“I had to choose,” I wail. The pain is eating me alive. “I had to choose between him and you, and I chose you, but it feels like I’m dying, Violet! It feels like my heart is being ripped out of my chest, and I can’t—I can’t—”
“Breathe with me,” Violet says urgently, squeezing my hands. “Anne, look at me. Breathe with me.”
But I can’t. Darius’s office is spinning. The walls are closing in. There’s not enough air.
“I love him,” I choke out. “I love him, but I just sentenced him to death, and I’ll never—we’ll never—”
The room tilts violently. Violet’s face goes out of focus.
“Anne? Anne, are you okay?”
I’m not okay. I’ll never be okay again.
The last thing I hear is Violet crying out my name. Then, darkness takes me, and I’m grateful for it.
Chapter Seventeen
Kain
The text I sent to Anne looks lonely on my screen, marked as delivered, but not read.
Normally, she would have texted back by now. I could call her, but to be honest, her not responding is a small mercy in this situation. I don’t know what I’d tell her. What excuse would be good enough to explain why I’m too busy to see her tonight?
I rub my hands over my face, exhausted. Without the antidote, I’m not going to last long here. I need to come up with a plan to deliver Violet to the organization.
I’m still thinking when my office door opens without a knock. My head snaps up, and I see Ethan, Darius’s right-hand man, standing there.
I get up from my desk slowly. “Ethan, is something wrong?”
That’s when I see them.
Four members of the Alpha’s Guard enter behind Ethan, their expressions hard and ready. Silver handcuffs gleam in one guard’s hand.
My blood runs cold. They know.
“I think you know why I’m here,” Ethan says quietly, and there’s something in his voice—disappointment, maybe anger—that confirms my worst fears.
For a split second, I consider playing dumb. Asking what this is about. Demanding explanations. But my training kicks in before conscious thought does.
I vault over my desk, aiming for the open window. It’s high off the ground, but I’ll survive if I shift mid-air and break my fall by grabbing the side of the building with my claws. Even if I get injured, it’ll be better than whatever’s waiting for me in the pack prison.
But I don’t even make it to the window.
The guards are fast—much faster than I anticipated. The first one catches my arm, yanking me back. I spin, driving my elbow into his face. Bone crunches. He staggers to the side.
The second guard is already there, grabbing for me. I duck under his reach and sweep his legs. He goes down hard.
But there are still two more, and they’re not trying to arrest me amicably anymore.
A fist connects with my ribs. Air rushes out of my lungs. I twist away, catching the third guard with a knee to his gut, but the fourth one gets me in a chokehold from behind.
I throw my head back and feel it connect with his nose. His grip loosens enough for me to break free.
My office is chaos. The guest chair crashes over. Papers go flying. Someone’s blood—mine or theirs, I’m not sure—spatters across the floor.
I’m holding my own, but barely. The poison has weakened me more than I realized. My movements are slower than they should be, my strength flagging.
And then, Ethan enters the fight. A quick punch to my kidney drops me to one knee. I try to rise, but two guards are on me instantly, forcing my arms behind my back.
