Chapter 225
HANNAH
Asher's fist filled up my field of vision. It smashed into my face. Stars exploded in my skull. I panicked.
I couldn't breathe. Warm wet liquid- blood- clogged up my nostrils and then I coughed and it felt a little better. My elbows relaxed and I fell back.
"That hurt?" Asher said. "Good. I thought I had lost your attention there for a moment."
A chill raced down my back and lifted the hairs on the back of my neck. Asher was gearing up himself to kill me.
I had to act now.
Mustering up every bit of energy in me, I tried to shift.
As the white wolf, I could tear Asher to pieces without breaking a sweat.
I squinted in concentration and felt the change coming. My claws started to force themselves out of the pad of my thumbs.
"Oh no, you don't, bitch!" Asher snarled, dragging me forward.
Then in seconds, he pulled out a small silver dagger. It whistled through the air as he brought it down and buried it deep in my stomach.
I felt nothing. And then I felt like my guts were on fire. I gripped my stomach.
"N-no. No," I stuttered, watching in horror as the blood soaked my nightie and started to pool on the floor.
There was no question of shifting now. I literally felt the strength draining out of me. I squeezed my eyes shut and struggled to hold on to consciousness.
"Oh yes," said Asher and cackled. "You thought you would cheat you're way out of this one, did you? No white wolf for you today, Hannah. We're going to finish this on an even fucking footing."
His voice faded away. First, it sounded like it was coming from the other end of the house. Then it sounded like it was coming from a whole other universe.
Asher gave me a vicious kick in the ribs. I was screaming even before my eyes flew open.
"Don't die yet," Asher was saying. "You can't die just yet. I want to kill you slowly. Get up!"
I shook my head. The movement sent tears running down my cheeks. They mixed with the blood and sweat there.
Asher grabbed a fistful of my clothes, and yanked me roughly to my feet. He marched me to a window overlooking the grounds. I stumbled along with my hand clamped over my stomach.
One sharp blow with his fist shattered the windowpane. The glass cut his hands, but he didn't seem to care. Didn't even seem to notice. The sounds from outside intensified like the volume of a radio being turned up.
"Look," he yelled, grabbing my hair and forcing my head out of the window. A long, jagged piece of glass, still attached to the window frame, was dangerously close to my neck. He shook me.
"Look," he shouted again. "Look at that. Out there is fire and blood. See? You're all going to die here today. You and all your shithead supporters!" He shook me again, and the glass punctured my skin, sending a thin dribble of blood down my neck. "Look at how everyone will die tonight. Your mate will come back and meet your body."
The air was filled with the sound of crackling flames. Everything was burning. Above the yells and the death screams and the explosions were the constant blaring of car alarms as they exploded into flames.
Asher's men ran around like maniacs, stabbing anything that moved. As I watched, five of them surrounded a guard and fell on him, stabbing viciously with their daggers.
"No," I sobbed. I shut my eyes.
He yanked me back from the window. I fell on my face. I coughed, retched, and crawled forward. My one thought was to get away. I-
Asher's boot came down on my back and I heard something in their snap. I took a deep breath and released it in a shriek of agony. I had never thought, never imagined that there was so much pain in the world.
I would give anything, do anything to make it stop.
"Make it stop," I croaked, realizing a split second later that I had said the words out loud.
"That's it, Hannah," I heard Asher say. "Scream for me. Scream some more. I love to hear it."
I didn't. I didn't think I had any more screams left in me. Darkness hovered at the edges of my vision again. This time I welcomed it. Anything to stop the pain.
Into my head swam a picture of Willa, laughing like I had seen her hours before. If I died, Willa would die too. And then what of the other innocents in the pack who Asher would murder?
The thought of Asher ever hurting anyone once again made me angry. The thoughts of my mates blaming themselves for the rest of their lives for not being able to save me hurt me. I wanted the anger. I welcomed it. I could feel it heating up my blood, pulsing through my veins until all I wanted to do was rip something apart.
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