Chapter 104

“Azrael should thank me! I’ve been working hard to be a Werewolf while he got it for free!”
“You fucking asshole! I’m going to kill you!”
Logan realizes the shit he just said a second later. A second too late.
“What? No, no, no, it wasn’t my fault!” His face crumples, his body sagging against the restraints. “I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know...”
I drive the small blade into his ribs again and again, slicing through flesh until I catch a glimpse of his organs, glistening and still throbbing with life. 
“You handed *my son* over to be turned into a Werewolf because of a fucking debt?”
I leave the knife buried in him, his blood soaking through his naked body. His scream is cut short by my fist crashing into his jaw. Ah, the perfect sound of the crack of bone, his bone! His head snaps to the side, blood spraying from his mouth.  
I lean in close, my voice low and dripping with contempt. “You wanted to be a Werewolf, huh? Wanted the power, the strength... I’d love to grant you that wish just so I could break you over and over again.” Logan’s eyes widen, terror gleaming through the pain. “But you don’t get what you want.” I grip his hair, yanking his head back to face me. “You’re going to suffer like the pathetic human you are, and you’re going to die like one, too.”  
His lip trembles, fear spilling from his aura. Good. I want him to feel it. Every. Last. Drop.
I pull the small knife from his body and, without hesitation, point it at his flaccid little dick. Logan squirms and cries out, but it’s too late—with one swift motion, I cut it off. A second later, his severed penis lies limp between his legs.
“That is for touching what is mine!” I punch him in the same spot I saw the bruise on Little Dove’s face. Then I easily rip the ropes off his arm and spin his arm back just like my poor fated mate said he did to her. 
At this point, I can’t even hear his screams anymore. I can only hear her weak voice telling me everything he did to her. And I know that, deep down, she didn’t tell me half of what she went through at his hands.
Then I finally release Logan from the chair, only to throw him to the ground and crush his knee with my boot.
“No! No, please. I won’t touch her again. No! Stop!” His screams slowly fade into a gurgle. 
“You didn’t stop when she said no. Why should I?” A crack of a bone breaking snaps through the room.
I kick his severed ribs, remembering the scar he left on my Little Dove’s ribs. “This is for Alicent!” 
*He called me a monster.* I hear Az’s voice in my head.
Another kick. 
"This is for my son Azrael! And for making both of them feel things neither of them should ever feel!”
I kick him hard in the stomach. Logan retches, and I quickly step away, just in time to avoid his splattering vomit on my foot.
Looking down at him, I say with a wicked smile, “You touched my mate. You die. It’s simple.” 
I lean in close again. Reaching out, I rip Logan’s heart from his chest. Blood trickles down my arm as I hold the heart up, watching it struggle to beat. 
I squeeze it with all my strength before letting my wolf go feral. Less than a second later, Kral rips out Logan’s throat in a single bite before howling in victory over his dead body.
Minutes later, I thank Rick for following the dead asshole, Josh for settling Logan in the basement for me, and Shawn for helping with everything before I get into my car, my Beta already in the passenger seat.
Now, I need to go rescue my precious mate in that sketchy neighborhood. I can’t spend another second without her. 

🐺 🐺 🐺
***Alicent***

Time passes slowly here in this little hell. My stomach twists in hunger, but even with my body weak and broken, sleep won’t come. Not that I can rest in the position I’m sitting in anyway. The pit I’m in is anything but comfortable.
The stench of my own dried blood and dirt clogs my nose, sickeningly familiar now. Behind me, the wall is cold and damp, streaked with water stains and patches of mold, visible only because the guy with a goatee didn’t bother to turn off the light when he dragged Chelsea’s body out of here. God, how long ago was that? Minutes? Hours? Time has lost all meaning.  
No one’s come back since, not Goatee Guy, not Logan. Relief and fear twist together in my gut. 
Relief, because Logan didn’t keep his promise. 
Fear, because if he killed Chelsea without a second thought, why wouldn’t he do the same to me as he already promised to do?  
I press my tied hands to my forehead, sitting on the filthy floor as my thoughts circle back to my son. 
Will I ever see Az again? At least he’s safe where he is. Ethan and his family will look after him, protect him, love him.
I squeeze my eyes shut, sadness and shame burning in my chest. How could I have been so stupid? Falling for Logan’s lies again! What was I thinking?
No. I grit my teeth, forcing the thoughts away. Enough of blaming myself for other people’s bad actions. Enough of taking the fall for Logan’s wrongdoing. 
I rest my head on my knees, curling into myself as tightly as I can. But a sudden noise outside jolts me upright, pain shooting through my neck from the sharp movement. 
The silence that’s hung heavy for so long is shattered by heavy, pounding footsteps that shake the floor, followed by a deep, menacing growl that vibrates through the walls.  
Then, a deafening crash. The sound of something—or someone—slamming hard against the wall outside. It’s followed by another thud, even louder, like a body being hurled across the room. The walls tremble with the impact.  
I do not miss the opportunity. I force as much air as I can into my lungs. “Help! Someone help me! I’m trapped in here!”
Before I can shout again, the door explodes inward with a violent bang, the wood splintering as it’s struck from the other side. A body smashes into it, sending the door flying off its hinges with a sickening crunch. The door crashes to the floor with an echoing boom, dust swirling up from the floor. The impact is so forceful that it bounces once before settling unevenly. I flinch, pressing myself back against the cold, damp wall as I open my mouth, realizing whose body is.
Lying motionless beneath the door is Goatee Guy, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles.
Then, the chaos ends quicker than it began.
Silence hangs for several seconds, and fear begins to take hold of me. I clamp my mouth shut, restraining myself from screaming for help again.
I feel sweat trickling down my forehead, mingling with the tangled hair that sticks to my face.
Oh, God. Oh, God. What’s going on out there?
But then, out of nowhere, the most strikingly handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life and very, *very* pissed, may I add, steps into the shattered doorway wearing only black shorts.
“Ethan!” I whisper his name in relief.
His black gaze locks on me. And in that instant, my body begins to urge me to be close to him. I close my eyes, feeling my eyes burn with tears, and when I open them again, Ethan is already in front of me, untying me from all the chains attached to my body.
Even though I feel pain, I throw myself into Ethan’s arms. 
“I’m here, love.” He holds me tight, and I don’t care if it hurts. Then Ethan picks me up and carries me to the wooden table in the room. 
On the table, there are some tools and a gun. 
The same gun that Logan used to kill Chelsea. I couldn't see it from where I was sitting.
Ethan settles me down on the wooden table and positions himself between my legs while I still hug him tight, tying my arms around his neck. 
The air seems to rush out of me as I cry. “My Little Dove,” Ethan says, voice deeper than usual, so rough that I pull him closer, hoping it’ll soothe the odd frantic trembling in his hands.
His strong hands cup the back of my head and gently push me backward. “Goddess, you’re hurt...” His voice is filled with anguish as he looks at my face as though the pain I’m feeling cuts through him just as deeply.
I search for any cut in his handsome face. “Are you all right?” I ask. Because although I can’t see anything, he doesn’t look all right. 
Ethan blinks before his eyes soften. “Goddess, Little Dove.” His voice cracks. 
Is he... is he going to cry? 
What is wrong? 
What awful thing had happened? 
It had to be something bad for Ethan to break. “What is it? What’s wrong?” I ask. “Has something happened to Az? Vi? Your parents? Lily? What’s the matter?” 
“No, Little Dove. No. They’re all fine. It’s you.” 
“Me?”  
“Look at you. You’re hurt...” He takes a deep breath.
“Ethan, I’m all right,” I whisper, but he shakes his head. “I’ll be fine, Ethan.” 
I’ll repeat it until he believes me. 
Ethan stares down at me for a long moment with those sharp black eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? I almost lost you! I didn’t want you to go.” 
“I know,” I whisper. I’m the dumbest.  
“You won’t go anywhere without me anymore!” 
“I’m sorry. I thought I would be safe. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” I can feel myself shaking. A delayed reaction, maybe? 
“Shh. I’m here. Everything will be alright,” he promises as his thumbs wipe away my tears, and then he places his hands on my thighs, grounding me.
“I know I scared you,” I confess. I can see it in his eyes. “I’m sorry.” 
“That doesn’t even come close to what I felt. When I saw Vi’s car and found out you’re missing...” Ethan shakes his head. “Little Dove, I lost years of my life.” 
“I know,” I whisper, feeling guilty. “Would it help if I promised to never do anything again without telling you first?” 
“Oh, you definitely won’t be doing anything without *me* again. Ever.” Ethan’s eyes are stormy, a dark promise. He brushes my hair back from my face. “Nothing can happen to you, Little Dove. Nothing.” 
“I know. I had no idea that Logan would... after everything that happened, I never thought he would kidnap me.” 
“Fuck. Here I am, concerned about how I feel, and I’m not taking care of you. Come here.” His big arms wrap around me in a warm hug that makes me immediately feel safe. 
Ethan rocks me back and forth. And gradually, it allows my heartbeat to slow, the panic to drain from me. Exhaustion floods me as I feel peace.
But then Ethan abruptly pulls away, spinning around. 
Just then, I notice a giant brown wolf appear in the broken doorway. It stomps its paw over the Goatee Guy’s body, and before it can jump toward us, Ethan’s already running toward it.
“No!” I scream, causing my throat to hurt.
What is Ethan doing? The wolf’s going to kill him!
But suddenly, in an instant, the black-haired handsome man disappears almost immediately. In his stead is a giant black wolf, twice the size of the other. Its fangs are bare and ready to strike. 
And strike the black wolf does! It lungs for the brown wolf’s throat the first chance it gets. 
The big black wolf kills the smaller wolf so quickly that if I had blinked, I would have missed it. Less than a second later, the brown wolf’s body is thrown to the floor.
Oh. My. God.
The world might have spun because I just get a front-row seat to a sight I’ve never seen before. 
The massive black wolf turns to face me. There’s nowhere for me to run because I literally can’t even get out of this table, and even if I could, what chance would I have? 
If it took down that big wolf, what would it do to me? If I try to run, I’m sure the beast’ll catch me before I even make it past this table.
The black wolf starts toward me but suddenly stops. Its furry head tilts back as it sniffs the air. Then, it continues moving in my direction.
Oh. My. God.
I just can’t believe what happens next.
Before those claws can reach for me, they retract into hands before my very eyes.
Where a giant black wolf once stood is now a very tall man. 
I barely breathe as the word slips out, “Ethan...?”