Chapter 153
Summer’s POV
No.
I knew–knew in my bones–that whatever she was about to say would shatter something I’d barely held together. My lips parted before I could stop myself.
“No,” I breathed, my voice barely audible. “Don’t.”
But she leaned in anyway, her words slicing through me like a blade.“Alexander knows. He’s always known the truth.”
My world stopped.
My eyes widened in shock. “You’re lying!”
“Am I?” She laughed coldly. “He falsified the reports, covered up traces of the poison, altered everything to make you believe it was Foster’s doing. Because he was afraid, Summer. Afraid that if you knew, you would never forgive yourself.”
The world tilted. My knees weakened, almost giving way beneath me.
“You’re lying… you’re lying…” I whispered, the denial weak on my lips while my mind reeled.
“Then why are you only hearing the truth now? Do you think anyone else had the courage to tell you?”
Suddenly, her guard tackled me to the ground, pinning me beneath his weight. The air rushed from my lungs as my back hit the forest floor. I tried to twist away, but their strength was overwhelming.
Natalia approached leisurely, twirling the second vial between her fingers. “Hold her mouth open,” she instructed coldly.
I thrashed violently, but the guard’s grip was iron. His fingers dug painfully into my jaw, forcing it open as Natalia knelt beside us.
“A toast,” she mocked, “to the Luna who never was.”
The liquid burned like fire as it hit my tongue, bitter and caustic. I gagged, tried to spit it out, but the
guard clamped my mouth shut, forcing me to swallow.
The effect was almost instantaneous. My wolf howled in agony, retreating deep within me as the poison spread through my system. My limbs grew heavy, my connection to my wolf dimming like a light being slowly extinguished. Worse yet, I felt our mate bond–my lifeline to Alexander–growing weaker, fading like a radio signal in a storm.
“Perfect,” Natalia smiled, nodding to her guard. “Get her in the car.”
Chapter 153
+15 BONUS
I was barely conscious as they dragged me through the underbrush, my body feeling foreign and disconnected. The wolf’s bane mixture was potent–more than just suppressing my wolf, it seemed to be weakening my entire body.
They shoved me into the back of a black SUV, the guard climbing in beside me while Natalia took the driver’s seat.
“Alpha Lucien will be pleased,” the guard commented, binding my wrists with zip ties.
“Of course. This territory will be under new management soon enough,” Natalia said, her voice brimming with satisfaction.
The SUV lurched forward, tires spinning on the dirt road as Natalia accelerated. I struggled to stay conscious, fighting the effects of the wolf’s bane with everything I had.
*Alexander,* I called through our bond, uncertain if he could even feel me through the poison’s effects. * Trap. Lucien Cross. Help.*
We’d traveled perhaps a mile when I heard it–the distinctive howl that I would recognize anywhere. Alexander. He was close, and he wasn’t alone.
Natalia cursed, slamming her foot on the accelerator. “They’re earlier than expected!”
Through the rear window, I glimpsed dark shapes moving through the trees–wolves, dozens of them, with one massive black wolf in the lead, his furious roar shaking the very air around us.
Hope surged through me, giving me strength to fight against the poison’s grip. I twisted my bound hands, working to loosen the zip ties.
“Faster!” the guard beside me shouted as Natalia swerved wildly around a curve, the SUV fishtailing on the loose gravel.
The pursuit was relentless. Alexander’s wolves emerged from the trees in coordinated formations, attempting to flank the vehicle. Two large gray wolves lunged at the rear tires, their powerful jaws snapping at the rubber.
Natalia jerked the wheel, sending the SUV into a skid that threw the wolves off. “Call for backup!” she screamed at her guard, who was already frantically speaking into a radio.
The massive black wolf–Alexander–was gaining on us, his powerful strides eating up the distance between us. Even through my poisoned haze, I could feel his rage, his desperation.
Natalia took another curve too fast, and the SUV briefly tilted onto two wheels before slamming back down. The impact sent pain shooting through my body.
“They’re closing in!” the guard shouted, his voice edged with panic.
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Chapter 153
+15 BONUS
Alexander’s wolf suddenly disappeared from view. Natalia’s triumphant smile was short–lived as the road ahead curved sharply, winding precariously close to the cliff edge that overlooked the river gorge
below.
And then, miraculously, Alexander appeared on the road before us, shifted back to human form, his powerful body blocking our path, eyes blazing with Alpha power.
“STOP THE CAR!” his voice boomed with Alpha command, the force of it so strong that even through the windshield, I felt it reverberate through my bones.
Natalia laughed maniacally. “I don’t submit to you, Alexander!” she screamed, pressing the accelerator
harder.
In that split second, I knew she meant to run him down. With a surge of desperate strength, I lunged forward between the front seats, grabbing the steering wheel with my bound hands.
“Summer!” Alexander’s voice–desperate, terrified–reached me through the chaos as I wrenched the wheel hard to the right.
The SUV swerved violently, tires losing traction on the loose gravel. Natalia fought me for control, her eyes wild with hatred.
“If I can’t have him, neither can you!” she shrieked, suddenly stomping on the accelerator instead of the
brake.
The guard shouted in panic as the SUV crashed through the guardrail, the front wheels momentarily suspended over the cliff edge.
Time seemed to slow as the vehicle teetered on the precipice. Through the windshield, I met Alexander’s horrified gaze–a moment of perfect connection before gravity claimed us.
“I love you,” I whispered through our bond as the SUV pitched forward into the abyss, plunging toward the rocky riverbed hundreds of feet below.
The last thing I heard was Alexander’s agonized roar, the sound of a mate watching his other half fall into darkness.
