Chapter 0060

We need a strategy. First, we'll return to the packhouse and regroup. We've taken prisoners—they might have valuable intel.

I slip into my van, changing into fresh clothes. By the time I reach Blackthorn territory, they're dragging Adrian Grey inside.

Adrian

I'm furious with myself for getting caught. I should've seen the ambush coming.

When Evelyn—or rather, Selene—appears, I'm stunned by her wolf form's sheer size. In the training woods, I hadn't noticed. Now, she's unmistakably Alpha-tier. Her rich mahogany fur matches Evelyn's chestnut hair perfectly.

She scans the rogue wolves encircling her with lethal precision. My chest swells with pride when she tears into one who dares approach too close. Magnificent doesn't begin to cover it.

The rogue leader snarls when she kills his wolf, but his anger evaporates the second she shifts back. Naked. Exposed to their hungry stares. A vicious growl rips from my throat at their leering.

Small mercies—the bastard tosses her a shirt. Her nose wrinkles at the stench. Typical rogue filth.

Then comes the wolfsbane. My blood runs cold—until it becomes clear it doesn't affect her. Her rage is glorious. But when her aura erupts? Nothing in my Alpha experience compares. Other Alphas' auras roll off me. This? This was submission. Whether from Theron's unconscious state or her raw power, I can't tell. The other wolves whimper like pups. That's my mate. Absolute perfection.

The knife at my throat means nothing. If only one of us walks away, it must be her. She retracts her aura when he threatens me, then names him—Victor Blackwood. The Banished Beta. The name rings bells, but the memory slips through my fingers.

She's masterful at provoking him. And she's right—he reeks of rogue, not Alpha. Without Theron, I can't scent anything beyond the stench.

When he declares my part in this over, I brace for death. Having witnessed Evelyn's skills, I know she'll survive. The grief hits—she'll never realize we were mates. Maybe she and Sebastian will find happiness, though the thought churns my stomach.

Then he proposes the trade. Me for her. I have to try commanding her to stand down, knowing full well she'll refuse. I know the Sinclairs. Their legacy of sacrifice. They'd die for those they protect. And I can't—won't—live with her blood on my hands.

I've always respected the Sinclair family's sacrifice for mine. Now I understand my parents' haunted eyes. The crushing weight of owing someone your life? I'm not strong enough to bear it. Living without her isn't living. Theron wouldn't survive it either. She might not recognize our bond yet, but we do. Now that I've found her? There will never be another.

Victor mocks my stupidity. I ignore him, locking eyes with Evelyn. Begging silently. Shaking my head. But her resolve hardens—she accepts his terms. My roar of protest dies as a needle pierces my neck. Darkness swallows me whole.