Chapter 40
Chapter 40
He seemed to have calmed down. His once labored breaths had steadied, though his body still trembled from exhaustion and pain. The deep gashes on his arms were still oozing blood, and his face was a map of bruises—purple, angry marks against pale skin. Sweat clung to his temples, making strands of his hair stick there.
I turned my attention back to Josh, kneeling beside him. Slowly, I reached out and tapped his cheek—not to hurt him, but to anchor him, to remind him I was still here. His head rolled slightly to the side, and he groaned. The sound was weak, broken, and full of suffering. It wasn’t hard to imagine why—he had been tortured relentlessly by the four of them, and every movement seemed to send fresh waves of agony through his body.
“Please… give us the exact location… please,” I whispered, my voice trembling. Desperation bled through every word, like the edges of my patience and hope were fraying all at once.
Inside me, my Luna’s instinct surged to the forefront. That deep, unshakable sense of responsibility for my Pack members consumed my thoughts. No matter what Josh had done—or failed to do—he was still one of ours. Still bound by the same blood and bond that tied us all together. I could see it in his eyes: the guilt, the hesitation, the war inside him. He wasn’t beyond reaching. I just needed to push him a little further, just enough for him to step back toward us instead of deeper into the shadows.
“My brother is suffering right now,” I said firmly, my eyes locked on his. “I want to save him. Don’t you think about the sacrifice you and your mate made? Give your mate a reason for her soul to rest peacefully in the afterlife.”
His breath hitched. I saw his eyes water, the faint shimmer catching the dim light of the room. The mention of his mate struck him like a physical blow.
He sobbed—quietly at first, then with a sharp intake of air, like he couldn’t hold it back anymore. The sound of it cut deep into me.
Logan, I thought bitterly, you’ve done enough. You’ve already taken too much from him.
“Don’t you want to avenge your mate?” I pressed, my voice soft but unwavering.
I knew him well enough to be certain—he would do anything for her. Weres were built that way. We loved fiercely, and when we lost, the weight of that love never truly disappeared. It either crushed us or pushed us to fight harder.
His lips quivered before he forced out a broken reply. “I-I’ll h-help y-you… b-but p-promise m-me… I’ll s-still b-be p-part… of the P-Pack.” His voice cracked in between each word, the weakness in his tone underscoring just how close to breaking he was.
Relief bloomed in my chest, warm and unshakable. I smiled, not just out of victory, but out of genuine gratitude. Josh wasn’t just a fighter—he was loyal, even now, when his world was hanging by a thread.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Dwight stiffen, his expression hardening. He looked like he was about to step in, but I cut him off with a sharp glare that told him plainly to stay out of it.
“Release him,” I ordered the two Pack warriors who stood guard over Josh.
They moved instantly, but before they could even unlock the restraints, Dwight’s voice sliced through the air.
“No, don’t release him. I am your Alpha—you follow me.”
The weight of his Alpha tone rolled across the room like a storm wind, making the two warriors flinch instinctively. Their hands froze mid-motion.
I stepped forward, my own authority flaring. “RELEASE HIM AND GET HIM OUT OF HERE,” I commanded, my voice laced with a Luna’s command that resonated like an unshakable pulse of energy.
The warriors jumped slightly at my tone, shoulders slumping as if the air itself had pressed down on them. They exchanged quick glances, then obeyed, gently pulling Josh to his feet.
“Trust me on this one,” I said to Dwight, my voice softening. I searched his face, hoping—no, needing—him to understand that I wasn’t acting recklessly. I could read the remorse in Josh’s eyes as clearly as if it were written there.
Dwight’s jaw clenched. He turned to my brother. “Aren’t you going to stop your sister, Crate?”
Crate didn’t even hesitate. He simply shook his head once, his expression unreadable but steady. My brother had always trusted me, no matter the cost, and that loyalty felt like an anchor in that tense moment.
Dwight finally exhaled, the sound heavy. “Fine,” he said at last, though his tone carried a warning. “But if he does anything I don’t like… I’ll be the one to kill him.”
I stepped forward and hugged him tightly, my arms looping around his broad frame. “Thanks, love. I knew you’d give me this chance. Don’t worry—if he does it, I’ll get to him before you do.” I added the last part with a wink, hoping to lighten the weight between us.
He kept a hand on my waist, already steering me toward the door when something nagged at the back of my mind. I stopped, turning back toward Josh.
“Josh,” I said slowly, “why does Keira still follow Logan?”
It had been bothering me for a while. In our world, siblings were more than just blood—they were bound by instinct, often moving as one. When the older one made a choice, the younger usually followed without question. That was the way it had always been. But with Keira… something about her loyalty felt different. Stronger.
Josh’s head lowered, his breath ragged. When he finally spoke, his voice was almost too quiet to catch.
“We’re not really siblings—that was just a disguise we kept in the past.”
The words sent a jolt through me. My mind scrambled to make sense of it, but then he kept talking, and the next thing he said made my stomach drop like I’d been punched.
“Keira still follows Logan because… Keira is mated to Logan.”
The air in the room seemed to thicken, pressing against my lungs until breathing felt like a chore.
Mated to Logan.
The phrase echoed in my mind, sharp and unyielding. The loyalty, the blind obedience—it all made sense now. This wasn’t just a case of sibling loyalty gone wrong. This was a bond that went far deeper, more dangerous than I had imagined.
In our world, a mate bond was sacred. Unbreakable. It could twist loyalties, warp judgment, and bind even the strongest-willed to someone unworthy of that devotion.
I stared at Josh, my heart pounding. Everything we were up against suddenly felt heavier, more complicated. This wasn’t just about fighting an enemy. It was about tearing apart a bond that was never meant to exist—and the cost of doing that would be steep.
And for the first time in a long while, I wasn’t sure if we were ready to pay it.