Chapter 71
The door to the deepest cell creaks open, and I step inside. The air here is damp and chokes like smoke, thick with the stench of rot and old blood. Torches flicker on the jagged stone walls, casting dancing shadows that twist like demons. Iron chains hang from the ceiling, some stained with dried blood, others still slick from recent use. Screams have been swallowed here, too many to count. No one comes out the same from this place–not even
- me.
The coldness in my bones grows sharper as I walk toward the center of the cell. There he is–Khoas–tied to a rusted metal chair bolted into the ground. He’s no longer smirking. His head hangs low, his skin pale, sweat clinging to him like dew. He’s shaking. The effects of the broken mate bond are finally catching up with him, gnawing into his mind like worms in a carcass. Good.
I stop in front of him and tilt my head, a slow smile crawling onto my face.
“Welcome to hell, Khoas.”
His head jerks up. His eyes are bloodshot, filled with rage–and something else. Blame?
“This is all your fault,” he spits, his voice hoarse but venomous. “You gave men power over their mates. You made the law. You built this system. Don’t act like you’re innocent, Alpha. You made me–us–monsters.”
My jaw clenches.
He keeps going, trembling, but reckless. “You think if you get rid of me, this is over? There are worse men in the pack doing the same–worse to their mates, and you turned a blind eye. You only cared when it happened to your sister. It took her pain for you to finally see the truth.”
I stare at him.
His words hit deeper than I want to admit. The truth, as bitter and sharp as any blade. If I hadn’t created that damn law… if I hadn’t granted that power… Jasmine wouldn’t have suffered. Wouldn’t have chosen death over being his mate. It was me. I handed the knife that slit her soul.
Rage burns behind my eyes.
I grab the metal bucket of acid from the metal table nearby. His eyes widen with recognition, and before he can speak, splash–the acid hits his face.
His scream tears through the stone walls. It’s raw. Animalistic. His skin blisters and peels as he thrashes, trying to wrench free from the chair, but there’s no escaping.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, ALPHA?!” he shrieks, sobbing uncontrollably. “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! PLEASE, SPARE ME! I SWEAR I’LL DISAPPEAR -I’LL GO FAR AWAY–YOU’LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN!”
I chuckle. But there’s no humor in it–just pure, unfiltered rage.
“I’m your Alpha, Khoas. And you, as my Beta, should have known how much I loved my sister. That alone should have made you too afraid to ever lay a hand on her.”
I crouch in front of him, close enough to watch his flesh bubble.
“Even if I gave males power over their mates, Jasmine should have been the exception. But you beat her. Humiliated her. Tormented her. And now you think disappearing will make up for that?”
My voice lowers to a menacing snarl as rise to my feet. “But that’s not why I’m here, Khoas. Your punishment for her will come later. Like they say… save the best for last.”
He whimpers, his breathing uneven and desperate.
“For now, you better talk, Where is my mate? I know you were the last one seen with her. Her scent was in your house earlier.”
Khoas’s swollen lips tremble. “I… I haven’t seen her–I swear–I don’t-”
Wrong answer.
1 pick up a serrated blade from the rack and let the metal gleam under the firelight. It’s sharp enough to tear flesh from bone. Khoas sees it, and his terror spikes, eyes bulging.
“WAIT! OKAY—OKAY!” he cries. “She was in my house—but she left! She couldn’t hurt me because of the mate bond with Jasmine, I swear!”
Liar.
Before I respond, Fury’s voice cuts through the mind, mind–linking me with grim urgency.
“Alpha, I sent two of our best trackers to trace Khoas’s movements in the last eight hours. Just got the report. He was last seen leaving the territory in a carriage. But here’s the thing–the carriage only had his scent. No trace of the Luna.”
“What…?”
“Which means one of two things: either she wasn’t with him, or he masked her scent. He’s a trained beta–he knows how to cover his tracks.”
I grind my jaw, gripping the blade tighter. Fury… “Thank you. Stay with Jasmine. Don’t leave her side. You’re the only one I trust right now.”
“Of course, Alpha.”
The link cuts.
I stare at Khoas, confused but growing more furious by the second. Something’s not adding up. If he’s lying, I can’t afford to waste another moment. Kali might be in danger right now–every second matters.
Then, for the first time in what feels like forever, my wolf stirs. His voice is weak, broken, but clear.
“Khoas is lying,” he growls, voice frayed with pain. “I can sniff his nervousness… Cut his limb and get the truth out of him… before it’s too late… mate…
she’s…”
The last word is a whisper. A plea. My heart clenches.
I raise the blade, breathing sharp. “How dare you lie to me, Khoas? You were seen leaving pack territory in a carriage. Don’t even think about denying it because “I slam my boot into the leg of the chair, making him flinch violently, “-my mate’s body was in there, wasn’t it?”
Khoas stammers, mouth agape. “No, I–okay, I’ll talk–I’ll confess–JUST DON’T-!”
“Talk.” My voice is hollow. The blade kisses his shoulder.
“It’s true. I carried her out of the territory. In a carriage.”
“Then how the hell did you mask her scent?”
Khoas swallows. “I… I injected her. She didn’t see it coming.”
“What did you use?” I hiss, already fearing the answer
“Neruthium Veil,” he says quietly.
My blood turns to fire.
That sick bastard.
Neruthium Veil–one of the most dangerous poisons ever created. It erases scent completely. Even a mother wouldn’t recognise her child if they’d never seen them before. Worse, in large doses, it can sever the bond between soul and wolf. It’s only ever used during execution rituals.
“You injected that into her?!” I roar, slamming the blade through the armrest just inches from his ribs. “You bastard!”
“It was the only way to get her past the borders unnoticed! I had to get her to my master–I didn’t think–”
“Where is she?! And who the hell is your master?!”
Khoas shakes his head frantically, “I swear I don’t know! I’ve never seen him. I only) nothing! But…”
I grab his collar, yanking him forward. “Then who the hell did you hand her over to?!”
got instructions through letters. I don’t know his name–his face
“I don’t know! There was a man… wearing a mask. I couldn’t see his face either. But I heard something–just before I gave him the carriage.
“What did you hear?”
“A voice. Deep. Calm. It said… she was being taken to the Alpha King’s palace. To receive her judgement.”
My body stills. My ears ring.
“She’s probably already dead, Jack,” Khoas whispers. “By the time you get there… it’ll be too late.”
My hands shake.
No.
