147

Bianca's POV

The night was still, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. I had been walking down the hall toward my room when I heard faint voices coming from Alina’s study. Curious, I paused just outside the door, careful to stay in the shadows.

“Are you sure about this?” Alina’s sharp voice carried through the crack in the door.

“Yes,” Dean replied confidently. “Tomorrow night, everything will go as planned. Once the fire distracts the guards, I’ll get Lia out and bring her back to the pack. She’ll be ours to deal with.”

My heart skipped a beat. Fire? Lia? What were they planning?

“And you’re certain the elders won’t interfere?” Alina asked her voice tight with concern.

“They’ll have no idea until it’s too late,” Dean assured her. “By the time they figure it out, Lia will be back here, under our control. Trust me, Alina, everything is under control.”

I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep from gasping. Dean and Alina were plotting to break Lia out of prison. But why? And what did this mean about Finn’s death? Could they have been involved?

I didn’t dare stay any longer. As quietly as I could, I slipped away from the door and hurried down the hall to find Jenny.

When I reached her room, I burst in without knocking. Jenny sat on her bed, startled by my sudden entrance.

“Bianca, what’s wrong?” she asked, setting down the book she had been reading.

“You’re not going to believe what I just overheard,” I said, quickly closing the door behind me.

Her brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

I took a deep breath and recounted everything I had just heard. By the time I finished, Jenny’s face was a mix of shock and determination.

“So, they’re planning to break Lia out,” she said slowly, piecing it together. “But why? And why go to such lengths if they’re convinced she’s guilty?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” I replied. “It doesn’t make sense. Unless…”

Jenny’s eyes widened. “Unless Dean and Alina are the ones behind Finn’s death. Think about it—who else would have the means and motive to frame Lia?”

It was a terrifying thought, but it made sense. Dean had always been shady, and Alina’s hatred for Lia was no secret.

“We need to find out for sure,” Jenny said, her voice steady. “If they’re going to the prison tomorrow night, we’ll follow them. Maybe we can find proof of what they’ve done.”

I hesitated. “It’s risky, Jenny. If they catch us—”

“We won’t let them catch us,” she cut me off. “This might be our only chance to expose them.”

Her determination was contagious, and I found myself nodding. “Alright. We’ll follow them. But we need to be careful.”

\---

The following night, Jenny and I waited in the shadows outside the pack house, our breaths shallow and our nerves on edge. We watched as Dean and Alina slipped out, their movements cautious but not cautious enough to spot us.

“They’re heading toward the woods,” Jenny whispered, nudging me.

I nodded, and we followed at a safe distance, staying hidden among the trees. My heart pounded in my chest as we trailed them, every snap of a twig underfoot making me flinch.

Eventually, we reached the edge of the prison grounds. Dean and Alina stopped, crouching low as they surveyed the area.

“Stay here,” Dean told Alina. “I’ll handle the guards.”

Alina nodded, her expression cold and resolute.

Jenny and I exchanged a glance. This was it. Whatever they were planning was about to happen.

Dean moved quickly, slipping into the shadows and disappearing from view. Alina remained where she was, her eyes fixed on the prison.

“We need to get closer,” Jenny whispered, tugging my sleeve.

We crept forward, inching closer to where Alina was hiding. From our new vantage point, we could see Dean reemerge, now wearing a guard’s uniform. He carried himself with confidence, moving as though he belonged there.

“He’s going inside,” I murmured.

Jenny nodded. “They’re definitely breaking her out. But why go through all this trouble if she’s guilty? It doesn’t add up.”

I shook my head, my mind racing. “We need to find out what they’re planning next. And if Dean really is responsible for Finn’s death, we need to prove it.”

We stayed hidden, watching as Dean entered the prison and Alina remained on the lookout. My stomach churned with a mix of fear and anticipation. Whatever was happening tonight was going to change everything.

____

Lia's POV

The cell was cold and suffocating, but after days of sleepless nights and relentless worry, exhaustion finally overtook me. I fell into a restless slumber, haunted by dreams of Finn, Luca, and a sea of accusing faces.

Suddenly, the shrill sound of the fire alarm jolted me awake. My heart raced as the piercing noise echoed off the cement walls, a chaotic symphony accompanied by the distant sound of shouting. Smoke began to seep through the small cracks around the door.

I stumbled to my feet, coughing as the acrid smell filled my lungs. “What’s going on?” I muttered, panic creeping into my voice.

Before I could piece together what was happening, I heard faint but deliberate footsteps outside my cell. My instincts screamed danger. “Who’s there?” I called out, my voice trembling.

No response.

The footsteps grew louder, more purposeful until they stopped right outside my cell door. My pulse pounded in my ears as I backed up against the far wall.

The door creaked open, and through the haze of smoke, I saw a figure step inside. I couldn’t make out their face at first, but their scent hit me—a distinct, familiar musk. My wolf stirred uneasily within me.

“Dean,” I whispered, my voice laced with both anger and disbelief.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he moved swiftly, covering his nose and mouth with a cloth as he approached me.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded, my voice breaking. “What is this?”

Still, he said nothing. His silence unnerved me more than any words could have. I pressed myself further into the wall, desperation coursing through my veins.

“Answer me!” I shouted, but the words barely left my lips before Dean lunged at me.

I ducked, narrowly avoiding his grasp, and scrambled toward the door. My hands clawed at the frame, but Dean was faster. His arm wrapped around my waist, yanking me backward with a force that knocked the air out of my lungs.

“Let me go!” I screamed, thrashing against his grip.

He didn’t let up. Instead, he brought the cloth he was holding toward my face. A sickly sweet smell invaded my senses as he tried to press it against my nose.

“No!” I gasped, twisting my head away. My wolf surged within me, giving me strength as I clawed at his arms. I bit down hard on his wrist, and he let out a sharp grunt of pain, loosening his hold just enough for me to break free.

I spun around to face him, my vision blurred by smoke and tears. “Why, Dean? Why are you doing this?”

He didn’t answer, his expression a cold mask.

As I backed away, I sniffed the air, trying to confirm what I already knew. Beneath the stench of smoke and chemicals, his scent was undeniable. This was Dean. The man who had always lingered in the shadows, the man I had never trusted.

“You killed Finn, didn’t you?” I spat, the realization hitting me like a ton of bricks. “This was all your plan, wasn’t it?”

His jaw tightened, and his silence spoke volumes.

Fury bubbled within me. “You think you can frame me for your crime? Do you think this will make you untouchable?”

Dean’s eyes darkened, and without warning, he struck me across the face. Pain exploded in my cheek as I stumbled backward, dazed.

“Enough,” he said finally, his voice low and menacing.

Before I could recover, he closed the distance between us, grabbing me by the arm. My vision blurred, and my strength began to wane as he pulled me toward the door.

The smoke grew thicker, each breath burning my lungs. My head spun as I tried to resist, but my body betrayed me.

“Luca will stop you,” I managed to choke out, even as my knees buckled. “You won’t get away with this.”

Dean let out a dark laugh. “Oh, Lia, Luca isn’t your savior. He’s just another pawn in this game.”

His words cut deeper than the blow to my face, but I couldn’t focus on them. The world tilted, the edges of my vision darkening as he dragged me out of the cell.

I tried to fight, to summon any strength I had left, but it was no use. The last thing I saw before e
verything went black was the flickering glow of flames in the distance and Dean’s cold, unrelenting face.

Darkness swallowed me whole.