Chapter 238

Fiona POV

A clicking sound from somewhere near me has me stirring, but the flash is what brings me fully out of my sleep. The pain in the back of my head is a dull throb, but it grows as I open my eyes just when another flash hits.

What is that?

My body screams in protest when I sit up and look around, my heart stalling and my breath catching in my chest. My captor stands above me, a camera in hand and another creepy smirk on his lips.

“Wh-what are you doing?” I ask, moving back into the corner as he clicks the camera again. Another flash blinds me in the dark room, and I squeeze my eyes closed against the black dots swirling in my vision.

When I lift my hands to block my face, I find them tied together with rope that digs into my skin. I twist but immediately stop when the rope rubs and burns against my skin.

Another flash. More black dots. Pain cracking the back of my head.

It all happens at the same time when I jerk back.

The laughter that rings through the room is full of sinister mirth, filling me with fear. Is he finally here to kill me? Does he want to document my death with the camera? A shiver skitters up my back, making me curl further into the corner I’ve been tucked into for…

I don’t’ know how long.

“Just a little souvenir and a warning for lover boy,” the man hisses, waving the polaroid pictures in front of me.

Ethan. He’s going to send those pictures to Ethan.

Confusion, anger, and fear all mix together as something touches the bond between me and Ethan. Hope briefly touches me, but before I can try anything or see if our bond is open again, pain stabs at my upper arm.

I cry out, looking down and finding a needle sticking out of my shoulder. I try to reach up and pull it out, but my bound wrists and the odd angle make it impossible.

“Wh-what did you do?” I ask while my body begins to feel heavy and shaky again. It’s like I felt last time I woke up.

“Can’t have you calling your mate here for help, now, can I? At least not yet.” The man sneers, and the calm fierceness on his face tells me he’s no stranger to hurting people. It’s nothing new to him.

I can’t help but wonder if he’s done this before. How many people has he hurt, kidnapped, or even killed?

Is this the first time he’s trapped a defenseless woman down here? Have there been other girls who were trapped and drugged by him?

“What did you give me?” Whatever the drug is, it works fast. My head swims, my vision blurring a bit as he smirks down at me. The little bit of Ethan I felt moments ago disappeared instantly, and my hope drops and smashes to a million pieces.

My arms shake and my body slumps back against the wall. I want to fight, to run, but I become dizzy and unable to move.

Worry also wiggles into my heart and mind. What about my babies? Is the drug affecting them? Will they be hurt because of it?

“It is just a little suppressant. It will keep you from shifting, mind linking with anyone, and healing,” he finally answers, reaching forward and taking my chin between his fingers. They dig into me, making me wince in pain.

His hold is tight and almost as scary as the expression on his face. It doesn’t escape me that I still don’t know who this man is. Though, his nice clothes and put together look tell me he’s not a rogue Lycan.

“I’m pregnant,” I tell him, hoping it’ll gain me some leniency. “You can’t just—”

My entire body jolts to the side, my head nearly cracking against the wall as pain flares in my cheek. I lift shaking hands to my cheek, pinning my eyes on the man. He doesn’t hit me again, instead, he puts another tray of food in front of me.

“Don’t presume you can make demands here, little girl. Now, eat your breakfast like a good prisoner.”

The edge in his tone freezes me to the spot, even when he leans forward, snaps another picture, and then unties my hands. I’m too scared to move. I can only watch him leave me behind, closing the door and casting me into darkness again.

I don’t touch the food either, leaving it to grow cold as I stare at it.

Until my stomach cramps with hunger again. Not wanting to hurt myself or my babies, I pull the tray into my lap and slowly force myself to eat the food he left, all while praying for Ethan to find me soon.

Ethan POV

Aaron and Maximus follow behind me as we walk through the front doors of Alpha Mandra’s home. They’d showed up at my house, asking if they could help with the search for Fiona, and of course, I agreed.

Any help is appreciated, especially since I can feel myself slipping back into that dark, murderous state I was in during the challenges.

Fighting with my father didn’t help. It only drew out the rage further.

“Your rooms are on the second floor. I figured staying here instead of the Pack house would keep attention off of you,” Alpha Mandra says, leading us up the stairs. I’d told him I didn’t want anyone to know we were here. Stealth is key, particularly because the man we’re looking for is here in the North.

“And we’ll rip him to shreds when we find him,” Zev growls, stewing in the murderous rage that simmers within us.

“Stay focused,” I tell him, shaking my head.

I still haven’t felt Fiona, other than that little blip earlier, and that was hours ago. We’d been traveling since, and the whole way here, I kept reaching into our bond, hoping I’d feel something. Anything.

But, there was nothing.

It’s almost like our bond has been cut off. I’m worried that something has happened to her, but I don’t want to think about her being hurt or worse. Instead, I focus on putting my things in my room and following Alpha Mandra to his home office.

“Two of your scouts showed up just before you did. They’re waiting for us,” Alpha Mandra says, and I nod. They’d told me they would come and act as our guides as we search the Northern Packs for signs of Fiona.

These two were extra scouts I sent. Basically, they were tasked to run between the packs to assist the others when needed.

“Alpha King Ethan,” they both greet with a bow.

One of them steps forward a second later, holding out an envelope to me.

“This was on the front steps when we arrived, and it has your name on it,” he says. I accept the envelope, noting my name nearly printed on the front. I lift it, taking a whiff and smelling nothing but the strong stench of dirt.

Annoyed, I rip the paper package open and several polaroid pictures flutter to the ground.

“What the hel—”

The moment my eyes land on the two images facing upwards, I freeze. Fiona’s terrified eyes stare up at me, her cheek red with a handprint, her tied up hands… it all burns into me, and the rage takes over.

Everything fades away as I drop to my knees and flip the other three pictures over.

“That bastard,” I snarl, the words coming out before I can stop them. Everything in me fades to the back while Zev pushes forward, allowing the red haze of fury to push away the last shreds of common sense away.

Her tears are the last straw, pulling a roar out of my body.

“Grab him!” Someone shouts, and before I can make it out of the office, there are hands on me, forcing me to the ground as the darkness fully takes over.