bSkye’s /bPOV

I never thought I’d willingly action to Gravestone Pack territory. Yet here I was, seated beide Adnan in his Stivan

The fear that had consumed me during my pipe was g

bEvery /bbump in the road sent pain shooting through m will healing injuries, each twinge feeding the fury heilding Inside me.

My mind kept reying that moment in our prison cell – Nadia’s unwavering eyes at the look the poisoned coffee meant for me, her body convulsing on the wone took effectb. /b

1 promised I’de back for you, I thought fi

fiercely. I won’t let you down

Adrian’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel, his face mask of forcedposure. Though he maintained the illusion of surrender, his scent betrayed him–ocean spray tinged with the metallic ege of burely controlled violence.

The two bwarriors /bin the back seat remained silent, their tension filling the vehicle like a physical presence.

“Remember.” Adrian bsaid /bquietly as Kane’spound came into view, “this is just a dying tactic. Keep hi

him talking. Give Ryder’s team time to locate and extract Nadia:

“I know.“I nodded, adjusting the cor of my jacket to hide the worst of my bruises.

bGuards /bmet us at the gate–twice as many as I’d seen during my captivity,

They searched us thoroughly for weapons before escorting us binto /bthe main building.fndc22 The source of th?s content is Find?Novel/fndc22

Kane awaited us in what appeared to be a formal conference room. He sat at the head of a massive stone table, a self–satisfied smile ying acts his lips. Ten fully armed warriors lined the walls, their bhands /bresting on their weapons–a clear message that we were outmatched.

Adrian!” Kane rose, arms spread in mock wee. And the silver–haired escape artist herself. He turned to me, slow apuse punctuating his words. “Slipping away bfrom /bunder my very pose I truly underestimated youb./b”

My bhands /bcurled into fists, nails digging into my palms bas /bI fought to maintain myposure. The bruises on my body seemed to throb in time with my elerating heartbeat,

“We brought the surrender documents,” Adrian stated tly, cing ba /bleather folder on the table. “As agreed.”

Kane made no move to examine them. Instead, he circled the table slowly, predatory eyes never leaving us

“You know, I’m genuinely surprised. I expected more resistance from the great Alpha Adrian.” He paused behind my chair, his proximity making my skin crawl. Though I suppose even the noblest woll will bend when his Beta’s life is at stake.”

Adrian’s jaw clenched, but his voice remained steady. “The documents areprehensive. Full surrender of Oasisborn territory, resources, and infrastructure. Once signedb, /bbit’s /bbinding and inevocable ording to werewolfw.”

“So eager to proceed” Kane finally took the folder, leafing through the pages with deliberate slowness. “But as they say, the devil is in the details.

He pointed to a paragraph on the third page. “You’ve neglected to specify a timeline for evacuation. bHis /bbsmile /bwidened, ivealing too bsharp /bteeth. “Leta remedy that, shall we? I’m a generous host–11 give you three days to bvacate /bmy new property.”

“Three days?‘ Adrian’sposure cracked slightly. “That’s impossible. We need time to find bnew /bterritory, to relocate our pack members safely.”

Kane shrugged, utterly unconcerned. “Not my problem. Or did you n to continue squatting on mynd while you search for a new home?”

“Two weeks.” Adrian countered. The minum time needed to evacuate without endangering our most vulnerable members.”

b1/3 /b

“Three days, Kane repeated, voice hardening. Or your fete bes a permanent resident. He lined one of his warriors. bAdd /bthe three day GI the agreement,”

1 watched Adrian’s threat work bas /bbhe /bswallowed his pride. Each concession seemed to physically pain him, yet he nodded atfy.

“Fine. Three days. But we release Nadia now, as originally agreed.”

Kaneughed a sound like broken ss. ‘Such i neet Nadia will be released when pret pack has fully evacuated. Consider it insurance against way –

second thoughts,”

Adrian sorged to his feet, any bleeding through his carefully maintained facade. “That wasn’t our arrangement. You promised her release upon signing the Agreement.”

“Did 17” Kane’s eyes gleamed with malicious pleasure. “Thow careless of

“You pave your word,” I interjected, bunable /bto remain silent any longer.

“And I’m a man of my wordb,/bb” /bbKane /breplied smoothly. “Tell you what–Ill provide ba /bgood faith deposit.” He gestured to a warrior near the door. “Show

The man moved to a control panel on the wall, activating arge screen 1 hadn’t noticed before. The disy flickered to life, -the same dungeon where Nadia and I had been imprisoned.

ealing a dimly lit stone cell

My heart stopped.

bNadia /bwas chained to the wall, ber arms stretched above her bhead/b. A gag covered her mouth, but her eyes burned with defiant fury despite her obvious weakness. Blood and bruises covered every visible inch of her skin, yet she held herself with the dignity of a true Beta.

Adrian blunged /bacross the table, seiring Kane by the cor in one swift movement. “You promised she wouldn’t be harmed!”

Kane didn’t flinch, bhis /bbsmile /bnever wavering “Careful, Adrian, My warriors will treat your Beta exactly as you treat me.”

On

the screen, as if on cue, a hulking bwarrior /bgrabbed Nadia by her hair, mming her head against the stone wall with brutal force. Blood sttered against the gray stone bas /bshe slumped in her chains, momentarily stunned by the impact.

“STOP” I screamed, tears springing unbidden to my eyes. “Please, stog

Adrian released Kane immediately, his hands trembling bwith /bsuppressed rige. Our warriors shifted behind us, their eyes glowing red bas /bthey fought their wolves instinct to shift and attack.

straightened his cor with exaggerated care. “Much better. Now, shall we continue our civilized negotiation!”

Something inside me broke at that moment. The pain, rage, and humiliation crashed together in a losic wave. I’d been so proud of escaping, so determined to rescue Nadia–and here we were, still dancing to Kane’s tune, helpless to bstop /bhis cruelty.

On the screen, Nadia’s eyes bfound /bthe camerab. /bThough blood trickled down her face, her gaze remained unbroken, fierce and proud. Even now, she refused to surrender her dignity.

I met her eyes through the screen, a silent promise passing between us. Hold on. We’reing for you.

Kane returned to his seat, picking up a pen with theatrical bfair/b.

“Now, let’s finalize our agreement, shall we? bThree /bbdays /bto vacate, and your Beta remains my bguest /buntil the handover isplete.”

Adrian’s eyes met mine, a silent message passing between us. Time. We needed to buy more time for Ryder’s team to find Nadia.

“We need to docuss the details, Adrian said, pis voice steadying bas /bhe regained control. “faventory blists/b, water rights, boundary markers–”

“Of course,” Kane pumedb, /bsettling into his hair like a satisfied cat. “By all means, let’s be thorough. We have all day.”

As they began discussing technicalities, bI kept /bmy eyes fixed on the screen showing bNadia /b

23

Just hold on a little longer, Nadia, I thought firerly. We won’t leave without you.