Chapter 78
Aria’s POV
The damaged rooftop crashed down with a deafening crack. Bricks and debris rained down like hellfire. I screamed, just before the black wolf’s tail swept me into a safer corner.
Smoke and dust swallowed the entire world. All I could hear was the thunder of falling stones, men shouting, and wolf snarling,
When the rumbling eventually stopped and the dust began to clear, I finally saw what was going on.
Blood pooled across the floor. Jonathan was lying in it, groaning in pain. His arm was twisted at a sickening angle, completely broken.
And Jace.
He had Delilah in a chokehold, using her as a human shield with a gun pressed against her forehead.
…That fucking bastard!
“Back the fuck off!” he screamed at the black wolf in front of him. “Take one more step and–and I swear I’ll fucking kill her!!!”
The black wolf bared its fangs and let out a snarl so deep it shook the walls. Even I felt my knees wobble.
Jace swallowed hard, his voice trembling. “You don’t want your sister to get hurt, do you?”
“Is your heart made of fucking stone?” I shouted, stumbling out of the corner, shaking with rage. “Delilah is your wife! And she’s carrying your
child!”
Jace let out a cruel, twisted laugh. “Too bad but I don’t give a shit about this spoiled bitch anymore. I’d offer her unborn bastard child to the
devil himself in exchange for a way out of here!”
Delilah closed her eyes, silent tears falling down her cheeks.
Then Jace stared at me and licked his lip. “The only woman I ever loved was you, Aria. Yet even you betrayed me. You let those rich men fuck the hell out of you just because they have the money-”
A deafening roar of anger drowned out his voice. The black wolf stepped in front of me protectively, shielding me with its enormous body.
“You don’t know what love is,” I said to him coldly. “And even if you did, your version of it makes me sick.”
Jace glared at me, pure hatred gleaming in his eyes.
Then he barked, “Back off! Stay where you are! Don’t even think about following us, or I’ll rip this bitch into pieces!”
The black wolf bristled, pacing anxiously. But didn’t move forward.
“LET’S MOVE!”
Jace kicked Jonathan. The man groaned and dragged himself upright.
Together, they started backing into the darkness outside of the house, dragging Delilah with them.
Grayson immediately shifted back into human form and pulled me into his arms.
“Are you okay?” he demanded, his voice low and rough.
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“I’m fine. Are you?” I scanned him, worried. “The wolfsbane. Are you sure it didn’t affect you?”
He still looked pale, but otherwise steady. “The toxin’s still in my system, but don’t worry. Taking care of them is easy”
His grip on my wrist suddenly tightened, a storm darkening in his eyes. “That sorry piece of shit dared to say he loved you, right in front of me. No, a quick death is too easy for him now. I’ll make sure he fucking suffers.”
I shivered.
Even though his rage wasn’t aimed at me, every time Grayson let out that terrifying, feral side of him, I couldn’t help but be scared.
“So what do we do now?” I asked urgently. “They’ve taken Delilah. Should we call your men? Try to stop them on the way?”
“Too slow,” he said without hesitation. “Their scent is still fresh. We’ll catch them before they even leave this mountain.”
To avoid drawing attention, we didn’t shift into wolves.
Instead, Grayson wheeled out a lightweight off–road motorcycle from the garage. I climbed onto the back, wrapping my arms around his waist as we dove straight into the snow–covered forest.
It was pitch dark now.
The wind howled through the peaks, and animal calls echoed in the distance, making my heart race.
The motorbike sped along the jagged mountain trails, climbing and dipping with terrifying speed.
I held on tight. As long as I was with him, I didn’t feel so afraid.
We soon reached a peak. Grayson slammed the brakes right at the edge of a cliff.
He swung a sniper rifle off his back and quickly set it up. Through the scope, he scanned the mountain below.
I followed his gaze.
And then I saw it too–3 small figures were moving across the slope. Jace, Jonathan, and Delilah.
“Well?” I whispered. “Do you have a shot?”
His jaw was tight, his handsome profile depicted by the silver moonlight. After a tense second; he said coldly, “No. They’re keeping Delilah in front. I might hit her.”
He packed the rifle and jumped off the bike.
“Stay here. I’ll deal with them,” he ordered.
“I’m going with you!” I blurted.
He shot me a sharp look. “No. It’s too dangerous. Stay here.”
“And you just drank wolfsbane. It’s dangerous for you too,” I snapped. “Unless you plan to tie me to a tree, I’m following you anyway.”
He stared at me for a long second, furious, Then suddenly pulled me into a kiss, hard and desperate.
“Be careful,” he growled, shoving a gun into my hands. “Don’t hesitate to shoot anything you don’t like.”
I nodded and gripped the freezing gun tight.
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Chapter 78
We abandoned the bike and started downhill fast. Grayson moved like a shadow, agile and fierce. He was obviously born to chase through wild terrain. I pushed myself to keep up with him, my heart pounding..
Soon, we reached the base of the mountain.
Ahead of us was a suspension bridge stretching across a deep gorge. At the bottom, a raging river roared.
Jace and Jonathan were already halfway across the bridge. Jace was dragging Delilah by her hair, and she was crying and fighting him every
step.
“Just leave the bitch man!” Jonathan shouted, his face pale and soaked in sweat. “Grayson could be behind us any second. We don’t have
time to waste!”
“You fucking idiot!” Jace roared. “This is Grayson’s goddamn turf. We’ll never outrun him. But with her in our hands, at least we’ve got leverage. Maybe even a ransom. She and that kid in her belly’s gotta be worth something.”
“That’s your child, Jace! How can you-!” Delilah sobbed.
Jace yanked her hair and slapped her hard. “Shut up, you useless whore! You’re not some mighty lady anymore. Watch your fucking mouth.”
I cursed under my breath. That jerk!
Grayson sprang forward the next second. And mid–air, he shifted into the black wolf again, roaring as he flew toward them.
“FUCK! It’s Grayson!” Jonathan’s scream shot up with fear. “Run, RUN!!!”
Jace cursed and tried once again to pull Delilah in front of him like a shield. I quickly raised my gun and fired.
The bullet hit his shoulder, blood bursting out in a spray. He screamed and dropped her.
Yes! Turns out those Girl Scout shooting lessons weren’t a waste after all.
Delilah scrambled free and bolted toward us. Grayson and I rushed to meet her.
“CUT THE BRIDGE!”
Those two had reached the other side of the bridge. Jace yelled at his friend, “Fucking cut it now! The gap’s too wide. They can’t follow us!”
They both pulled out their guns and fired at the support ropes.
With a sharp snap, the cables gave way. And the entire bridge came falling down.
But Delilah was still on it!
She let out a piercing scream as her body dropped from the bridge. I saw her face clearly at that moment–pure terror frozen in the dark.
I didn’t think. Instinct kicked in.
I just leapt..
Midair, I shifted into my wolf, launching myself off the cliff and diving straight toward her.
“NO!” I heard Grayson roar behind me.
Luckily, my jaws just barely caught the collar of Delilah’s coat. We slammed into the cliffside together but didn’t fall. We were dangling. My back paws had latched onto the jagged rocks.
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Delilah screamed, clutching my fur, clawing her way upward.
She was almost at the edge when–
BANG!
A shot rang out from across the gorge. Then half my body went numb.
It felt… strange.
Warm liquid ran down my side. My vision became blurred. Everything sounded so far away.
I was losing control of my body. Then I collapsed, maybe. Delilah’s scream echoed somewhere above me. Then pain finally hit, sharp and hot.
…Wait. Was I shot?
“You fucking shot her?!” Jace roared.
“I’m not leaving empty–handed!” Jonathan barked. “It’s fine! Without the bridge, he can’t follow us-‘
“No! No, he’s coming–he’s still-!” Jace’s voice rose into a panicked shriek.
A snarl shattered the air, sending every bird in the forest flying into the night sky.
A massive shadow leapt over me, straight across the gorge.
That distance—it wasn’t possible. Not without the bridge. Not even for a wolf.
But he did it.
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With a thunderous crash, the black wolf landed on the other side. He pinned Jonathan with one paw. And in one brutal, savage bite, he tore
off the man’s right arm.
Then the left leg. Then the right.
The screams were horrifying. Blood gushed everywhere. But the man wasn’t dead yet, the torture continued. It was a nightmare worse than any horror movie you’d seen.
But my vision was fading. Everything was going blurry.
With a shudder, I shifted back into human form.
“GRAYSON! Grayson, come back here!” Delilah screamed somewhere nearby, sobbing. “She–she’s bleeding out!”
A short moment later, I felt myself being lifted, cradled. I knew that scent, that warmth.
He was here.
His arms locked around me. His breath tangled with mine, and I smelled a strange emotion in his scent for the first time.
…He was actually scared.
“No… no… my love…” he whispered, lips brushing my cheek, rough and broken. “You can’t leave me…This contract is forever, you promised
to me…”
I wanted to say something. But I was so tired.
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Too tired.
And then, like a hand pulling me into a cold, endless sea–I slipped into the dark.
