My heart nearly exploded in my chest when I saw Ferris. I had so many emotions inside me - relief, disbelief, happiness. He had come for me—again. Just like he always did.“Ferris!” I gasped. It was him. It really was him. Even though the drug worked through my system and my vision was blurry, I recognized him. His massive build, his presence that radiated power—it was impossible to mistake him for anyone else. My heart skipped a beat as I watched him take out the first man. But there was still the other one—the second kidnapper who had grabbed me by the arm and was now pulling me back, trying to use me as a shield. I could feel his hot breath on the back of my neck. I could sense the panic radiating off him as he realized who was coming for him. The Lycan King. Ferris.“Stay back!” the man shouted. He pressed a cold knife against my throat as his grip tightened painfully on my arm. “I’ll kill her, I swear!”For a moment, I froze. Fear spread through me. But then I met Ferris’s eyes
I could feel every muscle in my body screaming as I dragged Ferris down the forest. Each second felt like the breath in my lungs was being taken away. I had to get him somewhere safe. It wouldn't be long before more men came looking for me. Ferris was knocked out cold and he wasn't awake to protect me. As I dragged him, my heart ached. This was all my fault. Ferris was hurt because he was trying to save me. His body was limp and his face was pale. His breathing was shallow. I couldn’t stop the tears from blurring my vision as I forced myself to keep moving, to keep dragging him to safety. The forest around us was dark.. I knew I needed to find shelter soon, somewhere hidden where we wouldn’t be found by whoever was still hunting us. My ankle throbbed with every step. The pain was almost unbearable, but I couldn’t stop. Not now. Not when Ferris’s life depended on it. After what felt like an eternity, I spotted a small clearing just off the path. It was partially hidden by an und
FERRIS' POVI was able to send a mindlink to Rafael to come get us. He came with a couple of my guards to drive us back to the pack. The drive back to the palace felt like an eternity. Elise sat beside me in silence with her hands trembling in her lap. I wanted to reach out, to hold her, to tell her everything would be okay, but I knew better. Right now, my words might make things worse. She was going back to that hell hole and I was helpless. The palace stood far ahead now as we moved closer inside the pack. The closer we got, the more Elise seemed to shrink into herself. By the time we arrived at the entrance, her entire body was trembling. I stepped out first, then offered my hand to help her down. She hesitated, but finally took it. As we walked toward the gates, the guards on duty bowed to me. Their eyes moved briefly to Elise, but they quickly averted their gazes. I knew what they were thinking. She was no longer their Luna so there was no need to even regard her. Elise stop
FERRIS' POVThe urge to smash my phone was too much to bear. The call I had just ended left me feeling even more frustrated. It was another dead-end. Another waste of time. My fingers itched to throw the device against the wall, but I forced myself to breathe deeply and set it down on my desk instead. This was getting out of hand.Every lead, every clue, every supposed break in this hellish situation had led to nothing. Elise was still trapped under Jackson's thumb. Her life was being controlled by a man who was nothing but a fraud and very soon she would get a huge embarrassment in front of the whole pack. The thought of her suffering because of him made my blood boil. The rational part of my mind told me to wait, to think this through, but the more desperate side of me was ready to take action. If it came down to it, I would abduct her myself. I would sneak her out at night and take her back to my pack, where she would be safe. But that was a last resort, and I knew it. I couldn't
JACKSON'S POVI was surprised when one of my guards informed me that Ferris had summoned me. I was busy but I didn't have a choice. This wasn’t a meeting I could ignore or delay. What could Ferris possibly want with me?As I made my way to his residence and office, the questions buzzed around my mind. I wondered what he wanted to talk about. My wolf was restless, pacing within me. For some reason, I had a bad feeling about this.When I finally arrived at Ferris’s residence, I was greeted with the usual formality. His guards greeted me with their heads bowed. They were vigilant, tracking my every movement with their eyes. As I stepped into Ferris’s office, I still felt the uneasy sensation at the pit of my stomach. Ferris was seated behind his desk. His presence was commanding as always. His eyes locked onto mine the moment I entered, and I felt even more uneasy. But I kept my composure, bowing my head respectfully as I greeted him.“Your Majesty,” I said. “Alpha Jackson,” Ferris re
ELISE'S POVI pleaded with the guards as they dragged me into prison. Previously, I was kept in a cell but now, they were taking me to where hardened criminals were kept. The prisoners’ voices reached me first when we got there. “Look what we’ve got here, boys!” one shouted, holding his bars while looking at me “A pretty little thing, all dressed up for us!”Laughter filled the cells. The sound of them laughing at me made my skin crawl. I kept my head down, refusing to meet their eyes, knowing that any sign of weakness would only make them taunt me even more. But it didn’t matter. They could smell my fear already. “Hey, sweetheart, why don’t you come over here? I’ll show you a good time!” another prisoner called out. I forced myself to keep walking with the guard, even as the insults and crude remarks rained down on me from all sides. The guard beside me gripped my arm tighter, as if he enjoyed seeing me squirm.I bit down on my lip, trying to block out their voices, but it was im
GINA'S POVI stormed out of the prison cell and into the palace hallway. My heels clicked against the marble floors, echoing in the empty hallway as I stormed towards Jackson's office. My anger got worse with every step. I thought of how Elise was released and it infuriated me. How dare she? How dare they? Jackson had promised me she would suffer, yet here she was, being released and being treated as if she was worth something. And that Beta of his, Jason—oh, I would see to it that he paid dearly for his disrespect. Who the fuck did he think he was?.My fists clenched at my sides so hard that my nails almost drew blood from my palms. I needed to talk to Jackson. He was going to answer for this. He owed me an explanation. As I approached his office, I could literally see red in my vision. I was nearly at the door when a figure stepped into my path. Ms. Kelly, the head maid, stood there, blocking my path. She had an unreadable expression on her face. "Luna Gina, the Alpha has requ
FERRIS' POVThat evening, I stepped out to the balcony to think. I should be happy now that Elise was free but it wasn't that easy. The whole ordeal of rescuing her was over, but it wasn't enough. Elise was safe, at least for now, but there were other matters that needed my attention—matters that required my total focus when I left here and returned to my pack.I gripped the railing, feeling the rough texture beneath my palms as I stared out into space. Bringing Elise to my territory, an outsider with no ties to my pack, was a complication I hadn’t fully planned for. I had no reason to keep her close, no legitimate excuse to keep her under my protection. The thought disturbed me. Before, I believed that once Elise was with me, the trouble would be over. But now that I thought of it, there were other things I needed to protect her from back in my territory. If Elise was truly to be safe, she needed more than just to be with me. She needed the strength of a bond, something to connect