Chapter 79 The Price of Blood
Kier's POV
The air in the cave was thick. Every breath scraped my lungs raw.
Rhea lay unconscious against the wall, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. My men had already moved in. “Don’t kill her,” I said, voice hoarse. “Not yet.”
I wasn’t done.
Right now Sable was all that mattered.
She was still lying where I’d found her—pale, weak, the faint rise and fall of her chest the only proof she was still with me. I crouched beside her, brushing my hand against her cheek. Her skin was too cold, her pulse too thin.
“Sable, love,” I whispered, my throat tight. “I’ve got you now.”
Her eyelids fluttered, just a sliver. “Kier…”
I swallowed the sound that wanted to tear out of me. Hearing her say my name again after all this almost broke something inside.
“I’m here,” I said. “You’re safe.”
Her lips parted, the faintest whisper. “You… came.”
“Always.”
Her lashes fell again, exhaustion pulling her under. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, pacing, restless but present. For the first time in days, I could feel him—really feel him.
He growled low, protective, circling her with his presence even from inside me.
“Yeah,” I muttered, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I know. We almost lost her.”
Jaxon stepped up behind me, his voice low but urgent. “Kier. We need to move. There are still rogues outside regrouping.”
I nodded once, forcing myself to think past the haze. “Get two men to take Rhea back to Ironclad. I want her locked up until I say otherwise. No one touches her.”
He hesitated. “You sure that’s smart? She’s a rogue Alpha—she could rally half the strays in this city.”
“That’s why I want her under my roof,” I said flatly. “Where I can control her.”
He studied me for a second, then sighed. “Got it.”
As he relayed orders, I slid an arm beneath Sable, lifting her carefully. She stirred against my chest but didn’t wake. Her head rested against my shoulder, her breath shallow but steady.
The scent of wolfsbane clung to her skin, sharp and bitter. It made my blood boil all over again.
Sam had done this.
If he wasn’t already in chains, I would have ripped the earth apart to find him.
We moved out of the cave, my men covering our flanks. The forest was silent now, eerily so, the only sound the crunch of boots and the steady thud of my heartbeat against Sable’s temple.
Jaxon caught up beside me. “She doesn’t look good.”
“She’ll make it,” I said, too fast, too sharp.
He looked at me but didn’t push. “You’re bleeding,” he said instead, nodding toward the slice along my arm.
I hadn’t even noticed. The blood had already started to dry, dark against my skin. “It’s nothing.”
“Maybe. But you need to heal or you’ll drop before she does.”
I glanced at him. “You done lecturing?”
He smirked faintly. “Not even close.”
I would’ve smiled if I could. Instead, I kept walking. The SUV came into view, headlights cutting through the fog.
“Load Rhea into the back of the second vehicle,” Jaxon ordered. “Keep her cuffed with silver.”
Two of my men obeyed, dragging the unconscious rogue across the ground. She didn’t stir, but even knocked out she looked dangerous—like a coiled serpent waiting for a chance to strike.
I laid Sable gently across the backseat of my own SUV, shrugging out of my jacket and covering her with it. The scent of blood and smoke clung to both of us, but beneath it, I could still catch her—warm, wild, uniquely Sable.
Jaxon climbed into the passenger seat. “We taking her to the hospital?”
I hesitated. “No.”
He frowned. “Kier—”
“She’s not going to any hospital. Wolfsbane’s still in her system. Human doctors won’t know what to do with her.”
“Then where?”
“My place,” I said. “I’ll call in one of our healers from the pack. Someone discreet.”
He exhaled, then nodded. “Fine. But if she flatlines before we get there—”
“She won’t,” I said, and the conviction in my own voice surprised me.
The drive back was long, silent. Every time we hit a bump, I could feel Sable’s faint weight shift against me. I kept one hand steady on her arm the whole way, as if that touch alone could keep her tethered to me.
Halfway to the tower, my phone buzzed. I put it on speaker.
“Alpha,” one of my men said. “We’ve secured the cave perimeter. Found a few rogues hiding in the woods.”
“And Sam?” I asked.
“Still in holding at Ironclad,” came the reply.
“I’ll deal with him when we’re back.” I said.
“Yes, sir.”
I hung up.
Jaxon looked over. “You planning to kill him?”
My hands tightened on Sable. “I plan to make him wish I would.”
“Careful,” he said quietly. He studied me, but there was no judgment in his eyes just understanding.
By the time we reached Ironclad Tower, dawn was bleeding over the skyline. The city looked washed out, tired.
I parked in the underground lot and carried Sable up myself, ignoring the way Jaxon tried to offer help. The elevator ride felt endless.
Once we were inside the pent house, I carried her to my bedroom and laid her on the bed, brushing the hair from her face. She looked fragile, but even in this state, there was something fierce beneath the surface.
"You're safe,” I murmured.
Jaxon lingered near the doorway. “I’ll send for the healer.”
“Good,” I said, not taking my eyes off her.
He paused, then added softly, “She fought hard, Kier. You know that, right?”
“I know,” I said. “She always does.”
When he left, I sank into the chair beside her, elbows on my knees, head in my hands.
The city was waking outside. Cars. Distant sirens. The low hum of life moving on.
But inside, everything felt still.
My wolf prowled just beneath my skin, restless, watching her breathe.
I reached out, taking her hand gently in mine.
Her fingers twitched.
Just barely.
“Sable,” I breathed.
Her eyes didn’t open. But she was fighting.
And so was I.