Lilian’s POV
The damp room echoed with the slow scrape of boots against concrete.
The scar-faced man stopped in front of the cages,twirling the dagger lazily between his fingers,as if this were nothing more than a game played to pass the time.His wolf aura pressed down heavily,thick with cruelty and bloodlust.
“Alpha Herbert,”he drawled,tilting his head.“It’s time to choose again.Who should we pick this time?”
Brian stiffened.
His eyes flicked toward Adeline instinctively.
She was pale,trembling in the iron cage across from mine,her fingers gripping the bars as if they were her last lifeline.When she looked at him,her eyes shone with desperate hope,glossy with unshed tears.Her wolf cowered,weak and pitiful,deliberately exposed.
“I choose Adeline!”Brian shouted without hesitation.
His voice rang through the room,sharp and resolute.
The answer landed like a blade to my chest.
The scar-faced man chuckled,clearly entertained.He unlocked one of the cages—but not hers.Instead,rough hands seized me and shoved me deeper into the other cage.The iron door slammed shut with a deafening clang,sealing me inside a narrow,suffocating space.
The darkness closed in instantly.
Cold metal pressed against my back,my knees drawn tightly to my chest as my breathing turned shallow and uneven.My wolf whimpered inside me,panic surging as the cramped space triggered the familiar terror clawing up my throat.
I curled into the corner,my entire body trembling.
“Brian…”My voice broke as I whispered his name,barely louder than a breath.
But outside,he didn’t hear me.
All I could hear was Adeline’s sobbing,her soft cries filling the room as Brian murmured reassurances to her.His tone was gentle,soothing,nothing like the cold command he had used on me.
Time stretched.
Only after what felt like an eternity did he finally remember I existed.
“Name your price,”Brian said impatiently,his voice hardening.“Don’t hurt Lilian again.”
The scar-faced man burst out laughing.
“One hundred million,”he said cheerfully.“That’s enough to buy one life.So,Alpha Herbert—who do you want to save?”
The question lingered for less than a second.
“Redeem Adeline,”Brian replied sharply.“Don’t touch her.”
He almost barked the words,as if afraid even a moment’s delay might harm her.
I leaned weakly against the cold bars as Adeline’s cage was unlocked.The ropes fell away from her wrists,and she collapsed forward dramatically.Brian rushed to catch her,pulling her into his arms as though she were made of glass.
She clung to him,sobbing into his chest.
I was too exhausted even to laugh.
Brian lifted her carefully,then finally looked toward me.His expression was complicated,a mixture of guilt and obligation,as if he were granting me some kind of mercy.
“Lilian,”he said stiffly.“Your sister is fragile.I’ll take her first.Wait here.I’ll transfer the money and come back for you.”
Wait here.
As if this place weren’t already a grave.
He didn’t wait for my response.Without another glance,he carried Adeline out of the room,her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
The sound of their footsteps faded.
The scar-faced man squatted in front of my cage and kicked my leg lightly through the bars,like testing a trapped animal.
“Your mate is really devoted to her,”he sneered.“Guess blood doesn’t mean much to him.”
My chest burned as I coughed,the metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth.I wiped it away with the back of my hand and forced myself to sit straighter,meeting his gaze without flinching.
“How much,”I asked calmly,“would it cost to save my life?”
The man paused.
“I’ll pay double whatever she offered,”I continued evenly.“Name your price.”
His eyes gleamed.
For a moment,the pretense dropped.The act was no longer worth maintaining.
“Your sister wants you dead,”he admitted bluntly.“But we don’t care about that.We care about money.”
I already knew.
My hands trembled as I pulled out my cracked phone.The screen flickered,but it still worked.I dialed a number from memory and spoke quietly,every word steady despite the chaos raging inside me.
“Transfer two hundred million.Now.”
Minutes later,the kidnappers checked their accounts.Satisfied,they unlocked the cage and cut the restraints from my wrists.
I walked out without looking back.
Outside,night air filled my lungs,sharp and cold,grounding me.I hailed the first taxi I saw and gave the airport address without hesitation.
I didn’t stop shaking until I reached the terminal.
Right before boarding,my phone buzzed.
One billion appeared in my account.
A message followed.
[Brian was fooled.Two days from now,their stocks will crash.All critical technologies will be severed.]
I stared at the screen for a long moment.
Then,slowly,a faint smile curved my lips.
Under the cold glow of the terminal lights,my wolf finally lifted her head.
My revenge had officially begun.
