Chapter 158 THE NIGHT Of NO RETURN
The corridor swallowed Eliana’s footsteps as she walked away from Ethan.
She did not look back.
If she did, she knew she would break.
Her phone was still glowing in her hand, the message burning into her mind like a curse.
If you don’t kill him tonight, I will kill Clara.
The words felt heavier than iron.
Clara.
The only person who had never abandoned her.
The only person who still believed in the girl she used to be.
Eliana stopped at the end of the hallway, her chest rising and falling slowly. For the first time in her life, she understood true terror—not fear of death, but fear of becoming someone she could never escape.
The Disappearance
In the west wing of the mansion, Clara sat alone in her room, scrolling through messages, unaware that danger was already closing in.
The lights flickered.
The security cameras went dark one by one.
A strange silence filled the air.
Clara felt it before she saw it.
Someone was there.
She turned slowly toward the window.
The curtains moved.
A shadow stepped inside.
Her heart stopped.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
The figure smiled faintly.
“Someone your friend couldn’t save.”
Before Clara could scream, darkness swallowed her.
The Alpha Awakens
Back in the training hall, Ethan stood motionless, his fists clenched, his mind restless.
Something was wrong.
His instincts screamed.
He felt it deep in his blood Clara’s presence vanishing.
His eyes snapped open.“No,” he whispered.
At the same moment, Eliana’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
Her hands trembled as she answered.
Victor Hale’s voice filled her ears.
“You hesitated,” he said calmly.
Her breath caught.“Where is Clara?”
Victor laughed softly.
“You chose doubt over obedience,” he replied. “Now you will learn the price.”
The call ended.
Eliana’s knees almost gave way.
She understood.
Victor had already made his move.
The Reunion
Eliana ran not away, but toward Ethan.
She pushed open the training hall door violently.
Ethan turned instantly.Their eyes met.
No words were needed.
“Clara is gone,” Ethan said quietly.
Eliana nodded.“He took her.”
Silence filled the hall.
Then Ethan’s aura changed.
The air vibrated.
The ground beneath them seemed to tremble.
His eyes turned gold.Not human.
Not gentle.Alpha.
“We’re going after her,” he said.
His voice was no longer a request.
It was a command.
Eliana swallowed hard.
“Yes,” she replied.The Trap
They drove through the night, guided by instinct and rage.
The city lights faded as they entered the abandoned industrial zone at the edge of the city.Old factories.
Broken towers.Dead silence.
They stopped in front of a massive warehouse.
The doors were already open.
Waiting.
Inside, the air smelled of metal and blood.
Clara was tied to a chair in the center of the hall, her head hanging low.Unconscious.
Eliana’s heart shattered.
“Clara…” she whispered.
A slow clap echoed through the warehouse.
Victor Hale stepped out of the shadows.
Elegant.Calm.Untouched.
“You came,” he said.
Ethan stepped forward instantly.“Let her go.”
Victor smiled faintly.
“You brought my daughter,” he replied.
Eliana froze.
“My daughter,” he repeated slowly.
Her blood turned cold.
Victor walked closer, his gaze heavy on her.
“You are closer to becoming queen than you think,” he said softly.
Eliana clenched her fists.
“What do you want?” she asked.
Victor’s eyes shifted toward Ethan.
“I already told you,” he said.
“Kill him.”
The words echoed through the warehouse.
Ethan did not move.
He did not beg.
He only looked at Eliana.
His eyes were calm.
As if he had already accepted his fate.
Victor placed a hand on Clara’s head.
“One decision,” he said quietly.
“His life or hers.”
Silence swallowed the world.
Eliana stepped forward slowly.
Her hands trembled.
Her eyes met Ethan’s.
He gave her a faint smile.
A goodbye.
Her voice broke.
“I…”
Her hand lifted slowly.
Not toward Clara.
Not toward Victor.
But toward Ethan.
A gunshot shattered the silence.
But it did not come from Eliana.
Blood splashed across the floor.
Clara screamed.
Victor turned sharply.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
Eliana froze.
Because the bullet had hit Victor Hale.
And behind him stood a figure no one expected to see.
A woman stepped forward from the shadows, holding the gun with trembling hands.
Clara’s voice broke in shock.
“Mom…?”