Chapter 83 Viktor's Compound
LISA'S POV
I felt the mate bond break an hour ago and the sensation was like a rope snapping inside my chest. One moment the connection to Ryan was there pulling at me with familiar weight and the next moment it was gone. Just empty space where something vital used to be. He did it. He broke our bond so I would not die with him when Viktor killed him.
I was chained in a stone room that smelled like old blood and fear. Silver cuffs burned into my wrists and left marks that would scar even after I healed. My wolf was trapped beneath my skin because I could not shift without harming the baby. Every time I tried to reach for my abilities the pregnancy pulled me back and reminded me that I was not just fighting for myself anymore.
Viktor visited me every few hours like he was checking on an investment. He looked older than I expected with scars crossing his face and neck like someone had tried to kill him multiple times and failed. But his eyes were like Daniel's. The same shape and the same cold intelligence. The family resemblance was undeniable and it made my stomach turn.
"Your mate is quite noble." Viktor said it conversationally like we were discussing weather instead of murder. "Severing the bond to protect you from feeling his death. It almost makes me regret what I am going to do to him."
I yanked at the chains hard enough that the silver cut deeper into my wrists. Blood ran down my arms but I did not care. "Let me go. You have me and the baby. You do not need them too."
"But I do need them." Viktor sat down across from me in a chair that looked out of place in the stone room. "The ritual requires specific components. Your blood as a silver wolf. Your mate's willing sacrifice. Daniel's presence as original bloodline. And Adrian's essence. All four pieces together will give me the power to remake the wolf world exactly how I want it."
He leaned forward and his smile was the kind that made children have nightmares. "Your mother almost succeeded in destroying the pack system twenty years ago. But she was too gentle and too idealistic about human nature. She wanted democracy and consensus and gradual change that would take generations. I want revolution. Total upheaval. Everything burned down so I can rebuild it with me at the center."
My hand moved to my stomach protectively even though the chains made the movement awkward. "You will not touch my child."
"I will not have to touch your baby at all." Viktor's voice was almost kind and that made it worse. "The child's presence will do the work naturally. Weakening pack bonds wherever you go. Inspiring rebellion in wolves who see a silver wolf living free. Questioning hierarchy and tradition just by existing. All I need to do is control where and how the child is raised so the chaos spreads exactly how I want it to spread."
He stood up and walked to the door. "Your child will be the match that lights the fire and I will be the one controlling which forests burn."
The door opened before I could respond. Dante entered first and he was dragging Ryan behind him in chains. Then more rogues brought Adrian and Daniel separately so they could not coordinate or plan together. All three of them looked exhausted and beaten but alive. My heart lurched when I saw Ryan and the severed bond ached like a phantom limb.
Viktor smiled and it was the face of someone who had just won a game he had been playing for twenty years. "Excellent. All my pieces gathered in one place exactly on schedule."
He looked at Ryan and I saw recognition in his eyes like he was evaluating a tool. "You severed the mate bond. Smart move but unnecessary. I am not going to kill you, Beta. Death would be too kind and too quick for what I have planned."
Viktor moved closer to Ryan until they were almost touching. "I am going to make you watch everything. Watch me use your mate's blood for my ritual. Watch me raise your child as my own. Watch the pack system you spent your whole life serving crumble into nothing. And you will live with the knowledge that severing the bond was the biggest mistake you ever made because now you cannot even die to escape the pain."
He turned to Daniel and his expression shifted to something almost affectionate. "You however are going to help me willingly. Your sister's blood and your presence as firstborn Marcus will complete the ritual I have been planning since your mother humiliated me. Refuse and I start removing her fingers one at a time while you watch."
Daniel's face turned to stone but I could see the surrender in his eyes. "I will help you. Just do not hurt her or the baby."
"Wise choice." Viktor moved to Adrian who was standing perfectly still like he was waiting for something. "The essence. Give it to me now."
Adrian pulled out the vial from inside his jacket and the silvery liquid caught the light. "Release Lisa first. Then you get what you want."
"No. But I will make you a counter offer that is far more interesting." Viktor gestured toward the door and more rogues entered. They were dragging another prisoner between them. Emma. She was bound and gagged and her eyes were wide with terror that made my chest constrict.
"Your human friend tried to coordinate a rescue operation." Viktor's voice was pleasant like he was sharing good news. "We caught her team at the perimeter before they could get anywhere close. Killed most of them but kept her alive because I knew she would be useful."
He walked over to Emma and grabbed her hair to force her head back. "Now listen carefully because I am only going to say this once. Give me the essence right now or I kill her in front of all of you. Then I kill Ryan, Adrian and Daniel. And Lisa gets to watch everyone she loves die screaming before I take her baby and raise it as my weapon. Or you cooperate and give me what I want and only one person has to die today. Your choice, silver wolf."