Chapter 149 The Price of Mercy

Chapter 149 The Price of Mercy
[Cedric]

The sensation hit me without warning. One moment I was organizing equipment at the station, methodically checking each item off my list, and the next—pain erupted in my chest like I'd been struck by lightning.

Sharp, electric agony radiated outward from my sternum. My skin felt like it was being seared with a hot iron. I dropped the oxygen tank I'd been holding, barely registering the loud clang as it hit the concrete floor.

This wasn't my pain. It was Lana's. Through our mate bond, I felt her suffering as clearly as if it were happening to my own body. Along with the physical torment came a flood of emotions—terror and fury intertwined, rolling through our connection like a violent storm.

"Cedric! What's wrong? You okay?" Torres rushed to my side as my knees buckled.

I couldn't answer. My hand clutched at my chest while the pain intensified, waves of it crashing through the bond. Something was terribly wrong. Someone was hurting Lana—torturing her.

Torres helped me to the break room, his face tight with concern. "You look like hell, man. Do you need to go to the hospital?"

I shook my head, struggling to find my voice. "No... I'm fine... family emergency. I have to go. Now."

The captain walked in, brows furrowed as he took in my hunched posture. "What's the situation?"

"Family emergency," I repeated, forcing myself to stand straight despite the phantom burning sensation across my skin. "Please, I need to leave."

He studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Go. Call if you need anything."

"Want me to drive you?" Torres offered, but I was already moving toward the door.

"No, I can manage."

In my car, I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. Another surge of pain hit, and I felt my fingernails lengthening, sharpening into claws that dug into the leather of the wheel. My wolf was responding to the threat against my mate, even from miles away.

"Hold on, Lana," I whispered through gritted teeth. "I'm coming."

I tried calling her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. "Damn it!" I slammed my palm against the dashboard.

The drive was a blur of red lights run and speed limits ignored. A police siren wailed behind me at one point, but I couldn't stop—not when every second mattered. I followed the pull of our bond, letting it guide me like a compass pointing to its true north.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Raven's number, my fingers trembling with urgency.

"Raven," I said as soon as he answered, my voice tight with panic. "Lana's in trouble."

"What happened?" His normally playful tone was gone, replaced by sharp alertness.

"Through the bond... I can feel her being tortured. Electric shocks, cutting... it's bad." I swerved around a slow-moving truck.

"Are you sure she's at her apartment?"

"Not certain, but that's the most likely place. She's fading, Raven. I can feel her getting weaker."

"I'm on my way. Wait for me before you go in."

"There's no time," I said, ending the call.

When I reached her building, the scent hit me immediately—strangers and blood. My heart pounded against my ribcage as I approached her door quietly, ears straining to catch any sounds from inside.

"Tell us where your parents are!" A woman's voice—Margaret's. The same woman who had been my foster mother, who had worked with hunters to kill my sister Maya. The very person I had begged Lana to spare.

Then Lana's voice, weak but defiant: "Go... to hell..." Followed by the unmistakable sound of electrical current and a muffled scream.

"That bitch..." I whispered, feeling my eyes shift to their wolf gold.

As I edged closer to the door, I heard a man's voice: "She can't hold out much longer."

Margaret's cold laugh followed. "Don't worry, she won't die... not that easily..."

I didn't wait another second. With one powerful kick, the door flew off its hinges. The scene before me froze my blood—Lana bound to a chair, her body covered in wounds, blood trickling from multiple cuts. Silver chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles, burning her skin. Margaret stood over her, a cattle prod in one hand.

Margaret's head snapped up, her eyes widening in recognition before narrowing with contempt. "Cedric. How perfect. The very wolf who saved my life now comes to rescue his vampire whore."

"You should have stayed far away from her," I growled, feeling my partial shift begin. My teeth elongated, muscles bulging beneath my skin.

"Careful, it's Whitmore's pet wolf!" one of the hunters shouted, raising his gun. "The one from Mapleton!"

I moved faster than they could track, disarming the first hunter and throwing him against the wall with enough force to crack the plaster. Two more rushed me with silver knives, but my rage fueled my strength. I dodged one blade and caught the other hunter's wrist, twisting until I heard bones snap.

Margaret retreated, pressing a knife to Lana's throat. "One more step and I'll kill her!"

I froze, calculating my options. Then I raised my hands in apparent surrender.

"Still soft, just like when you begged for your sister," Margaret sneered. "Some things never change."

Using the distraction, I lunged forward with supernatural speed, knocking Margaret away from Lana before she could react. She hit the floor hard, the knife clattering away.

"This isn't over," she hissed, blood trickling from her split lip. "We'll find all of you..."

I ignored her, rushing to Lana. Her face was barely recognizable beneath the blood, her eyes swollen nearly shut. My heart constricted painfully.

"Lana? Can you hear me? It's me, Cedric." I kept my voice gentle despite the rage still coursing through me.

Her eyelids fluttered. "Ce...dric? You... came..."

I carefully began removing the silver chains, hissing as they burned my hands. The pain was nothing compared to seeing her like this.

"Careful..." she whispered. "Silver..."

"I've got you," I said, gathering her in my arms. She felt lighter than I remembered, fragile in a way that terrified me. "I'm taking you out of here."

She nestled against my chest, murmuring, "You shouldn't have... come back..." before going limp in my arms.

I placed her gently in the backseat of my car, my movements hurried but careful. Pulling out my phone, I called Raven.

"I've got her," I said as soon as he answered. "Situation's bad. I'm heading to my apartment."

"How is she?" Raven's voice was tight with concern.

"Terrible. Multiple injuries... she's unconscious." I glanced back at her still form as I drove. "Meet me there."

At my apartment, I carried her inside, laying her on my bed with utmost care. As I began cleaning her wounds, I noticed blood soaking through her pants. A lot of blood. Too much blood.

"No, no, no... what is this?" Panic rose in my throat as I realized the bleeding was coming from between her legs.

Raven arrived minutes later, taking in the scene with widening eyes. He immediately initiated a video call with Victoria.

Victoria's face appeared on the screen, her expression changing from annoyance to alarm as Raven turned the camera toward Lana.

"She's miscarrying," Victoria said, her voice clinical but urgent. "You need to stop the bleeding now."

The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "Miscarrying? What do you mean... she was pregnant?"

Victoria began rattling off emergency treatment instructions, but my mind was still struggling to process this revelation.

Suddenly, Lana's eyes fluttered open. She reached for my hand, gripping it with surprising strength.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I wanted... to protect our child..."

Tears burned in my eyes. "Don't talk. Save your strength. We're going to save you both."

Lana shook her head weakly. "Too late... I can feel life slipping away..."

Victoria's voice cut through my despair. "I'll be there in twenty minutes with special medication. There's still hope."

I grasped Lana's hand tighter. "Hold on. You can't give up. We can't give up."

Raven placed a hand on my shoulder. "Lana's stronger than you think. She'll pull through this."

Lana's eyes found mine again, momentarily clear despite her pain. "If I... don't make it..."

"No," I interrupted fiercely. "Don't say that. I just found you. I'm not losing you again."

A weak smile touched her lips. "You're... so stubborn..."

Outside, thunder crashed as rain began to fall. I pressed my forehead against hers, our breaths mingling.

"I love you," I whispered, "no matter what happens... I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Her eyes closed again, but through our bond, I felt the faintest response—a flicker of warmth, of love, fighting against the encroaching darkness.