Chapter 267

Chapter 267
 Mia's POV

"What the hell are you talking about?" I demanded, my voice sharp with confusion and rising anger. The masked leader's cryptic words about having my mates made my blood run cold, but I needed clarity before I could formulate any plan.

He tilted his head, clearly enjoying my distress. "Oh, my dear Supreme Luna, did you think your precious alphas were safe? That they could protect you from the inevitable?"

My heart sank as the pieces clicked into place. "You have the brothers. They fell into your trap too."

"Smart girl," he said with mock approval. "Though it wasn't particularly difficult. They came running to save their precious mate, so predictable. So... stupid."

Rage exploded through my chest like wildfire. These bastards had orchestrated everything - the hospital attack, my kidnapping, and now they had captured Xavier, Nathan, and Sean while they were trying to protect me. The fury that had been building since I woke up finally reached its breaking point.

Without thinking, I lunged forward with supernatural speed, my hands crackling with power. The two subordinates who had been standing near the door didn't even have time to react. My first strike caught the one on the left in the throat, crushing his windpipe instantly. The second man tried to reach for his weapon, but I was already there, my fingers piercing through his chest like claws through paper.

Both men dropped to the floor, their blood pooling on the expensive carpet. The metallic scent filled the air, mixing with the fear pheromones that had started radiating from their corpses.

But instead of being horrified or angry, the masked leader began to clap slowly. "Magnificent," he breathed, his distorted voice carrying genuine admiration. "Absolutely magnificent. Such power, such precision, such beautiful brutality."

I stared at him in disbelief, my hands still dripping with blood. "You're sick."

"Am I? Or am I simply appreciating perfection when I see it?" He stepped closer, seemingly unbothered by the carnage around his feet. "This is exactly what I need, Mia. This raw, unfiltered power. With you by my side, I won't just rule the werewolf world - I'll conquer everything."

The way he spoke, the grandiose delusions, the obsession with power and control - it all sounded hauntingly familiar. My mind flashed back to Liam and his desperate need to prove himself, to take over the world because he felt rejected and misunderstood.

"Liam?" I said suddenly, watching his reaction carefully. "Is that you under that ridiculous mask?"

But he didn't flinch, didn't pause, didn't show any recognition at all. Instead, he cocked his head curiously. "Liam? Who the hell is that? Is that someone else I need to grab? Another one of your little boyfriends?"

His response seemed genuine, which confused me even more. The voice modulator made it impossible to identify him by sound, and his scent was completely masked. But something about his mannerisms, his obsession with my power, reminded me so much of Liam's desperate need for validation and control.

"Never mind," I said, wiping my bloody hands on my pants. "You mentioned you have my mates. I want to see them."

"Of course you do," he replied smoothly. "But first, we need to discuss the terms of our arrangement."

"There is no arrangement," I snapped. "I don't make deals with psychopaths who kidnap and torture innocent people."

"Innocent?" He laughed, the sound harsh through the voice modulator. "Those brothers of yours have more blood on their hands than most armies. They're hardly innocent, darling."

"They're still mine to protect," I said firmly. "And I want to see them. Now."

For the first time since he'd entered the room, the leader seemed less confident. He shifted slightly, and I caught a hint of nervousness in his posture.

"Well, you see... the thing is..." He started, then stopped, clearly struggling with how to respond. "They're being... processed. Interrogated. It's not a good time for visitors."

"Bullshit," I said flatly. "You're stalling. Why?"

"I'm not stalling anything," he said, but his voice had taken on a defensive edge. "They're simply... indisposed at the moment. I can show them to you later, once we've reached an understanding."

The way he was stuttering, the nervous energy radiating from him despite his attempts to appear in control - it all pointed to one thing. He was lying about something. Or hiding something.

My mind raced through the possibilities. Xavier had been missing from that video footage. Had he actually escaped? Was that why this bastard was being evasive about showing me the captured brothers?

Relief and hope bloomed in my chest, but I was careful not to let it show on my face. If Xavier was free, if he was out there somewhere, then there was still a chance. He would come for me, for his brothers. I just had to buy time and keep this maniac distracted.

"What kind of understanding are we talking about?" I asked, forcing my voice to sound defeated and resigned. "What exactly do you want from me?"

His confidence seemed to return at my apparent submission. "That's more like it. I want your complete cooperation, your loyalty, your power at my disposal. In return, I'll keep your precious mates alive."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then they die slowly and painfully while you watch."

I pretended to consider this, letting seconds tick by while I studied the room more carefully. There were no windows in this basement level, just artificial lighting. The walls looked thick, probably soundproofed. But there had to be another way out besides the door he'd come through.

"You know," I said slowly, "you remind me of someone I used to know. Another alpha with delusions of grandeur who thought he could use me to rule the world."

"And what happened to him?" the leader asked with what sounded like genuine curiosity.

I smiled coldly. "Let's just say his delusions didn't work out the way he planned."

The masked man went very still. "Are you threatening me?"

"Just making an observation," I replied sweetly. "But since we're being honest with each other, I should probably mention something important."

"Which is?"

"You made a crucial mistake when you decided to target my mates," I said, letting my power begin to build again. The air in the room grew heavy, charged with supernatural energy. "Because now I'm not just angry - I'm murderous."

"You'll do exactly what I say if you want to see them alive again," he said, but there was less conviction in his voice now.

"Will I?" I asked, taking a step toward him. "Because I'm starting to think you're not being entirely truthful with me about their current situation."

"What are you implying?"

"I'm implying that maybe, just maybe, you don't have as much control over this situation as you want me to believe."

His silence was telling. He was definitely hiding something about the brothers, something he didn't want me to know. And if my suspicions were correct, if Xavier really had escaped, then this whole power play was built on a lie.

"Show me my mates," I said again, my voice carrying the full authority of my position as Supreme Luna. "Show me now, or this conversation is over."