my wrist, fighting to wrench the scissors from my grasp before I could use them again. "Give them to me!" she screamed, her voice cracking with panic as we wrestled across the stone floor. I held on with everything I had. My fingers were slippery with both our blood, the handle threatening to slide free every time she twisted my wrist. Every muscle in my arm trembled beneath the strain, but I refused to let go. If she took the scissors from me now, I wouldn't survive the next few seconds. She slammed my wrist against the floor once. Twice. My fingers loosened despite every desperate effort to keep them closed.