Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Damien’s POV
Man!
my legs were shaky, but somehow, I managed to stay upright—just barely, though.
The silver wasn’t messing around. My wrists felt like they were on fire from where the cuffs dug in, and my wolf? Yeah, he was still curled up inside, nursing his wounds. But I wasn’t giving up yet.
Wren had slipped away like a ghost—quiet, fast, and gone before I even registered he was there. He left me a note, telling me to hang tight for ten minutes, then head east when I heard the signal.
Ten minutes. Ugh, I hated waiting.
I couldn’t help but think about Larisa. Her eyes when she looked at me—like I was the only one in the room. And that soft way she said my name? It was like music. I had no clue what Killian told her or what she believed now. But I knew her heart. She wouldn’t just wipe away everything we had—not that night, not in that cabin, and definitely not the way her eyes lit up when I kissed her and called her mine.
I leaned against the cold stone wall and ran a hand through my hair.
I needed to see her.
To explain.
To just touch her, even if it was for a heartbeat.
Then I heard footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Not Wren’s.
These were heavier, slower, and deliberate.
I held my breath, crouching in the shadows, my heart pounding like a war drum.
And then I saw him.
Not a guard. Not a soldier.
Just a man with ashen skin and red eyes that glowed faintly in the dark. He wore a twisted necklace of bones around his neck—sharp, uneven. When he smiled, it was like he knew me—like we’d danced before, but I’d somehow forgotten the moves.
“Didn’t think you’d wake up so soon,” he said, his voice smooth, almost bored. “Killian was hoping for more time. Guess rogues are tougher to kill than he thought.”
I didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
I let him ramble on.
He stepped closer, studying me like I was some puzzle he was trying to piece together.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” he asked, tilting his head like it was a game.
“No.” I kept my tone flat. “Should I?”
He grinned wider, like he was enjoying this. “Not really. I’m just a messenger. But Killian wanted me to deliver something personal.”
He pulled a small, sealed envelope from his coat.
My gut twisted.
I didn’t take it.
He shrugged and tossed it at my feet. “I’d open it before sunrise. Things get… messy after that.”
And just like that, he turned and vanished down the hall.
No guards. No warnings. Just him—and that damn envelope.
Staring at it for a moment, I bent down to pick it up.
The seal was unmistakable—Killian’s. A wolf with a bleeding crown.
I ripped it open.
> "By now, you’re wondering how I found you.
How I knew where you’d take her, what you’d say, what you’d do.
The truth is simple, Damien. I’ve been watching her longer than you have.
You think this is about her? It never was.
This is about you.
You took something from me.
Now I’ll take something from you.
Tonight."
No signature. He didn’t need one.
I crushed the letter in my fist.
Whatever game he was playing? I was done being the pawn.
With a forced effort, I stood up and started moving east like Wren instructed. The corridors twisted and turned, but I could feel I was heading the right way when I heard the hum of machinery—the generators.
That’s where the distraction would hit.
I needed to reach the exit just as it blew.
I rounded a corner—
—and bumped straight into someone.
We both stumbled back.
I froze.
And then I saw her.
Maya.
One of Larisa’s handmaidens. But more than that—a spy. Wren had mentioned her once, but it felt like ages since I’d seen her.
Her eyes widened when she spotted me, but she didn’t scream.
Instead, she grabbed my arm. “She doesn’t believe him,” she whispered, breathless. “But she’s scared. He said you left. That you only wanted her because she’s pregnant.”
My chest burned at those words.
“And she believed that?”
“She doesn’t want to. That’s why I’m here.”
I took a good look at her face—nervous, but there was that spark of determination, too.
She wasn’t lying, that much I could tell.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“Locked up tight in her quarters. Guarded by his most loyal men. But she’s restless—pacing around, refusing to eat. You’ve gotta hurry.”
“I’m on my way.”
“You’ll get caught.”
“Then help me out.”
Maya blinked, clearly taken aback.
“You really want to save her? Then show me. Right now.”
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“I’ll lead the way,” she said. “But once you have her, you’re on your own.”
That’s all I needed to hear.
We moved quickly through the lower halls, ducking behind crates and columns whenever we heard footsteps. The guards were getting thicker, more restless.
Killian had a sense that something was brewing.
He just didn’t know how soon it was coming.
As we reached the last corner before the eastern wing, I paused for a second.
Boom.
The lights flickered.
The floor shook beneath us.
The entire building went eerily still for just half a heartbeat—and then chaos erupted above us.
Sirens blared. People were shouting. Doors were slamming shut.
Wren had done his part.
Now it was my turn.
I sprinted up the stairs, Maya right beside me, until we reached the corridor lined with those high, fancy doors. Gold handles, thick wood—real ornate stuff.
Her room was at the very end.
Maya stopped dead in her tracks.
“There are two guards,” she whispered. “Big ones.”
“Let me take care of them.”
I stepped forward, but then I hesitated.
Because just as I got to the door…
It swung open.
And there was Larisa, stepping right out.
She looked up.
Straight at me.
And time froze.
Her eyes went wide.
I could barely breathe.
But before I could even utter a word—
a hand shot out, clamped around my neck, and slammed me into the wall.