Page 43 of Abandoned By My Alpha Husband

Liam said quietly, "I found an ant nest."

I smiled. Liam's head was round, his hair soft—looked like it would feel nice. I suddenly remembered what he'd started to say earlier. "What did you want to tell me?"

Liam looked nervous. He looked at me, glanced away, but didn't avoid me completely.

I waited patiently. Finally, Liam spoke—stuttering, hopeful, careful. "I was wondering if I could call you—"

His words cut off. I shot to my feet, grabbed him, and dodged the attack from behind. I stumbled several steps, shielding Liam behind me. The alcohol's fog vanished instantly. I stared coldly at two men in dark clothes. They stood like they'd been waiting, faces blank. Liam froze, face white as paper, shoulders shaking hard.

"Goddamn wolves," one of them said. "All of you should die."

The Butcher Squad.

Instantly, my fingernails lengthened, canines pushing from my gums. My vision narrowed, wind and distant music compressed into muffled background noise. I only heard my breathing. The man charged, blade flashing, stabbing toward my shoulder. I didn't dodge—grabbed his wrist and flung him aside.

The other man circled around me—heading for Liam.

I let out a piercing howl, but the next second, the one I'd thrown came at me again. "Liam!" I roared, watching helplessly as Liam was knocked flying, landing face-down on the grass.

I slammed the two men aside and rushed to Liam, retracting my wolf features. Trembling, I knelt and turned him over. Liam's eyes were closed, lips bloodless, his shirt torn open across the back in a long gash from left shoulder to right hip. Deep red blood spread rapidly, trailing black vapor.

Wolfsbane.

I snapped my gaze to the two men. They lay on the ground. One's mouth twitched slightly, like he wanted to smile.

Then footsteps rushed from the garden entrance—chaotic, heavy, punctuated by the clank of scabbards against metal. Lucifer's voice cut through the bushes, breathless and sharp. He shouted, "Liam!"

Guards poured in. The men were forced face-down, arms wrenched behind their backs. One turned his head, gaze crossing dirt and fallen leaves to land on my face. He grinned. His voice wasn't loud, but in the sudden silence, everyone heard clearly. "The task you gave us is complete."

As soon as he finished, black blood seeped from his mouth. The other collapsed simultaneously. Guards tried to pry their mouths open—too late. Dark blood soaked into the grass roots.

I froze. Someone tore Liam from my hands. Someone shouted "Healer!" Chaos, panic, fear. Sunlight still poured over me, but I felt frozen.

"Lucifer..."

I looked up, reaching for him, but he pulled away. I only caught air, my arm falling limply.

My heart plummeted. "I didn't—it wasn't me, Lucifer—"

His eyes were cold. "Lock her up."

Guards seized me. Suddenly, familiar pain shot through my abdomen. I looked down. A tear in my dress—those bastards had slashed me at some point. I gasped. Black vapor spread from the wound. That vicious pain radiated outward. I coughed up blood and blacked out.

Chapter Thirteen

Lucifer

I stood by the window. Moonlight leaked through the slats of the blinds, carving thin strips of light across the desk. My hand gripped the windowsill—fingers tightening, releasing, tightening again. Footsteps echoed down the hall. The healer passed by with a tray of medicines, then back with an empty one. Over and over. Liam's door sat half-open, warm yellow light spilling out—the same color as the sunlight in the garden earlier. But Liam lay inside, his back wrapped in gauze, lips pale, breathing so shallow it was like a thread I couldn't hold onto.

Elena was in another room. Also being treated. The healer said her abdominal wound had reopened, wolfsbane seeping into her bloodstream. Worse than last time.

They'd been fighting for their lives for nearly a day now.

I stared at my reflection in the window glass—blurred outline, expression invisible. My fingers curled against the marble sill, cold seeping through my skin, but I didn't pull away.

What was I supposed to do?

The thought rose with a surge of heat. I should kill her. My wolf stirred inside me but made no sound. It lay there, tail down, like something was pinning it in place. I waited for it to roar, to say "kill her." Nothing came.