Chapter 33 Chapter 33
Chapter 33 Chapter 33
_Leon’s POV_
I could barely breathe properly as I drove away from the neighborhood.
My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly while my mind replayed the footage again and again.
The image of Dominic stepping out of the black SUV stayed burned into my mind. I could still see the cold look on his face and the way the men moved around him like they were carrying out orders.
Shadow growled darkly inside me. We were right all along.
“Yes,” I muttered.
Talia was involved. Jacob was involved. And somehow both of them were connected to Anya. My chest tightened painfully at the thought of her.
Anya was still inside the Fireblood Pack completely unaware that she was surrounded by snakes.
I slammed my fist lightly against the steering wheel. “Damn it.”
I should have protected her better. Instead, I had failed her. I had rejected her and allowed her to be taken away. I had believed that she was a criminal.
But now things were different. Now I was finally seeing the truth.
Before leaving the old couple’s house, I had asked if I could transfer the footage to my phone because I wanted to show it to the police if necessary. The old man agreed immediately. He even helped me copy the recording onto a flash drive after noticing that some parts of the footage were too large to send properly through messages.
Now the video on my phone and the flash drive hidden inside my jacket pocket were all I had left to expose the truth....that the doctor hadn’t died naturally and Jacob’s men had been there.
I tightened my jaw. My parents would have to believe me now....especially my father.
He had called me delusional earlier. He had slapped me in front of everyone and forced me to apologize to Talia like I was some foolish child throwing a tantrum.
But once he saw this footage….everything would change. He would finally understand that I was telling the truth.
And once he understood that, we could save Anya. That thought alone kept me focused while I drove through the dark roads.
The streets were almost empty now. Midnight had already passed and most people were asleep. Rain clouds covered the sky heavily overhead.
I exhaled slowly while trying to think clearly. Why would Jacob help Talia? That question would not leave my head.
Talia was from our pack. Jacob belonged to another pack entirely. A powerful Alpha like him would not risk involving his Beta in murder unless he gained something important in return.
So what did he gain? What was so valuable that Jacob would help cover up crimes?
My fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
“Anya,” I whispered suddenly.
Shadow immediately stirred. You think this is about her.
“Yes.”
Everything kept leading back to her somehow. Talia framed Anya. The doctor helped cover it up. Then Dominic appeared before the doctor mysteriously died.
And now Anya was inside Jacob’s pack. None of it felt random anymore. It felt planned.....carefully planned.
But for what?
My thoughts spiraled harder and harder while I drove.
Then suddenly Shadow growled sharply inside my head. Someone is behind us.
My eyes immediately flicked toward the rearview mirror. A black SUV followed several cars behind me. At first, I frowned but said nothing. It could be coincidence.
The roads were mostly empty tonight. It was normal for another car to use the same route.
Still…
Something about the vehicle made unease crawl through my chest.
I kept driving normally while watching the mirror carefully. The SUV remained behind me. It maintained the same distance and speed.
Shadow’s voice turned darker. They have been there for a while.
I frowned harder. “Maybe they are just heading the same direction.”
Maybe.
But neither of us believed that.
I made a right turn suddenly. The SUV turned too. A cold feeling spread through my stomach. I drove several more blocks before taking another turn.
Again, the SUV followed. My heartbeat began speeding up. This was not coincidence anymore.
I swallowed hard while gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Stay calm,” I muttered to myself.
The road ahead remained empty and silent beneath the streetlights. Then an idea came to me.
Four turns.
If a car followed someone through four consecutive turns around the same block, then they were definitely being tailed.
I inhaled slowly before turning right again. The SUV followed. My pulse quickened. I made another turn. The SUV remained behind me.
Shadow snarled violently now. They are following us.
Fear crept slowly into my chest. I made the fourth turn around the block. The black SUV turned with me immediately.
My blood ran cold. “Shit.”
The moment I whispered the word, the SUV suddenly accelerated. Its headlights flashed brighter behind me.
“They know I noticed them,” I muttered.
I pressed harder on the accelerator instantly. The engine roared louder beneath me as my car shot forward through the wet streets.
The SUV sped up too. Rain suddenly began pouring heavily from the sky. Within seconds, water crashed against the windshield so hard that visibility worsened. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
“This cannot be happening,” I muttered.
Shadow’s voice sharpened. They want the footage.
My hand instinctively touched my jacket pocket where the flash drive rested.
How did they know?
Unless…
Unless someone had been watching me the entire time. Talia? Jacob?
Maybe they already knew that I was investigating.
If they knew about the footage, then that meant someone had probably seen me entering the neighbors’ house.
Or worse…
Maybe the neighbors themselves were being watched.
I cursed under my breath and pushed the car faster.
The rain became heavier. Water sprayed across the road while thunder cracked loudly overhead. The SUV stayed close behind me. Its headlights filled my mirrors like two glowing eyes hunting me through the storm.
“They are trying to corner us,” I said.
Do not let them.
I took another sharp turn onto a larger road. My tires screeched slightly against the wet pavement. For one brief second, I thought I had gained some distance.
Then suddenly, bright headlights exploded from the side. A massive truck came speeding directly toward me.
My eyes widened in horror.
“No!”
The truck slammed violently into the side of my car. The impact was catastrophic. Metal screamed. Glass shattered everywhere. Pain exploded through my body as the car spun out of control across the rain-soaked road.
Everything flipped violently. I heard Shadow roaring inside my head while blood sprayed across my face.
The world became chaos.
The windshield shattered completely. My body slammed against the door painfully as the car rolled again before finally crashing upside down with a deafening crunch.
Then, it was completely silent.
For several seconds, I could not breathe. Pain tore through every part of me. Blood dripped down my forehead into my eyes while smoke filled the crushed vehicle slowly.
My ears rang horribly. I tried moving but agony shot through my ribs immediately.
“Shadow…” I whispered weakly.
His voice sounded distant. Stay awake.
I coughed painfully. Rainwater poured through the broken windows onto my body. My vision blurred heavily while dizziness overwhelmed me.
Then suddenly…doors slammed outside. I could hear footsteps approaching through the rain. Several blurry figures surrounded the wrecked car.
I started to panic again.
No.
No…
One of the men crouched near the shattered window. I could not see his face clearly because blood kept running into my eyes. But I heard his voice.
“Take the phone.”
Another man cursed while reaching inside the vehicle. Rough hands searched my pockets. Then I felt them pull the flash drive from my jacket.
“Found it.”
My heart nearly stopped.
No.
That was my proof.
That was everything.
Another voice spoke nearby. “What about him?”
Silence followed briefly. Then a third voice answered calmly.
“Alpha Jacob said he must stay alive or else it will seem too suspicious.”
My blood froze instantly.
Jacob.
It really was him.
Jacob was behind this. He knew everything.
And before darkness fully swallowed me, one final terrifying thought echoed through my mind.
Anya was in danger.
Then everything went black.