Chapter One Hundred and Four
Chapter One Hundred and Four
ACE’S POV
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Another twenty four hours has passed since I found out Charlotte was missing. Liam was knocked out and is currently receiving the best medical treatment from Leslie at my penthouse. I haven’t gone back to the pack. My men and I have searched every possible place Charlotte could be, but we didn’t find a trace of her.
“Who in their right mind would take Charlotte away?” I hissed, my fist slamming into the wall. The impact cracked the surface, but did nothing to ease the anger burning in my chest. I hit it again, my knuckles stinging as the crack spread. Fuck!”
My head felt light and I felt like shit. I leaned back for a moment, dragging a hand through my hair as the thought kept repeating in my mind. All this is happening because of me. Because I distanced myself from her. Because I kept pushing her away when she needed me. And all because I was a selfish coward who couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth. All I’ve ever done since I’ve known Charlotte was hurt her. Even when I thought I was making it better, it always ended up worse. The memory of her face kept flashing in my mind, the way she looked at me right here in my office as I told her off hours ago.
Ever since the chef’s son came with that revelation, Moon seems to have suddenly disappeared. She and her family have a lot of questions to answer, and I’ll get back to them after I find Charlotte. Right now, nothing matters more than bringing my woman back.
The door opened with a loud bang and Gavin walked in like he owned the place.
“I’m not in the mood for whatever crap it is you have to say. Come back next time,” I snapped, already turning away from him, but Gavin didn’t move.
He stayed where he was, folding his hands across his chest, a deep scowl settling on his face as he watched me. “I would,” he dragged slowly, “but this is important.”
“Gavin!” I yelled, my voice rising until it shook the room. The anger and bitterness sitting in my chest was already too much and he was pushing it further. “Not now.”
I started walking towards the door, ready to leave before I did something worse than breaking another wall.
“It’s good that you’re this angry,” Gavin said behind me. “Because you will need it when you hear what I have to say.”
My steps slowed down. For a second I stood there with my back to him, my jaw tight.
Without turning around, I said, “Spill.”
“My men found the leader of the rougarou,” he said. “And he may or may not know where Charlotte is.”
My head snapped to him so fast my neck almost hurt. “Where is he?” I demanded.
He walked out without another word and I followed him to his car. I got in beside him and he drove off. I didn’t bother asking where he was taking me. The car finally slowed and stopped in front of what looked like an old restaurant that hadn‘ t been used for ages. The windows were dusty, the sign above the door hanging crooked like it could fall at any moment. Gavin stepped out and I followed him inside.
The place was empty except for the figure hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. A chain held him up, his wrists tied above his head while his legs barely touched the ground. His body swayed weakly.
“His name is Ravok, Gavin said.
The man slowly lifted his head. His face was covered in blood, one eye swollen while the other struggled to stay open. I didn’t need the name to recognize him. He was the one who lured me into the woods the first time they attacked. I had also encountered him a few more times since then.
I stepped closer, my fists clenching at my sides.
“Where is Charlotte?” I growled.
Ravok coughed, spitting blood to the floor before lifting his head again.
“I didn’t take her,” he rasped. “I swear.”
The words only made my temper rise. I grabbed his shirt and forced his head up so he had no choice but to look at me.
“Then who did?” I asked, the last thread of my patience slipping away.
“Your wife,” he croaked. “Moon.”
For a second, the room went silent.
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Chapter One Hundred and Four
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My breath came out fast as the words sank in. My claws slid out before I could stop them. I grabbed his neck, my fingers. tightening around it as the chain above him rattled loudly. With my other hand, I caught the chain holding him up and yanked it hard.
The metal snapped free from the ceiling with a loud crack.
His body dropped but I didn’t let him fall. I dragged him forward and slammed him hard against the wall. The impact shook dust from the ceiling as the wall behind him cracked.
“Ace, you can’t kill him now!” Gavin shouted from behind me, rushing forward. “I believe there is still something we can get out of him!”
But my wolf wanted his head. My claws sank into Ravok’s neck, piercing through the skin. Blood rushed down his chest, soaking his clothes as he choked under my grip: His hands clawed weakly at my arm.
With a furious growl, I threw him across the building. His body crashed into a broken table before sliding to the floor in a heap.
I walked toward him slowly, my claws still out, my chest rising and falling hard.
“Where is she keeping her?” I demanded.
“I don’t know exactly where but somewhere around 299 Vandervoort Avenue, Brooklyn.” He coughed, blood spilling from his mouth as his head hung forward before he forced himself to look at me again. A broken laugh left him because my nails had been buried in his neck. “You’re already too late. The plan is to make her get back her memories in the worst way possible and then kill her. I don’t think you have so much time left.”
He tried to laugh again but it came out choking and wet. Something inside me snapped at the sound. My hand shot forward, I grabbed his head and twisted hard. A sharp crack filled the room as his neck broke under my grip. The next second his head tore free from his body and I threw it across the floor. It landed with a heavy thud, rolling.
“And this is for hurting my mate and my pack.” I spat on his body, the anger in my chest still burning hot as I turned and walked out of the building.
Outside, I got into Gavin’s car. He didn’t bother asking me not to. He only looked at me for a moment before speaking. “Go bring her back, Ace.” That was all he said before I drove off, the engine roaring as the car sped toward the address he had
given me.
Like the animal said, Charlotte’s car was parked outside a warehouse when I arrived. I stepped out and the first thing that hit me was her scent. I moved forward slowly, tracking it until it led me away from the warehouse and toward a very small building nearby, one that almost looked like it didn’t exist. The walls were narrow and worn, the kind of place people would easily pass without noticing. A few guards stood right outside the door, talking quietly among themselves.
The guards barely had time to react. I moved fast, closing the distance between us in seconds. They grabbed their weapons but my hand was already on their throats one by one. Some sharp twists and their bodies dropped before they could make any sound.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was empty except for a narrow space that led to a staircase going down. I followed her scent quickly, taking the stairs until I reached a small door at the bottom.
Charlotte was lying lifeless on the floor.
For a moment my heart stopped, but she wasn’t alone. Someone else was there with her. A woman I had never seen before. Her aura felt strange, different from any wolf I had met. I studied her face, trying to place her, but nothing came to mind. I had no idea how she got in here without alerting the guards outside.
“She was injected with Nocthera,” she said before I could speak. “It has spread through her body and she might not make it.”
I wanted to ask her who she was and how she knew all this, but I didn’t have that luxury of time. Right now, the only thing that mattered was getting Charlotte out of here.
“Oh my goodness.” The words slipped out of my mouth the moment I stepped closer.
Her body had turned red, the color spreading across her skin like something burning from the inside. Her wrists were even worse, darker and swollen. My eyes followed the marks until they landed on the chain fixed to the wall.
Silver and Nocthera, the worst possible combination and they kill very fast.
I lifted her off the floor and carried her unconscious in my arms. Her body felt too still against my chest and it made my heart pound harder. My legs moved fast on their own as I hurried out of the building with her. I laid her carefully on the back seat of the car before getting behind the wheel and driving off.
By the time I got to the penthouse, I noticed the woman had followed me. She stepped out from nowhere.
“Who are you?” I queried, turning to face her.
Chapter One Hundred and Four
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Just then Ethan and Leslie rushed out of the building toward us. The moment Leslie’s eyes landed on Charlotte’s almost lifeless body in the car, she broke down in tears.
“Charlotte…” her voice cracked as she hurried closer.
I lifted Charlotte again and carried her upstairs to her room. I placed her gently on the bed while Leslie rushed to the drawer and pulled out a syringe along with a small bottle of liquid medicine. Her hands were shaking as she prepared it.
“You can’t inject her,” the woman said from the doorway. “The poison in her system will reject everything and the process might kill her.”
Leslie froze and slowly turned to look at her.
“Who are you,” she asked, her brows tightening, “and how do you know she was poisoned?”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
