Page 12

Adrian

The world has narrowed to a single truth: Maya is missing, and I will tear this town apart to find her.

It's been nearly twenty-four hours, and every second without her grates against my sanity like broken glass under my skin. I haven't slept. Haven't eaten. My wolf is relentless, snarling beneath my skin, demanding blood. The beast wants to shift, to hunt, to destroy everything in its path until we find her.

I stand in my office, hunched over a spread of maps and reports, trying to make sense of the scattered leads we have. The paper crumples under my grip, my claws threatening to emerge. Eli and Sawyer flank me, their expressions grim in the harsh fluorescent light.

"Theo's scouts found activity in the warehouse district near the industrial zone," Eli says, voice tight. His usual easy manner is gone, replaced by coiled tension. "No confirmation yet, but it's our best lead."

I nod, barely registering his words. My hands clench into fists, nails biting deep enough to draw blood. The metallic scent only feeds my rage—a rage I can't unleash until I have something to sink my teeth into. Until I find her.

Then it hits.

A sharp, searing pain rips through me, sudden and undeniable. It's not mine—it's hers. The agony drops me forward, my palms slamming onto the desk as my vision blurs. The bond— our bond —shifts inside me, raw and unrefined but strong enough to bring me to my knees. I don't question it. I don't hesitate. I latch onto it like a lifeline, and suddenly, I know.

"She's there." My voice is guttural, barely human. The wolf bleeds through, turning the words into a growl. I shove back from the desk, sending my chair crashing against the wall.

Sawyer and Eli exchange quick glances before Eli nods. "Then let's go."

I grab my phone and call Theo. He picks up on the first ring.

"We found her," I say, already moving. My boots echo against the hardwood floor, each step a countdown to violence.

"We're closing in on the warehouses now," Theo responds, his alpha authority clear even through the line. "We'll be in position by the time you arrive." There's a pause, heavy with unspoken tension. "Blackwell—if they've hurt her—"

"They're already dead," I finish. "They just don't know it yet."

I don't waste time with pleasantries. I hang up and make one more call.

Lucien D'Arcy answers with his usual amused drawl. "Blackwell. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Maya's been taken. Warehouse district." The words burn my throat like acid.

A pause. Then, he hums. "Well, I suppose I could lend a hand. Though I must say, seeing you this... invested in a little wolf is quite entertaining."

I hang up before he can bait me further.

By the time we reach the industrial zone, Theo's pack is already in position. His enforcers blend into the shadows, weapons ready, their eyes reflecting moonlight with predatory focus. The night air carries the scent of rust and diesel, overlaid with the sharp tang of anticipation.

Lucien arrives moments later, stepping out of a sleek black car like he has all the time in the world. His suit is immaculate, his smirk infuriating as he surveys the scene with detached amusement.

"I trust you don't expect me to get my hands dirty," he muses, adjusting his cufflinks. "I'll assist once the mess is cleaned up. Though I must say, Adrian—this protective display is rather telling."

I ignore him, turning to Theo instead. The alpha's eyes are hard, matching my own deadly focus. "We cut the power. Hit them fast, hit them hard. No one gets out."

Theo nods, and for once, there's no friction between us. Just shared purpose, shared rage.

Another spike of pain hits through the bond—duller this time, but enough to make my wolf howl inside me. Mine, it snarls. They dare touch what's mine.

I look at the warehouse, my vision sharpening with predatory clarity. My last thought before we move is a promise written in blood: I will burn this place to the ground if they've harmed her.

"Let's end this."

???

Darkness swallows the warehouse.

The moment the power cuts, silence follows—a tense, waiting breath before the inevitable storm. I don't hesitate. My night vision sharpens, my senses stretching outward, catching every heartbeat, every shift of movement in the pitch-black space. My wolf surges forward, clawing at my control, driven by a single purpose.

Maya.

I move like a shadow, silent, unrelenting. The first hunter doesn't even have time to scream before I grab him from behind, my hand clamping over his mouth. A precise strike to the back of his head, and he crumples unconscious. I lower him to the ground without a sound, my wolf snarling for more.

Gunfire erupts somewhere to my right—muffled curses, the scent of blood thickening in the air. The metallic tang mingles with gunpowder and fear, a heady mix that feeds the rage building in my chest. Theo's enforcers have engaged, their wolves disabling the hunters with calculated force. Somewhere in the chaos, I hear Eli's sharp bark of laughter, followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting concrete.

Sawyer moves ahead of me with ruthless precision, his strikes clean, efficient. One by one, the hunters drop unconscious. But I barely register their defeat.

The bond pulls me forward, insistent, primal. It's not a mating bond—not yet—but it's something deeper than instinct, more consuming than logic. Every cell in my body screams to reach her, to tear through anyone who stands in my way.

I push forward, navigating the maze of corridors, my breath steady despite the fury boiling in my veins. The closer I get, the stronger her scent becomes—lavender and pine, laced with something bitter. Wolfsbane.

My control slips. A growl rips from my throat, echoing off the walls.

A heavy steel door stands between us. I don't hesitate.

I slam into it with my full strength, letting my wolf's power surge through my muscles. Metal groans and gives way, the hinges snapping with a satisfying shriek. The door crashes inward, revealing the dimly lit room beyond.

And there she is.

Maya is chained to a chair, silver cuffs biting into her wrists. Her skin is raw where the metal touches her, angry red welts rising beneath the cursed restraints. Her head lifts weakly at the sound of my entrance, amber eyes locking onto mine. Despite the pain in her gaze, despite the blood trickling from a cut above her brow, she still manages that damned smirk I've grown to crave.

"About time," she rasps. "I was starting to think you'd gotten lost."

Something inside me snaps.

Before I can reach her, movement to the left—

A hunter yanks her upright, pressing a silver blade to her throat. The room stills.

I stop where I stand, my body coiled tight, every muscle locked in place. My wolf rages, but I force myself to stay still. One wrong move, one miscalculation, and that blade will cut deep. The thought alone makes my vision blur red.

The hunter's grip on Maya is too tight, his breathing uneven. He's nervous. Good.

"You think that knife will save you?" My voice is low, steady. Deadly.

The hunter tenses, his hands trembling slightly. "Stay back, or I'll—"

I lunge.

It happens too fast for him to react.

In a blur of motion, I grab his wrist, twisting hard. The knife clatters to the floor as his bones snap beneath my grip. His scream is cut short when my other hand wraps around his throat, lifting him clean off his feet.

"You touched what's mine," I growl, my wolf's rage bleeding into my voice.

He claws at my grip, his face turning red, but I don't squeeze hard enough to kill—just enough to make him feel the weight of his mistake. Then, with a flick of my wrist, I toss him aside. He crumples to the floor, unconscious.

I turn back to Maya, my hands gentler now as I reach for the chains. The silver burns my fingers, but I don't stop. I snap the cuffs, the scent of scorched flesh filling the air as I toss them away.

Maya sags forward, too weak to hold herself up. I catch her before she can fall, her body pressing against mine. Her heartbeat thunders against my chest, quick but steady.

Her fingers tighten in my shirt, twisting the fabric as if anchoring herself to me. "I knew you'd come," she whispers, her breath warm against my neck.

I exhale sharply, my forehead pressing against hers. My hands cup her face, thumbs brushing away traces of blood and dirt. "I'll always come for you."

The words escape before I can stop them, raw and honest in a way I haven't allowed myself to be in years.

My wolf rumbles in satisfaction as Maya's scent wraps around me, the relief overwhelming. She's hurt but alive. Safe.

Mine.

I scoop her into my arms, cradling her close as I step out of the room. She nestles against my chest, her nose pressing into the curve of my neck. "My hero," she murmurs, managing a weak laugh that makes my heart clench.

The fighting outside has died down. Theo and his wolves finish off the last of the hunters, their snarls fading into silence. Eli wipes blood from his knuckles, glancing up as I emerge from the warehouse. His sharp hazel eyes flick to Maya in my arms, then back to me. He doesn't say anything, but his knowing smirk says enough.

Lucien stands off to the side, watching the carnage with elegant detachment. He tilts his head, silver-gray eyes gleaming with dark amusement as he murmurs, "Well, well. You really are quite terrifying when provoked, Blackwell. I do believe I'm starting to see the appeal."

I don't respond.

I don't care about Lucien, or the hunters, or the blood staining the ground.

Maya is safe in my arms, her breath steady against my skin, her fingers still gripping my shirt like she never wants to let go.

That's the only thing that matters.

But as I hold her closer, breathing in her scent—lavender and pine beneath the metallic tang of blood—I know one thing for certain.

This war isn't over.

And neither is this thing between us.

Because she is mine.

And I will tear apart anyone who tries to take her from me again.