"She loved you," I said.
"Shut up!" Finn suddenly shrieked, the sound exploding through the mine. "I didn't need her love!"
"She was just a useless idiot! I told her to stay out of it! Just provide intel!"
"But she insisted..."
His voice climbed even higher.
"Insisted on acting on her own! Insisted on taking the fall for me!"
"Now look—dead! Completely useless!"
He was angry, but that anger wasn't just about disrupted plans. There was something else beneath it.
"She died to protect you." I pressed on, adding fuel to the fire, tracking his emotional shifts closely.
"Protect me?" Finn laughed coldly. "I needed her protection? What I needed was obedience! For her to listen!"
"Not her self-righteous..."
His voice suddenly caught, pausing for several seconds.
"Forget it." Finn looked down at Kai, cruel smile returning to his lips. "Chat time's over. Let's deal with you instead."
"Kayden Blackwood, watch your mate and child..."
"Die right before your eyes."
His hand reached for Kai again, that pale hand with its long, sharp nails like beast claws, trembling with an unusual intensity.
I lunged forward, my body beginning to shift mid-air.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kayden
Layla shifted mid-leap and slammed into Finn's arm as it reached for Kai. The impact sent him flying. His back smashed against the stone wall with a sickening thud. Debris rained down, clattering on the ground.
"Cover!"
I raised my gun and squeezed the trigger three times. The shots formed a triangle pattern, cutting off every escape route. Finn rolled left. Layla grabbed Kai by his collar and dragged him to safety.
"Get him out!"
Two warriors rushed in, flanking Layla on both sides. She shifted back and scooped Kai up. The kid's face was purple, still coughing hard, but alive. At least he was alive.
"Fall back!" I didn't turn. My eyes stayed locked on Finn. "Everyone back!"
Layla clutched Kai tight. The warriors shielded them as they retreated toward the mine entrance.
Good. They were safe.
Finn pushed himself up, dusting off his clothes.
"Alpha through and through," he said, licking blood from the corner of his mouth. "Fast reflexes."
"But do you really think..."
