Chapter 171

Nicholas

My eyes were bleary by the time I ripped my eyes away from the pile of paperwork on my desk and glanced at the clock. 3:24 AM. Fuck. I needed to get to bed.

With a heavy sigh, I pushed away from my desk and stood, stretching my stiff muscles. The thought of Kayla’s warm body pressed against mine made my heart ache with longing. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around her, kiss the soft skin of her neck, and tenderly make love to her—to show her with actions what I couldn’t always express with words.

I wanted to apologize, to make up for the drama of the past few days. To remind her that no matter how frustrated I got, my love for her never wavered. And that I was sorry for yelling and storming out when I knew she was just going through a lot and she felt desperate.

The hallway was dark and quiet as I made my way to our bedroom. I opened the door slowly, not wanting to wake her if she’d finally managed to fall asleep. But as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I realized the bed was empty, the sheets thrown back haphazardly.

I cursed under my breath and turned, heading downstairs. The living room was dark, and a quick check of the kitchen showed no signs of her either. No kettle on the stove, no mug of tea abandoned on the counter.

Figuring she might be in her little safe haven in the garden, I pushed open the back door and stepped outside. The night air was crisp and cool against my skin, the garden bathed in moonlight. My feet carried me automatically to her shed.

But it stood empty, no lights burning inside, no sign of my mate reading or looking up at the stars like she so often did on nights when sleep eluded her.

It was then that my heart began to race. Where was she? With her injuries and the baby, she shouldn’t be wandering around in the middle of the night.

I spotted one of the guards making his rounds near the perimeter and jogged over to him.

“Have you seen Kayla?”

The guard nodded. “Yes, Alpha. She went toward the prison cells about twenty minutes ago. I haven’t seen her come out, so I figured she had questions for the prisoner.”

A cold dread settled in my stomach. “And you didn’t think to inform me or accompany her down there?”

The guard swallowed hard, suddenly realizing his mistake. “I assumed she had permission, Alpha. I’m sorry.”

I didn’t have time to reprimand him further, even though I’d had it up to my fucking neck with the laziness of the guards around here lately. I was already running toward the cells.

The corridor leading to the cell block was eerily silent. I pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside, peering down the hall.

“Kayla?” I called out. “You in here?”

No answer.

I moved deeper into the room, and that was when I saw it—Liam’s cell door hanging open, the cell itself empty.

“Fuck!” I slammed my fist against the bars, the metal reverberating with the impact. “KAYLA!”

My eyes scanned the room frantically. She had to be somewhere, had to have left some clue.

Suddenly, I noticed the narrow tunnel entrance at the back of the cell block, a passage used for carting in supplies or emergency evacuations. It was normally expertly hidden, the door so sleek and carefully constructed that it was indiscernible from the rest of the wall when it was closed. Kayla didn’t even know about it.

But now that door was unlocked, hanging slightly ajar, a cold breeze blowing in through the tunnel.

Shit. Liam must have known about the entrance—it was likely how he’d snuck Vanessa into the estate, and now where he must have taken Kayla.

I didn’t hesitate. I rushed through, ducking my head to fit through the low ceiling.

“Kayla!” I shouted, my voice bouncing off the stone walls of the tunnel. “KAYLA!”

When there was still no answer, I began to run. The narrow, claustrophobic tunnel seemed to stretch on forever until finally, I saw a sliver of moonlight ahead—the exit.

I burst through the door and found myself on the small service road that led away from the estate. And there, illuminated by the moon’s pale light, stood Kayla and Liam.

My vision went red. Without conscious thought, I let my wolf take over. I shifted and burst forward, a snarl ripping from my throat.

Liam barely had time to turn before I slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. My teeth found his shoulder, sinking deep enough to immobilize but not kill—even though my wolf wanted nothing more than to tear out the bastard’s throat.

“Nicholas, stop!” Kayla’s voice cut through my rage, but I kept Liam pinned beneath me, my jaws clamped around his shoulder.

Liam didn’t struggle, which was surprisingly smart of him. My wolf would have seen it as a challenge, and I wasn’t sure I could have restrained myself if he’d fought back.

After making sure he wasn’t going anywhere, I shifted back, still holding him down. I pushed my knee into his sternum, my own chest heaving from the fear of seeing the traitorous fucker with my mate.

“What. The. FUCK. Are. You. Doing?” I spat. I glared down at Liam, who was clutching his bleeding shoulder, then at Kayla, who stood a few feet away, wearing nothing but her thin dressing gown.

“Nicholas, I can explain,” Kayla started, taking a step forward.

“Explain?” I laughed bitterly, all semblance of control quickly slipping away. “Explain how you released a prisoner who tried to kill you three days ago? Have you gone completely mad?”

“He knows where the antidote is,” Kayla said, stepping closer. “For my father. He was going to take me to it.”

I stared at her, unable to believe what I was hearing. “And you believed him? Just like that?” I turned my gaze to Liam, who was still on the ground. “What kind of game are you playing, you piece of shit?”

“It’s not a game,” Liam said, wincing beneath my weight. “I know where the antidote is. I was trying to help her.”

“By sneaking out together in the middle of the night? Without telling anyone where you were going?”

“I knew you wouldn’t let me go,” Kayla interrupted. “I knew you’d say it was too dangerous.”

“Because it is!” I shouted. “How could you be so reckless, Kayla? So fucking foolish? After everything that’s happened, after everything he’s done to you?”

Kayla flinched and looked away, her jaw clenching. The thought of what could have happened if I hadn’t found them in time—of Liam taking her away, of potentially losing her and our baby—felt like a bullet ripping through my chest.

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted us. Several guards appeared, having followed the commotion. I gave Liam one last warning snarl before I lifted my knee from his chest and stood.

“Take him back to his cell,” I ordered. “And make sure he can’t escape this time.”

Two guards hauled Liam to his feet. He didn’t resist.

“I wasn’t lying,” he said to her, only to her as if there was some kind of hidden meaning in that fucking look he gave her. “I meant it. I meant all of it. Kayla, I—”

“Get him out of my sight,” I growled before he could finish, and the guards dragged him away, back toward the tunnel.

Once they were gone, I turned to Kayla. She stood shivering in the cold night air, her arms wrapped around herself, red hair whipping slightly in the wind. Despite my anger, my heart ached at the sight of her looking so vulnerable, her throat still ringed with bruises and her eyes sunken and hollow.

I couldn’t help myself—I closed the distance between us in two long strides.

“Nicholas, I—” she began, but I cut her off.

“Don’t.” My voice was firm but no longer shouting. “Not now.”

Without another word, I scooped her up into my arms. She was trembling from the cold, her skin like ice against mine. She stiffened slightly at my touch, but didn’t fight me as I whisked her back to the house.