Chapter 11
Wynter‘ POV
Natalie's jaw clenched, her eyes defiant even as her body shook. "Yes. Marcus planned it. We just—we just helped because Wynter deserved it after what she did to Anne—"
"And you?" Chase turned to Vivian, and I watched her flinch, her eyes going wide with terror.
"I—I—" Vivian's voice came out high and thin, her eyes darting between Chase's face and the floor, then to Marcus, then to the broken phone, then back to the floor as if she couldn't decide where it was safe to look. "I didn't—I mean, I just—"
"Look at me when I'm talking to you." Chase's voice carried that Alpha command that made even my wolf want to submit.
Vivian's head snapped up, but her eyes kept sliding away—to the window, to Natalie, to her own hands—anywhere but Chase's face. "It was—Marcus said—he said we were just going to scare her, that's all, just scare her a little because she—she made Anne cry and—"
"Did Marcus tell you he was going to use wolfsbane extract?" Chase interrupted, his voice sharp.
"I—I didn't know what was in the bottle, I swear!" The words tumbled out in a rush, Vivian's voice climbing higher with each syllable. "I thought it was just—I don't know, maybe something to make her sick or—or knock her out, I didn't know it would—" Her eyes darted to my neck, to the bandage, then away so fast it was like she'd been burned. "I didn't know it would be that bad, I didn't—"
"But you helped kidnap her anyway," Chase said, his voice cold. "You helped tie her to that chair. You stood there and watched while Marcus poured acid on her neck."
"I didn't want to!" Vivian's voice broke, tears streaming down her face now, and I saw Natalie shoot her a disgusted look. "I told them—I said maybe we shouldn't, maybe this was too far, but Marcus said—and Natalie said—" Her eyes darted to Natalie, then away when she saw the fury there. "They said I was being weak, that if I really cared about Anne I'd help, and I just—I just wanted Anne to like me, I didn't think—"
"You didn't think," Chase repeated, his voice flat. "You went along with assault and attempted permanent disfigurement because you wanted to be liked."
"I'm sorry!" Vivian collapsed forward, her hands pressed to the floor in a gesture of submission that made my stomach turn. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to go this far, I'll do anything, I'll testify against Marcus if you want, I'll tell the Council everything—"
"Vivian!" Natalie's voice was sharp with betrayal.
"I don't want to get expelled!" Vivian sobbed, still not looking up. "My parents will kill me, my Pack will disown me, I can't—I can't—"
"Get up," Chase said, disgust clear in his voice. "All three of you. Get out of my sight."
Vivian scrambled to her feet, still crying, her eyes darting around like a cornered animal looking for an escape route. Marcus shot her a look of pure contempt as he limped past, cradling his broken wrist, and Natalie deliberately shouldered into her hard enough to make her stumble.
"You're pathetic," Natalie hissed as they reached the door. "Anne was right about you. You're weak."
"I just—I didn't—" Vivian's voice was barely a whisper, but I caught the way her eyes darted back to Chase one more time, calculating, before she fled after the others.
And in that brief glance, I saw it—not genuine remorse, not real fear of consequences, but the desperate scrambling of someone trying to figure out which side to take to save her own skin.
She'd turn on Anne in a heartbeat if she thought it would help her, I realized. But only if she was sure Chase had the power to protect her from the Kaines' retaliation.
The moment we were alone, Chase crossed to me, hands shaking as he worked at the ropes. "I felt it through the Mark," he said, his voice rough. "Felt you burning. I should have been faster—"
"You came," I whispered. "I didn't think you would."
"I will always come for you." His voice was fierce as the ropes fell away. "Mark or no Mark, you're mine, Wynter."
He helped me up, and when dizziness made me sway, his arms came around me immediately. His fingers ghosted over the burns, and he drew in a sharp breath. "We need a healer. These could scar permanently—"
"No medical wing. If this gets out—"
"My private quarters. I have someone I trust." He lifted me into my arms before I could protest. "The burns need treatment, Wynter. You could lose sensation entirely."
The rain had intensified, and Chase carried me through it without seeming to notice the downpour. Despite the pain radiating from my neck, I felt my wolf settle slightly at his nearness.
"Chase," I said quietly as we crossed the grounds, "they were lying. About it being their idea."
His arms tightened around me. "I know."
"Then why did you let them—"
"Because I don't have proof." His voice was tight with frustration. "I know someone with money and connections supplied that compound. I know someone orchestrated this. But without evidence, without witnesses willing to testify, all I can do is plan to go after the ones who actually put their hands on you."
"Anne—"
"I suspect Anne," he interrupted, his voice dropping. "But suspicion isn't enough for the Council. If I accuse her without proof, her family will claim I'm attacking their daughter to avoid the alliance marriage our families have been negotiating, and it becomes a political mess that helps no one—least of all you."
I was silent, understanding the impossible position he was in.
"But I'm going to find proof," he continued, his voice carrying a note of Alpha authority that promised consequences. "I'm going to dig until I find the supplier, the money trail, everything. And when I do, Anne won't be able to hide behind her family's name."