Chapter 170

Kayla

I rolled over in bed for what felt like the hundredth time, wincing as pain shot through my body. The digital clock on the nightstand showed 2:17 in the morning, and Nicholas still hadn’t come to bed.

Not that I could blame him. Our argument earlier had been brutal—his face when he’d found out what I’d done with that potion… I shuddered, remembering the rage and fear in his eyes. I’d never seen him look at me like that before, like I was someone he didn’t recognize.

But even more than that, there was the comment he’d made about Luporath.

About how we’d never find it if I died.

What did he think I knew about the relic? And more importantly, had Grace been right about ancient family grudges and ulterior motives? Had I been as much of a fool as I felt like right now?

Suddenly, a soft knock at the door jerked me from my thoughts.

“Come in,” I called out, figuring it was Nicholas. But when the door creaked open, it was a child that stood in the doorway. One of the pack children who I often saw running around outside.

“Luna Kayla?” she whispered, clutching something in her hand. “I’m supposed to give this to you.”

I pushed myself up against the headboard, ignoring the flare of pain. “What is it, sweetie? And who sent you at this hour?”

The little girl padded across the carpet and handed me a folded piece of paper. Before I could even ask what it was, she turned and hurried out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

I stared at the paper in my hands, a chill running down my spine as I recognized the handwriting. Liam’s handwriting.

“Kayla,” the note read, “I know something about your father that you need to hear. Come to my cell if you want to know the truth. It’s about time someone was honest with you. -L”

My heart hammered against my ribs. Did Liam know something after all?

I crumpled the note in my fist, intending to throw it away. This was obviously a trap, another manipulation from the man who’d tried to kill me just days ago.

But curiosity won out eventually. It always did. And besides, Liam was behind bars. He couldn’t hurt me anymore.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, my decision already made, and headed down to the cells beneath the estate.

The cell block was small, with just three cells along one wall. Only the middle one was occupied. I found Liam sitting on a narrow cot, his head lifting as I entered. His handsome face was bruised, one eye swollen nearly shut, but he smiled when he saw me.

“You came,” he said, rising to his feet. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

I kept my distance, stopping several feet away from the bars. “What do you know about my father?” I ordered, folding my arms across my chest.

Liam stepped closer to the bars, wrapping his fingers around them. In the harsh fluorescent light, I could see dried blood on his knuckles. Nicholas’s interrogation methods weren’t gentle on a normal day, let alone with Liam.

“Always straight to business, huh, Kayla? No ‘Hello, Liam, how are you doing in your prison cell?’”

“You tried to strangle me three days ago,” I said flatly, my voice still hoarse from the whole ordeal. “Excuse me if I’m not exactly in the mood for pleasantries.”

His face fell. “I know. And I’m sorry for that. More than you can imagine.”

“What do you know about my father?” I repeated.

Liam sighed, leaning his forehead against the bars. “It’s about how he was poisoned. Vanessa did it.”

“I know that already. It’s why I went to the cottage to talk to her before you tried to fucking murder me.”

He glanced up at me. “Well, then you must already know what poison she used.”

“Yes,” I replied. “She used snake venom. I’ve been searching for the antidote for—”

“She didn’t use snake venom, Kayla. She used something else, something far more ancient with an antidote that’s even harder to find.”

My heart skipped a beat at that information, but I kept my face neutral. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

“I’m not. I promise. And I know where to find the antidote.”

I stepped closer to the bars, desperate hope clawing at my chest despite my better judgment. “What was the poison? And where is the antidote?”

Liam shook his head. “I can’t just tell you. I have to take you there.”

“Bullshit,” I spat. “You’re trying to get me to let you out.”

“Yes,” he admitted. “But not for the reasons you think. Kayla, I know where the antidote is, but it’s not something I can just describe. It’s… complicated.”

I laughed bitterly. “And I’m supposed to trust you? You tried to kill me.”

Liam’s eyes flickered to my throat, to the bruises his hands had left there. His face contorted with what looked like genuine remorse. “I’m sorry, Kayla. They made me do it. I didn’t want to hurt you…”

“Save it,” I cut him off.

“No, listen to me,” he insisted, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Isabella and William threatened me for years. Said if I didn’t obey, they’d kill me and you.”

I frowned.

“You expect me to believe that?” I asked, but my voice was beginning to waver.

Liam reached through the bars, his fingers brushing mine before I could pull away. “I know I hurt you, and not just physically. I know what I did when we were together was unforgivable.” His eyes, bright and clear and so familiar, held mine.

“I never wanted to hurt you like this,” he went on. “Never. They made me cheat on you, Kayla. They told me that I had to fuck Vanessa, otherwise they’d kill you. Then, the other day, they gave me silverbite and it made me go insane. Please, Kayla, you have to believe me.”

I stared at him, memories flooding back unbidden. Liam and I when we were younger, running through the woods together. His smile the first time he told me he loved me. The way he’d held me at night.

The Liam I’d known then had been kind, gentle. Before the cheating, before everything fell apart, I’d loved him. And I’d believed he loved me too.

“I don’t trust you,” I said, but I could hear the uncertainty in my own voice.

“I know.” His fingers wrapped around mine. “But I’m telling you the truth now. Your father can be saved, Kayla. I can help you save him. And we can be together again.”

I pulled my hand away, taking a step back. “Even if I believed you, I’m not stupid enough to let you out.”

“Then your father stays in that coma,” Liam said simply. “And eventually, he’ll die. Is that what you want?”

“Fuck you,” I hissed.

“I’m not trying to manipulate you.” Liam’s voice was soft, reasonable. “I’m trying to make amends. Let me help you, Kayla. Let me do this one good thing.”

I turned away, chewing the inside of my cheek. The logical part of my brain was screaming that this was a trap, that Liam couldn’t be trusted, that Nicholas would be furious. But my heart… my heart wanted so desperately to believe that there was a way to save my father. It was all I’d wanted for two years.

And what if Liam was telling the truth? What if there really was an antidote? Could I live with myself if I didn’t at least try?

“If I let you out,” I said slowly, turning back to face him, “you swear you’ll take me straight to the antidote? No games, no tricks?”

Liam placed a hand over his heart. “I swear on my life. No games, no tricks.”

I stared at him, searching his face for any sign of deception. He looked back at me, open and earnest, his eyes clear and unclouded with lies.

“If you’re lying to me…” I left the threat unfinished.

“I’m not,” he said simply.

I glanced over my shoulder at the door, half-expecting Nicholas or one of the pack warriors to burst in and stop me. But the hallway remained empty and silent.

With my decision made, I reached for the key that hung on a hook by the door. It slid into the lock with a soft click. I hesitated one last moment, my hand trembling slightly.

“Please don’t make me regret this,” I whispered, and turned the key.