\[Elise’s POV\]
Rage rips through me as Denali’s unwavering gaze stays on me, and instead of it being filled with the fear she should be feeling, it is filled with pity.
“You’re wrong,” I hiss, though deep down in my deepest of hearts, I feel myself wavering. “He loves me!”
Giving a sad smile, Denali shakes her head and then begins to pull herself forward until she can use the bars to pull herself up and wrap her arms around me.
“Please,” she whispers, pulling me close. “Please don’t let him continue to use you.”
Shock rips through me as I feel something in me stir that I’m almost sure is due to our blood bond, but before I can truly determine if that is it, I pull away and shove her to the ground. When she hits, I narrow my gaze and bare my teeth.
“Your attempt at turning us against each other won’t work,” I snap, turning. “You can just give it a rest.”
I don’t bother waiting for a response before I begin to move, making my way out of the dungeon and toward Alexander’s office, where I’m sure he is hulled up.
Since capturing Denali, it was where he spent his time plotting his next move, which involved going to the mainland and taking over his pack. Once that was finished, he intended to go after my father so that I could finally possess what should have been mine, and after that, we would work together to lead every pack on the continent, king and queen of the wolves.
Lifting a hand, I knock on the door in front of me when I reach my destination and wait.
“Come in,” Alexander calls, not bothering to come open the door for me.
Steadying my wavering heart, I do as instructed and then make my way behind him so I can place my hands on his shoulders and begin to massage.
“You’re so tense,” I murmur, leaning down and nipping his ear. “How about I help…”
“No,” Alexander snaps, reaching up and grabbing one of my hands so he can remove it from his body. “I’m too busy for that.”
Too busy. That has been his excuse since Denali’s arrival. Was he truly too busy, or was he thinking about doing these things with that bitch instead of me?
‘No,’ Anna growls. ‘He is ours, and no one can have him.’
‘Right.’
Alexander was simply busy, and that was the reason that he didn’t want me to bother him. I needed to stop letting my sister’s words get to me. This was only temporary, and once his plan was in motion, he would go back to the man I knew and loved.
“I’ll not disturb you then,” I murmur, leaning over and kissing his cheek.
Pushing away my paranoia and feeling of unease, I make my way to a couch that sits to the side of the room and take a seat. Once I’m in place, I close my eyes and prepare to nap, but I snap them back open when a growl of annoyance rips through the room.
“What are you doing?” Alexander growls.
“Keeping you company,” I respond immediately. “I’ve always…”
“Get the hell out of here!”
Eyes widening, I try to make sense of his reaction. In the past, I used to do this, and he didn’t mind.
“Either you move on your own or I make you,” he warns, beginning to get up from his seat. “Which will you choose?”
“I…” I begin, feeling my anger coming close to boiling over. “I’ll…”
I don’t get to finish my words before the window behind him explodes. Gasping, I rush forward and grab Alexander, pulling him to the ground just before a bullet hits him and instead grazes me.
“What?” He hisses, pushing me off of him. “Don’t tell me, she..."
“We’re under attack!” I announce.
As the words leave my lips, more bullets begin to burst through the window, the walls, and even the ceiling, raining down on us like the shooter is aiming from heaven itself.
Getting up, Alexander rushes toward the door while I remain on the ground. Was he… was he leaving me here while we were under attack?
It doesn’t take long for my question to be answered as he bursts out of his office, so I’m left utterly alone and injured.
“She…” I whisper, feeling tears prick at my eyes. “She was right.”
No! I couldn’t let myself believe that. He was simply reacting to the danger as he should and leaving me because he knew I would be okay. Settling on this, I push up off the ground while pain radiates from my side where the bullet got me.
Once I’m on my feet, I begin to move, heading in the direction that Alexander went. Extending my senses, I search for his location, and when I find him, I feel my anger bubble over.
“The dungeons!” I growl.
He left me there for dead so he could go and get her!
Unable to control the rage that rips through me, I shift and begin to move, making my way in the direction that Alexander went. If he was so concerned with her, then there was a simple way to fix the problem. I would fucking kill her, and once she was gone, we would go right back to how we were.
As I move, more windows explode as smoke bombs erupt through them and start to fill the space, making it hard to see where I’m going.
Dammit. I hiss inwardly, trying to avoid being caught, but my luck runs out when I reach the stairs and a large wolf rushes forward and slams into me, sending us both crashing to the ground below.
When we hit, I’m on the bottom, taking the brunt of the attack, but it doesn't take long for me to recover and begin defending myself.
‘Alexander!’ I call desperate as the wolf snaps at my throat. ‘Help me! They’re in the mansion! I can’t…’
‘You’ll be fine,’ he responds, sending me into a spiral.
I’ll be fine. I’ll be fucking fine! After everything I did for him! After how I protected him! After I cared for him, that was what he had to say to me when I was in danger.
Fuck That!
Letting out a snarl, I swipe at the wolf on top of me, raking my claws against his chest. When he is distracted, I lift my paws and press them against him, sending him crashing to the side.
Once he isn’t an issue, I begin to move, making my way to the dungeons, but my target is no longer the same.
She was right. Denali was right! He was using me this whole time, and I was sure if I didn’t find it out now, then I would end up locked away somewhere or dead after he achieved his goal. Well, I wasn’t going to let that happen; if he planned on killing me, then we would see who fell first.