Chapter 175
Conacioninen came back to me like a slow tide, my mind struggling through layers of fog before I could piece together a single coherent thought. I tried to move beat my limba felt like they were filled with lead. Every mottle in my body protested against even the slightest motion.
Deus, Again.
The bitter aftertaste in my mouth confirmed it. Whoever had taken me had used both a sedative and wolf suppressants. The combination was brutally effective, leaving me helpless as a newborn pup.
| Blinked several times, trying to adjust to the dim lighting. The last thing I remembered was after days of tension. Now I was, where exactly?
rat the hot spring, the warm
the warm water soothing my
Looking down at myself, I realized someone had changed my clothes. The swimsuit I’d been wearing was gone, replaced by an oversized, threadbare men’s t- shirt that smelled of stale cigarettes and cheap detergent. The thought of unknown hands on my unconscious body made my skin crawl.
My mouth was sealed with duct tape, the adhesive pulling painfully at my skin. Both my wrists and ankles were bound with rough rope, secured to some kind of metal ring embedded in the wall behind me. When I tried to pull against my restraints, they seemed to tighten automatically, digging deeper into my
desh.
A burning sensation followed, far more intense than
regular rope burn should be. Wolfsbane. The ropes had been treated with it, making them doubly effective against my kind. Even if I had my full strength, the poison would weaken me significantly.
I forced myself to stop struggling. No sense in making the ropes tighter or allowing more wolfsbane to seep into my bloodstream. Instead, I focused on gathering information about my samroundings.
The air bete was noticeably warmer than it had been in the trial town. Wherever I was, wed traveled some distance. The room was small and completely windowless, with concrete walls and a single metal door. The only light came from a hare bulb hanging from the ceiling, casting long shadows across the
The smell hit me next. Mold and dampness. Old concrete. The musty scent of earth surrounding me on all sides.
Underground.
e kind of
was in some
of hasement or cellar,
Memories crashed over me like an iry wave. Being trapped underground with Nadia. The darkness. The uncertainty. The knowledge that no one might find us in time. My heart rate spiked, and 1 forced myself to take slow breaths through my nose.
Don’t panic. Think.
At least my captor had dressed me. That suggested they wanted me alive, at least for now. No signs of sexual assault either, which was one small mercy in this nightmare.
I needed to figure out who had taken me and why, Ma
Someone wants to kill Adrian
warning echoed in my mind.
Was this connected? Using me to get to him seemed like an obvious strategy. The final trial was approaching rapidly.
What better way to throw Adrian off his game than by kidnapping someone close to him?
But who would benefit most from Adriana Lailure? The other candidates all had motives.
Maxwell, Adrian’s uncle, had always feared his nephew might one day return to reclaim his birthright. Even though Adrian had shown no interest in the Stormbowl Pack, Maxwell’s paranoia might have driven him to extreme measures.
Rodrigo seemed like another possibility. He appeared to still harbor feelings for Lydia, and he certainly wouldnt want Adrian to win. The history between them could easily be motivation enough for such desperate measures.
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Chapter 175
there was Leon. The hostility between him and Adrian had become increasingly obvious. Leon had even tween to erase the Oasisbarn park’s name think die verwulf world, Bar would be really target me this way?
His wrogance and pride made such underhanded tactics seem beneath him. Unless he’d been drinking wolf liquor again and lost control of himselL
And what about Xavier? The Hollywood Alpha with his perfect smile and media training. His friendly demeanor could easily be façade hiding darker intrations. Those who seem the most harmless often conceal the most dangerous secrets.
I tried to shift my position to relieve the pressure on my shoulders. The ropes immediately tightened, sending fresh waves of burning pain up my arms. The wolfbane was working its way deeper into my system, making it harder to focus.
How long had I been here? Hours? Days? Without windows or any external cues, time became impossible to measure. My throat was parched, suggesting it had been a while since I’d had water.
The sound of footsteps outside the door jerked me from my thoughts. Heavy boots against concrete, coming closer. Keys jangled, metal scraped against
I stiffened, forcing my face into a neutral expression. Whoever was coming through that door would not see fear from me. I was a woll, even without my shift. I would face whatever came next with the same resilience that had kept me alive this long.
The door swung open slowly, hinges protesting with a long, ominous creak.
A silhouette filled the doorway, backlit by brighter light from the hallway beyond, making it impossible to identify who stood before me.
“Hello, Skye,” the man greeted me from the doorway, his voice deep and resonant in the small concrete room.
Though I couldn’t make out his features clearly, something about his posture and the way he carried himself suggested youth. The scent that reached me confirmed he was werewall, but I didn’t feel the crushing pressure that typically raduated from Alphas. This was someone of lower tank.
With a quick movement, he ripped the tape from my mouth. The sudden sting brought tears to my eyes, but I refused to make a sound.
“Who are you?” I demanded, my voice hoarse from duse.
Instead of answering, he tilted his head slightly. “Sleep well?” His tone was rather than captor and prisoner in a basement
Imost friendly, as if
we were acquaintances meeting at a coffee shop
Why did that voice sound familiar? I searched my memory, trying to place it among the countless woes Ed encountered inver the past few years.
The man stepped further into the room, the dim light gradually revealing more of him. “What’s wrong? Don’t remember me already?” There was amusement in his voice now, tinged with something darker
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter and cigarette. With a practiced flick, helit it, drawing deeply. For a brief moment, the flame illuminated
Recognition struck me like a physical bloss. That face. Those eyes. The memory clicked into place.
you?
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