?Chapter 313:

The words sting more than I want to admit. Isabelle was family once. Not by blood, but by bond. We grew up together, fought together, mourned losses together. And now? Now she’s nothing but poison in human form.

“You don’t scare me, Ryder,” she says, her voice dropping into something low and almost seductive. “You think you’re so big and bad, but you’re just a scared little boy ying Alpha. And you know what? I think I know what you’re afraid of.”

I cross my arms, my gaze steady even though my heart’s racing. “Enlighten me.”

She leans back against the wall, her chains clinking. “Aiden.”

The name is a sucker punch to the gut. My fists clench at my sides, nails digging into my palms. Isabelle’s grin sharpens, and I know she’s caught the flicker of pain that crossed my face.

“You still see him, don’t you?” she asks, her voice almost a whisper now, like she’s telling me a secret. “In your dreams. His cold, lifeless body. You can’t shake it, can you? The guilt, the fear. It’s eating you alive.”

Ace roars in my head, and I can barely hold him back. My vision’s tunneling, the edges blurring with rage and something else. Something darker.

“Shut up,” I bite out.

But Isabelle doesn’t. Of course, she doesn’t.

“He’s your biggest failure,” she continues, her voice cruel and sweet all at once. “Your twin. Your other half. And you let him die. Or did you—”

“I said shut the fuck up!”

The words rip from me, a snarl that echoes off the dungeon walls. Isabelle justughs again, the sound grating against my already-frayed nerves.

“You think you can run from it?” she taunts. “You think you can bury the truth under all that Alpha bullshit? Guess what, Ryder? Aiden’sing back.”

I freeze. The air leaves the room, my lungs refusing to work. “What?”

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Her smile is pure malice. “You heard me. He’s not dead.”

The world tilts, the floor threatening to drop out from under me. No. That’s not possible. I saw him. I felt him. Cold and lifeless. Dead.

“You’re lying,” I say, but my voice is weak, even to my own ears.

“Am I?” she counters, her eyes gleaming. “Maybe you should’ve paid closer attention. Maybe you should’ve asked the right questions. But no, you were too busy crying over your broken little heart.”

The words swirl around me, each one cutting deeper than thest. If Aiden’s not dead—if I didn’t fail him—then what the fuck does that mean? And if he’s alive… where the hell has he been?

Isabelle’s voice pulls me back, dripping with mockery. “Oh, poor Ryder. So many questions. So few answers. Maybe you’ll figure it out before it’s toote.”

Ace is wing to the surface, desperate to take control, to rip her apart. And for once, I don’t think I’ll stop him.

“You’d better pray I don’t find out you’re lying,” I growl, my voice low and deadly.

She smirks, leaning back as if she’s already won. “Or what? You’ll kill me? Please. Do it. Put me out of my misery.”

I take a step back, forcing myself to breathe. Killing her would be too easy. Too kind. And I’m not giving her the satisfaction of thinking she got under my skin.

Turning on my heel, I storm out of the dungeon, herughter following me like a curse. Aiden. Alive.

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