Chapter 6
Hayley POV:
The Blood Pit smelled of old iron and fear.
"You're up, little meat," a scarred man grunted.
I was shoved into the arena. The crowd roared. High in the VIP box, Dean sat on a velvet throne, Karina on his lap.
The loudspeaker crackled. "Tonight's main event! The Alpha's reject versus... The Beast!"
A gate opened. A Feral-a wolf lost to madness-emerged, standing seven feet tall, foam dripping from its jaws.
I looked up at the glass box. Dean was leaning forward.
Three minutes, I heard through the dying bond. She won't last three minutes.
He looked... bored. Detached. Like he was watching a weather report, not his mate's execution.
The Feral charged.
I couldn't run. I stood my ground, letting my inner wolf take over. I opened my mouth and let out a high, piercing howl that shattered the air.
The Feral hesitated, confused by the power, but bloodlust won. Its paw swiped me.
I flew across the arena, ribs snapping. I hit the cage wall. Pain blinded me. The Feral was on me again, biting into my shoulder.
I looked up at the box. Dean was gripping the rail, his knuckles white. For a second, the fog in his eyes seemed to clear. He looked horrified. But Karina placed a hand on his neck, and the mask slammed back down.
The Feral raised a claw.
Suddenly, the arena lights died. Gunshots rang out. Pop. Pop. Pop.
Strong arms scooped me up. "I've got you," Brennen whispered. "Stay with me, White Wolf."
I coughed blood. "The phone... photos..."
"I have it."
"Tell Dean..." I wheezed, my vision fading. "Tell him I died."
Chapter 7
Dean POV:
The screen in the VIP box went black.
"What happened?" Karina complained. "I wanted to see her ripped apart."
I stared at the static. A sudden, sharp pain pierced my chest-like a violin string pulled until it snapped.
"Dean?" Karina touched my arm.
I flinched. Her touch felt wrong. The sweet scent that usually surrounded her was gone, replaced by something acrid. Sweat. And lies.
"We're leaving," I growled.
"But my winnings!"
"Now!" I roared. The Alpha Command slipped out.
We drove back to the penthouse in silence. A void opened up inside me, a black hole sucking in the air. I doubled over, gasping.
Hayley? I pushed the thought through the mind-link.
Silence. The silence of a disconnected line.
"Alpha!" Marcus burst in. "The Blood Pit... it's gone. Explosion. No survivors found yet."
"No," I whispered.
"She might have escaped," Karina said, leaning in the doorway. "Rats are good at running."
I looked at her. Really looked at her. Without the fog in my brain, she looked... plastic. Cruel.
"Shut up," I snarled.
I pulled up the traffic cams on my tablet. In the smoke, a large figure emerged carrying a small, limp body. Brennen.
Hayley wasn't moving. Her head hung at a sickening angle.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. The drug, the hex, whatever had been clouding my mind-it shattered the moment the bond severed.
"Get the car," I ordered Marcus.
"Where are we going?"
"To the ruins. I need to see it."
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