Chapter 86
The medical facility was raily quiet in the hours following Nadia’s death. Pack members had retreated on their homes in stunned lenor, the collective r palpable through our pack bonds.
Venas and 1 remained, tasked with the sacred duty of preparing Nadia lindy for her final farewell,
De Chen had left us with everything we needed soft cloths, warm water infused with lavender and sage, and clean garments laid out with care precision
The ceremonial washing of a fallen pack member was traditionally performed by those closest to the derned. Despite my relatively recent arrival do Oasisborn, Venus had insisted I join fun in this ritual.
“She chose you.” Venus had said simply when I questioned my place in this intimate task. “She wouldn’t want anyone else.”
Now we stood on either side of the examination table where Nadia’s body lay, her expression peaceful despite everything she had endured. Death had softened her features, erasing the fierce determination that had animated them in life. She looked younger somehow, more vulnerable.
We worked in respectful silence, my hands trembling slightly as I dipped a cloth into the fragrant water. Venus moved with the practiced efficiency of someone who had performed this duty before, her single arm somehow accomplishing the work of two as she gently shifted Nadia’s position.
As we removed the hospital gown, the full extent of what Nadia had suffered began to reveal itself. Bruises in various stages of healing covered her to evidence of systematic beatings rather than a single violent episode, Some wounds had begun to heal with her werewolf abilities, while others remained angry and now.
“They kept injecting her with suppressants, Venus murmured, her voice tight with controlled rage. “To p
prevent her healing. To prolong her suffering.”
My throat constricted as I gently washed Nadia’s arm, revealing five distinct puncture marks where needles had repeatedly pierced her skin. This wasn’t just about extracting information or punishing a captive–this was calculated cruelty designed to inflict maximum pain.
1–some drep
When we turned her onto her side to wash her back, Vena’s sharp intake of breath made me look up. Nadia’s back was a web of lacerations- enough to expose muscle tissur, others more superficial but no less brutal in their intent.
“Wolfsbane–laced whip.” Venus grosced, her eyes flashing with barely contained fury. They wanted to make sure
ke sure she felt every stroke.
My hands shook harder as we continued our somber task, each new discovery fueling a rage that threatened to consume me. There were burn marks on her shoulders, precisely placed to cause intense pain without fatal damage. Several fingers had been broken and left to heal improperly, then broken again torture technique designed to break the spirit as much as the body.
When Venus gently adjusted Nadia’s lower body to clean her legs, we both froue at what we discovered. The insides of her thighs bore similar marks of violence, and unmistakable signs of a more intimate violation.
“These fucking monsters! Venus exploded, her careful composure finally shattering. The basin of water crashed to the floor as she slammed her the wall “Did they She couldn’t finish the question, her face contorted with helpless rage
I didn’t answer immediately, couldn’t speak through the bile rising in my throat. I thought of Kane’s smug expression during our negotiation, how he’d taunted Adrian while Nadia remained chained in that dungeon. I remembered his words to me during my own brief captivity, the predatory gleam in his eyes as he’d outlined what would happen if we didn’t comply with his demands.
“I think they did everything they could to break her, “I finally whispered, team streaming unchecked down my face. “Everything they knew would hurt the
Venus pressed her hand against her mouth, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. “Oh, Nadia,” she whispered through her fingen. “No wonder you didn I want us to see.”
The realization hit me with devastating clarity. Nadia’s final request–her plea that we not seek revenge–suddenly made perfect sense.
She had known what we would discover when we prepared her body. She had understood that seeing the evidence of her torture would ignite a rage so consuming, so absolute, that it might lead to the destruction of everything Adrian had built
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Chapter 861
“She was trying to protect us, even at the end,” I said, wiping my teart with the back of my hand. “The Inaw what we do if we can thực
Venus straightened, her grief hardening into something darker, more dangeroin, And she was right,” she said, her voice cold with deadly The going to kill every last one of them myself.
We completed our task in sileher, washing away the blood and grime that had accumulated during Nadia’s captivity. Despite the evidence of bility, her expression remained serene, almost as if she had found peace in her final moments,
For her final garments, we bypassed the traditional white dress used for female warriors who had fallen.
Instead, Venus retrieved Nadia’s training unifom the practical, fitted combat gear she had worn almost daily. Black pants, reinforced at the knee a gre compression shit emblazoned with the Oasisborn emblem; and her Beta x jacket, with silver insignia on the collar denoting her tank.
“A warrior to the end,” Vesired an we dressed ber, smoothing the fabric with gentle hands. Just as she would have wanted.”
“We can’t let this stand, I said, my voice steadier than I expected. “We just let them get away with this.”
Venus met my gaze across Nadia’s body, something fierce and primitive burning in her eyer. “We won’t,” she promised. ‘Adrian needs to know everythin
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