Chapter Forty-Seven

F L O R E N C E

“No,” is the only thing that comes out of my lips, and suddenly what remains of my energy drains out of me until I find myself unable to stand. “No. . . .”

I look at Dad, but he just averts his gaze like he doesn’t want to look at me. He just continues to stare at the wall as my chest heaves up and down in pain.

I can’t believe this. I can’t believe he would betray me and Niccolo like this. Maybe he had his reasons like he always does, but how could anyone justify the suffering that he is causing his daughter and her mate? What could possibly outshine the bond that we have together?

Alpha Isaac just watches us, clearly entertained by what is going on. He doesn’t say anything, he just leans against the wall and waits for one of us to speak.

I don’t want to indulge him, but I can’t stay silent for long either. I have to say something or else my heart will explode.

But the only thing I can muster without breaking into tears is, “Why?”

Dad looks up briefly, but it’s as if he’s getting scalded by my gaze because he doesn’t say or do anything more. He’s just stuck in his place motionless.

The emotions are getting more and more intense in my chest, now bubbling at the pit of my stomach like bile. “How could you do that to him? To me? I’ve always been a good daughter to you. I’ve done everything you asked me to.”

He shakes his head and closes his eyes as though this is too painful to talk about. “It’s not that. That is not the reason. Please, Florence, I implore you to stop thinking those thoughts about me and yourself and just--”

“I can’t do that, and you know that that is not possible between us right now.” I swallow hard. “You betrayed me.”

Alpha Isaac chuckles under his breath and I clench my fists, but I ignore him completely. “I never strayed from what you taught me. I put our pack and your opinions first. And I know that I’m not perfect and I will never be, but I did my best for you. Does that account for nothing? You really chose what this man has to offer, whatever it is, and accepted losing your daughter? What did he give you? What’s so great that you would sacrifice me?”

“For the last time. . . .” Slowly, the father turns his head and looks at me, and the only thing on his face is pure anguish. “I ask you to understand, Florence. I ask you to--”

“Not until you tell me,” I interject. “Not until you explain to me why you did all of this.”

He opens his mouth to speak and I get ready for a tirade, but then out of nowhere, a sharp stabbing pain erupts in my chest. It’s like I got punched by a metal fist right in my heart, causing it to nearly stop. I gasp, then I fall on my knees, my head almost hitting the metal bars.

“Florence!” Dad yells, and as I try to look up I get a glimpse of him crouching toward me.

But he’s in a blur. In fact, everything is a blur now. I can make out his shape and his color, but it’s all very vague. It’s like my vision is turning into a painting, washed over by someone who doesn’t like the way it’s turning out and removing all the details.

At the same time, another image is replacing it.

Niccolo’s face.

Bloody and broken, showing the most intense sadness and desperation as he lies down on the ground and tries to get up. He’s looking, and his eyes are turning glassy and blank like all life is starting to drain from him. . . .

And I’m feeling everything he’s feeling right now, just like how he sensed it when I was in danger. I can hear his voice in my head calling for me, needing me, and it shatters my heart.

Alpha Isaac’s plan. The one he devised with Dad. It . . . worked.

Now Niccolo is in grave danger, stuck in a situation where I might lose him forever.

The mere thought of never seeing Niccolo again sends a wave of despair over my body. Before I know it, the image of his suffering is engraved in my head even as the scene goes away. I snap back to reality, and I see that Dad is kneeling in front of me, trying to reach out to me through the gaps between the bars.

I scramble away from him and kick the door instead, looking at Alpha Isaac. “Let me out of here.”

He just smirks and seeing that sends my anger through the roof.

The next events become a blur. As soon as I see his face, I start to kick the door over and over until I feel it bending under my boots. Luna Vera backs against the wall and starts to scream as my body becomes warmer and warmer, my strength now pulsing in my veins like a drug.

Alpha Isaac’s eyes go wide, and with that, I kick the door down.

I waste no time. As the dust clears and they try to recover from their shock, I head to the stairs and leap to the topmost step, sprinting through the door until I’m out of the basement.

Behind me, I hear Alpha Isaac yelling, but I don’t bother to listen to what he’s saying. I have my eyes on the front door, and nothing else matters.

As I run up the stairs to the main floor of the packhouse, I hear footsteps thundering from above. I know that these are all Alpha Isaac’s guards, so I quicken my pace and ready myself, shifting into my wolf form as soon as I arrive at top of the stairs.

The element of surprise does me a favor and makes it impossible for them to fend me off. They try to claw at me, slice at me with swords, but I just push past them.

But there are about fifty more guards pouring from upstairs, all armed and dangerous, blocking my path toward the door. I don’t want to hurt them because I know that they’re just following orders, but I can’t let them stop me either.

So I take a deep breath, crouched on my hind legs, and spring overhead with my claws extended as a warning for them to get away.

Being in the air is almost . . . freeing. It’s almost blissful. Time seems to slow down as I rise overhead, watching most of the guards backing away from me to avoid getting wounded. I’m looking at a clear landing right in front of the door, and I know that I can use my momentum to break through the wood and out of the packhouse for good.

And this time, I know that I will never look back. Not even for my own father.

He’s corrupted now, hopeless. It’s time to save Niccolo and move on, and perhaps let my once great father reap what he sowed.

A spark of hope and maybe even excitement flashes in my body as I get closer and closer to the landing. I retract my claws and aim for the door, but before I can get close enough, someone sweeps under me.

It’s Alpha Isaac, his eyes burning with dark glee.

As gravity takes hold of me and I fall farther down, he unsheathes his sword and sticks it up.

And I feel the blade go through my chest before everything turns black.