Chapter 74 I'M SORRY FOR FAILING YOU IVANA

Chapter 74 I'M SORRY FOR FAILING YOU IVANA
ADRIAN’S POV

I sat slumped against the wall, chest heaving as I watched Ryan finish wrapping the silver chains around my torso and legs.

I had fought him twice on the way down, thrashing, biting, and throwing everything I had into escaping his grip. It had been useless. Even with my Alpha bloodline, Ryan moved with ruthless, iron-like efficiency.

I still couldn’t tell who was stronger between him and Kaiden, but trapped beneath Ryan’s boot, it hardly mattered.

With a metallic CLANG, Ryan secured the massive iron padlock over the thickest loop of silver around my chest.

A bitter rage boiled inside me. I gathered the bloodied saliva in my mouth and spat directly into his face.

The blood splattered across his cheek.

Ryan didn’t even blink. He simply tore a piece of fabric from my ruined sleeve, wiped his face, and then drove his fist into my jaw.

BANG!

My head snapped sideways, cracking against the wall. Blood flooded my mouth and dripped down my chin.

I laughed hoarsely, wiping my lips against my shoulder. “Is that all you’ve got?”

Ryan stepped closer, his boot pinning my thigh to the floor as he grabbed my torn tunic and dragged my face inches from his.

“Don’t make me mad, Adrian,” he whispered, his voice carrying a lethal warning.

A dry laugh escaped me. “What if I do?” I sneered. “What are you going to do, Ryan? Kill me?”

I laughed louder, the sound echoing through the dungeon. “You can’t. You don’t have the fucking balls, sucker.”

Ryan stared at me for several seconds before a faint, disgusted smirk touched his lips.
“Thank your uncle for that.”

“Fuck him!” I spat. “We both know why you can’t hurt me. Deep down, you still consider me your best friend. You can’t get over me, can you? You’re weak!”

Ryan released my collar and shoved me against the wall before straightening his gloves and turned toward the bar gate.

“I’d advise you to join the winning team before my dad gets back,” I called after him, forcing arrogance into my voice despite the chains cutting into my flesh. “When my dad returns with his full legion, he won’t spare you for doing this to me!”

Ryan stopped.

He slowly turned around, looking at me with such pure pity that my skin burned.

“You really want to rage-bait me, don’t you?” he said calmly. “I think you need another punch. Maybe that’ll finally stop you from running your mouth.”

He stepped closer.

“Tell me, Adrian… did you see how your dad ran off like a scared cat back there? The ‘winning team’? My foot.”

His voice hardened. “We both know who the winning team is. And I’m sorry to say this, but you’re on the losing team, sucker.”

Ryan turned toward the door again. Before stepping through, he glanced over his shoulder, disappointment darkening his eyes.

“I wonder what my sister ever saw in a bastard like you.”

He paused. “Just stay alive.”

“Fuck you!” I screamed.

BOOM!

The gates slammed shut as three deadbolts slid into place one after another.

I immediately threw myself against the chains, rattling them violently.
“Fuck you, Ryan! Let me out! Come back here, you coward!”

My screams echoed down the corridor until his footsteps disappeared and the dungeon fell silent.
I slumped against the wall, staring at the silver wrapped around my body.

I had to get out.

My thoughts immediately went to Ivana.
What if he turned his rage toward my family? What if he went after my wife? What if he targeted Ivana and our unborn child simply to punish me for failing him?
Cold dread tightened around my heart.

I couldn’t remain trapped here while they were exposed to him.

“Get off me!” I snarled, digging my heels into the damp floor.

I pulled against the chains with everything I had.
The silver bit deeper into my wrists.

SCHLUCK.

The sharp edge sliced through my skin. Pain exploded through my entire body.

“NNNGH!”
A scream tore toward my throat, but I clamped my jaws shut before it could escape. My teeth sank violently into my own tongue, muffling the sound.
I couldn’t let the guards outside hear me.

The silver was poisoning me.
If they realized how badly it was affecting me, they would only tighten the restraints.

So I kept fighting.

Every desperate movement drove the silver deeper into my wounds. The burning spread from my wrists up my arms, through my shoulders, and toward my chest. My tongue throbbed between my teeth, blood pooling in the back of my throat as I fought to remain silent.

My vision blurred.

The dungeon began to sway around me.
My strength was disappearing with every heartbeat. I could feel my wolf retreating deeper into the darkness, weakened by the silver flooding my system.

My muscles gave out.
I slid against the wall, barely able to hold myself upright.

A single tear escaped my eye, cutting a clean trail through the dirt and dried blood on my cheek.

I had spent my entire life believing I was strong, an Alpha heir, a fighter, that I was born to be an Alpha and a man who could protect everyone he loved.
But now I was nothing more than a helpless prisoner dying alone in the dark.

My jaw finally unlocked, releasing my swollen, mangled tongue.
I slumped sideways.

My head struck the wall with a dull THUD.

Suddenly a strange pressure began building inside my throat.
My swollen tongue had enlarged so severely that it was blocking my airway.

I tried to breathe.
Nothing.

My chest jerked violently as I fought for air, but my throat remained closed.

Gasp… gasp…

The sound barely reached my own ears as darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

No, I couldn’t die here. I had to survive. I had to protect Ivana. I had to protect our baby.

I couldn’t leave my child fatherless in a world ruled by monsters like Kaiden and Xavier.

Please…
My chest spasmed again, slower this time.

My heartbeat fluttered weakly against my ribs, each beat growing more distant.

A final tear slipped down my cheek and disappeared against the stone.

"I’m sorry for failing you, Ivana…"

And then... everything went blank.