Chapter 147

[Third-Person’s POV]

EVELYN!!

Alexander wasn’t sure if his scream remained locked in his own mind or if it had been spoken out loud. Either way, he’d been knocked back against the nearest wall from the pure shock that stared him directly in the face.

For a man like Alexander Kingston, carnage wasn’t a new concept. After many won battles and fights that always ended in bloodshed, even death wasn’t an outlandish sight for him to take in.

But when he came upon the open door at the end of the hallway, it was as though he’d stepped into a whole new world of destruction, gore, and incomprehensible fear. A nightmare he didn’t even realize he was harboring in the dark recesses of his mind had come to life before his very eyes.

Evelyn. His own wife and Luna was strapped to a long metal table surrounded by a massive puddle of her own blood.

She had been subjected to torture.

All of the life had been, literally, drained out of her. Her soft pink complexion had been dulled with a ghostly shade of white. Her face appeared to have been horribly beaten. But nothing compared to the awful state of the right side of her face.

Someone had taken an exceedingly sharp blade to it. And the only reason he was able to make that assessment was for the one second he managed to tear his eyes away from the woman he found said blade sitting on the floor.

All the air had been stolen from his lungs. His throat tightened, preventing any words from being able to come out.

This was an Alpha who’d been exposed to some of the most gruesome sights as a result of war, yet he couldn’t fully bring himself to stomach the sight of Evelyn’s grisly state.

His voice came out hoarse and broken. “What have they done to you?” he whispered.

With all of the inner strength he had, Alexander pushed himself off the wall to move closer to her. He approached her with great caution, not knowing what part of her was safe to touch. There were dark purple bruises over her ribcage which indicated that some of her ribs had to have been broken.

Her left arm was marked up like someone was using it as a scratching post. But nothing really compared to the damage that was taken to the right side of her face. Blood was still running down her chin and onto the table beneath her.

Alexander quickly looked around for something to stop the bleeding from progressing any further.

Her breathing was far too labored for his liking but it was something he was able to work with.

She’s still alive...But only barely.

The corners of Alexander’s eyes filled with tears. He leaned down and spoke into her ear.

“Please, forgive me. I’m so sorry, I didn’t come sooner. I’m here now and I’m going to get you out of here.”

He called for Oliver and the Beta came rushing. He too was utterly astounded by the horrific state of the room as well as Evelyn.

“Oh my God,” he whispered. “How could they...?”

Alexander fought to keep his focus. There would come a time where he would allow his emotions to finally come out but now wasn’t the time.

“I need your help,” he said. His hands carefully worked at undoing the leather straps on her arms. “We have to get her out of here.”

Oliver hesitated. A short moment passed before he ultimately shook his head. “No.”

Alexander snapped his head up to glare at him. “What—”

“We can’t move her,” he said insistently. “She’s lost too much blood as it is. Not to mention, we don’t know if anything internally has been badly affected. If we move her now, we will be putting her in more danger.”

Damnit. He had a point. But something still had to be done. Every minute that passed felt like taking a risk all on its own.

“Call Ian,” Alexander instructed. “Tell him to get here as soon as possible.”

Ian was Alexander’s high-level healer and well-trusted friend of many years. When the car accident first occurred and Alexander realized what was going on, he had reached out to Ian to have all the medical documents fabricated and the story of him becoming paralyzed and badly injured took root in the public eye.

Needless to say, he trusted Ian with his life. If anyone was going to be able to help Evelyn it was him. The only problem was hoping that the man would get there in time. Every moment was vital from that point on.

“Ian will be here as soon as possible,” Oliver informed him.

“What about the others? Have they caught anyone who was here?”

Most if not all of Alexander’s emotions were numb from the initial shock. For the time being, he considered it a blessing. If he had access to his feelings, there was no telling what he would do.

Oliver gave a tempered look and slowly shook his head.

“We think that whoever was down here knew that there was another way out of here,” he explained. “So far, we haven’t found anyone.”

Alexander clenched his jaw and curled his hands into aggravated fists. Had he been able to feel the full force of his anger, the walls would have been shaking.

“I will not let them get away,” he snarled. “There’s a possible chance that this place could have more hidden rooms like this. Have the men search the entire property. Check everything.”

Oliver nodded his head and turned on his heels. Alexander didn’t want to leave her side—not for any reason. Evelyn started to let out short, soft whimpers. Her body jerked and shook against the table, causing his nerves to quake.

Alexander tried to keep her steady, should she end up accidentally hurting herself even further. He couldn’t bear to see her in such a state. It was enough to bring him to his knees.

“Shh. Shh,” he hushed softly. “It’s going to be okay.”

Deep down, he knew he had no right to make such a promise. His heart ached from the unnerving possibility that what he was saying could be a lie.

No. I won’t lose her. I can’t.

He had to stay strong for the two of them.

Oliver returned not too long after. Alexander noticed that his gaze hadn’t let up from the floor, indicating that the search was still on.

“We will find those responsible, sir. But in lieu of us waiting for the doctor, tell me your thoughts.”

It was a mental tactic—a way to keep Alexander’s mind from falling to pieces. A way of letting him slip into the darkest version of himself. Oliver knew ways to keep him stable when the stakes were high.

“This wasn’t just an attack,” Alexander noted. “With this much blood loss, they were planning on killing her.”

“Who do you believe to be responsible?”

“Isabella Silverwood.”

“Was she alone in this horrible act?”

“No.”

“Who possibly would have to gain from hurting Evelyn?”

“Aside from Isabella, perhaps...Samantha.”

Oliver tilted his head in skepticism. “Look closer at Evelyn’s injuries. The precision. The person who made these lacerations knew exactly where to cut in order to make the blood flow slower and make the pain last longer. Who do we know that possesses that kind of surgical knowledge?”

The first emotion to break through his veil of numbness...Rage. An icy shiver raced down his spine and crept around to clutch at his heart. He knew exactly who it was.

His mouth pulled into a murderous sneer. “...Fiona.”