Chapter 218 218
Jacqueline fought like a cornered tigress, thrashing wildly as she clawed at the arms of the man dragging her away. Her heart pounded so violently it felt lodged in her throat, but she refused to stop fighting. She threw every ounce of strength she had into resisting him.
She didn’t care that her own nails tore at her skin in the process. The more fiercely she struggled, the tighter his hand clamped over her mouth. The pressure was brutal so crushing that she feared her jaw might shatter beneath his grip.
“Fucking stop struggling,” the man behind her sneered.
But his words meant nothing.
There was only one thought racing through her mind.
She had to get back to the wolf.
Damien was dying.
The mere thought made her heart tremble painfully inside her chest.
She twisted her body, attempting to slam her head back into him again from the side, but he anticipated the move. In a flash, he shoved her away with ruthless force.
She hit the uneven ground hard, her knees and elbows scraping against the rough surface.
Ignoring the sting of fresh wounds, Jacqueline scrambled to her feet and bolted toward the direction they had come from.
She barely managed two steps.
The scarred man stepped directly into her path.
Before she could react, a sharp, brutal sting exploded across her cheek.
The impact sent her crashing back to the ground. Blood filled her mouth as it spilled from her split lower lip.
Her ears rang violently. A dull, constant buzzing filled her head as numbness spread across her face.
She couldn’t feel the left side of it at all.
He had backhanded her.
“Inject her,” the man ordered coldly.
One of the others approached, a syringe already in his hand.
Panic surged through her.
Without thinking, Jacqueline lunged to her feet and ran blindly in the opposite direction.
Behind her, laughter erupted.
Dark, cruel laughter.
The sinister sound twisted her stomach with pure dread.
Suddenly, someone grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her backward.
A terrified cry ripped from her throat.
She barely had time to regain her footing before something sharp pierced the side of her neck.
The man released her as he withdrew the syringe.
Jacqueline staggered forward a step before turning to face them.
Her vision blurred almost instantly.
It felt as though thousands of acid-dipped needles were stabbing into her skin all at once.
Slowly, she felt the strength drain from her legs. The numbness spread upward, creeping through her body like poison.
Then the world tilted.
Her body collapsed onto the rugged ground.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
The final thought echoing through her mind was Damien.
Even if she wouldn’t survive this, she prayed desperately that Dominique and Alexandre would reach him in time.
That they would save him.
Jacqueline groaned softly.
Pain throbbed through her skull like a relentless hammer. A bitter, acidic taste coated her mouth, and her throat felt raw like someone had scraped it with sandpaper.
She tried to open her eyes.
They refused to cooperate.
Her body floated somewhere between awareness and darkness. Voices murmured nearby low, harsh, indistinct.
She struggled to force her eyes open, but the effort felt impossible.
And just like that, the darkness dragged her under again.
It happened again.
And again.
She drifted in and out of consciousness, never fully awake.
“What the fuck do you mean he doesn’t have time to visit me?” a furious voice growled somewhere nearby.
Her body still felt heavy and numb, but it took every ounce of strength she had to keep herself from slipping back into unconsciousness.
She forced herself to remain perfectly still, even keeping her eyes motionless beneath her eyelids.
Her heart raced as a vicious headache pulsed through her skull.
Despite the numbness clouding her body, her memory was painfully clear.
She remembered everything.
Slowly, her awareness sharpened.
She recognized her surroundings but she didn’t dare open her eyes.
Instead, she pretended to remain unconscious.
“This is what he said, Alpha,” another voice replied cautiously.
“He thinks far too highly of himself,” the first voice snapped angrily. “And it fucking pisses me off. If my warriors were strong enough, I wouldn’t have needed to join forces with that arrogant bastard.”
Henri.
The name flashed through her mind.
Gradually, she became aware of her position.
She was lying on the floor.
Her hands were bound tightly behind her back, and ropes secured her ankles as well. A deep ache throbbed along the side of her head and shoulder likely from when she collapsed after the injection.
Her throat burned with thirst.
She desperately wanted water.
But she refused to speak and reveal that she was awake.
“Alpha,” someone suddenly called out.
A pause.
“She's awake.”
Her heart leapt straight into her throat.
She didn’t need to open her eyes to know they had discovered her.
“Inject her again,” Henri growled impatiently. “I don’t want to deal with this shit right now.”
Her eyes flew open.
A man was already approaching her with another syringe in his hand.
The room was dimly lit, forcing her to blink rapidly to focus.
She forced her sluggish body to move, scooting backward until her back struck a wall.
The man crouched down in front of her.
Recognition hit her instantly.
He was the same man who had been carrying the injured girl earlier.
He reached for her arm.
His grip was firm but not cruel.
Jacqueline opened her mouth, trying to speak, but no sound came out.
Her chin trembled.
Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head weakly at him.
He held her arm steady.
Her torn sleeve slipped aside, revealing her upper arm.
Bruises marred her skin dark purple and blue marks scattered across it. Tiny puncture wounds dotted the surface.
Needle marks.
They had been injecting her repeatedly.
For how long had she been here?
Panic surged through her, and she tried to struggle, but the man tightened his hold slightly.
Her eyes lifted to meet his.
A silent warning flickered in his brown gaze.
She shook her head again, pleading silently.
But he slid the needle into her skin.
Only half of the drug entered her bloodstream.
Her gaze shifted from the syringe to his face in confusion.
He pulled the needle out, then stood and walked to a nearby trash bin in the corner. There, he emptied the remaining drug from the syringe before discarding it.
Her hazy gaze drifted around the room.
The place looked abandoned perhaps an old garage or storage building.
Henri sat across the room, watching with cold interest.
Nearby stood the man she had headbutted earlier.
Dizziness began to creep back into her head, but this time there was no burning sensation in her veins.
“He’s alive. His brother and beta reached him in time,” the man reported.
Henri smirked.
“I left him alive for a reason,” he said with a cruel chuckle. “Soon he’ll hand over his entire pack just to save this bitch.”
His gaze slid toward Jacqueline.
“When we attacked, he was more worried about this human girl than his own life.”
Henri laughed mockingly.
“She must be very important to him.”
A quiet breath escaped Jacqueline’s lips.
Relief flooded her chest.
He was alive.
Damien was alive.
And if death awaited her now… she could face it peacefully, knowing that the man she loved had survived.