His smile froze. "What?"
"I said, go to hell." I glared at him viciously. "Did you really think I'd sell out my mate and my own kind to save myself? Dream on!"
SLAP!
The sound echoed through the church. My head snapped to the side. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.
"Ungrateful creature!" Falcon snarled. His face twisted with malice. "When Elias Vernal gets here, we'll kill you right in front of him!"
"He won't come." I spat blood and laughed instead. "I'm not part of the Vernal pack anymore. We've cut all ties. He's never coming again. You're going to be disappointed!"
That's right. Elias wouldn't come. Because I had told him myself that I never wanted to see him again. That there was nothing left between us.
"If he's not coming, then you're even more useless."
Falcon said coldly and pressed the gun barrel to my forehead.
This time, there would be no miracle, no last-minute rescue. No one was coming to save me.
But in this moment of crisis, I realized I actually felt glad that Elias wouldn't appear—not sad.This is fine,I told myself and Novella.Arian needs his father. The Vernal pack needs their Alpha.
Better that I die alone than drag Arian and Elias into danger.
"One last chance," Falcon said darkly. "Partner with us, or die?"
I closed my eyes. "I choose death."
"Then so be it."
Just as his finger tightened on the trigger, the church doors exploded inward.
Every hunter whipped their guns toward the entrance. I opened my eyes in shock and looked.
"Let her go."
Dust filled the air. As it gradually cleared, Elias stood in the doorway. Every person in the church felt the crushing weight of his Alpha dominance.
I stared at that tall figure in disbelief, my heart suddenly pounding wildly.
He'd actually come?—
For me, he came!
CHAPTER 22
ELIAS VERNAL
Iburst into the church and immediately spotted Serenity.
She looked terrible. She was kneeling on the ground in a dust-covered white wedding dress, her hands locked in silver shackles. A hunter pressed his gun barrel against her forehead, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.
"Let her go!" I roared. The moment I took a step forward, hunters all around me aimed their weapons at me. The one holding Serenity immediately yanked her up and used her as a human shield.
"The Alpha of Vernal. Welcome." The hunter holding Serenity hostage had three distinctive scars across his face. He looked familiar. A sickening smile spread across his lips. "I hope you remember me. But first, let me warn you. One more step, and your beautiful Luna's brains will be splattered everywhere."
Fenrir raged inside me, desperate to tear apart every human who dared harm my mate.
But I suppressed the urge—my eyes locked on the man's gun hand as I calculated the distance and speed I would need to reach him.
