Chapter 42 — Did You Think It Would Be That Easy?

A hand wraps around my throat, making it hard to breathe. Anthony Ernouf stands behind me, holding my arms in one hand and choking the life out of me in the other.

“You just don’t know when to stop, do you?” He growls against my ear. His warm breath against me makes my skin crawl.

Dorian takes a step toward me, and the grip on my neck tightens.

“One more step and I snap her pretty little neck,” Anthony threatens, and we all know he’s more than capable of it.

“You’re too late,” Dorian says, standing perfectly still. “Just let her go, Anthony. There’s nothing you can do now. Don’t make this any worse.”

My head is getting light like someone stuffed my head with cotton. I can’t think straight, but all I know is I don’t want Dorian to take a single step closer. I don’t want him near Anthony Ernouf. This man has hurt enough people I care about already.

“You just had to get involved, didn’t you?” Anthony snarls, his grip tightening. “I had everything under control. Your dad was my friend. I tried to talk sense into him, but he wanted to do right by you. And then Angelica… my loyal Elder. I kept her on a tight leash, but then you spoke to her and put all these suspicions in her head. You turned her against me. Their blood is on your hands.”

He’s sick. How did it take any of us this long to see it? This man isn’t a leader. He’s a monster. I feel stupid for not realizing it sooner, but then again, he seemed so calm and in control all the time. He played the part well, and now that he’s been unmasked, it’s too late.

“I would have been willing to spare you,” he hisses. I can see Dorian growing increasingly distressed, and Anthony rambles on like a madman. “You could have just left with your mother, and I would have kept you out of my town. I could have banished you. But then you got my son involved. Marcel wasn’t ready to understand what I’m trying to do. You sunk your claws into him and spun his head around. Because of you, Nora had to hurt him. Because of you, I had to threaten him to find out who he was working with. It’s all your fault. All of this.”

“Anthony, stop. Please, I’ll do whatever you want; just don’t hurt her,” Dorian says, and I want to scream at him.

No! Run, Dorian! Get out of here!

I can’t speak. I can’t breathe. Dark spots begin to dance around my vision as Anthony speaks again, his teeth grazing my ear.

“You’re going to pay for what you’ve done. You’re going to die just like your father.”

That’s the last drop. Dorian transforms with a howl, his wolf practically bursting out of him. Anthony tosses me aside, and I hit the ground with a deafening thud. Everything is spinning as I gasp for air, coughing through the burning in my lungs and the throbbing in my throat.

After that, things escalate rather quickly. I catch a glimpse of Dorian getting ready to pounce on Anthony. I see Anthony pull something out of his back pocket. By some miracle, my groggy mind recognizes the shape of the syringe, and suddenly everything becomes painfully clear. Anthony has no intention of weakening his opponents right now. He wants to destroy them. That serum will kill whoever he injects it into.

Dorian lunges, and I don’t hesitate, finding what little strength is left within me to throw myself in between him and Anthony. The needle narrowly misses Dorian’s neck and slides into my shoulder instead as Anthony injects the Wolf’s Bane. I don’t even feel it when I hit the ground.

I expected it to burn. Instead, I feel like I’m drowning. There’s pressure over my entire body, like the atmosphere around me is suddenly all wrong, uninhabitable. My arm is throbbing like it’s being stabbed by thousands of acidic blades, and my head feels like it’s going to explode. I sense the effects of the venom down to my bones. I find myself unable to remember a time when I wasn’t in so much pain. I don’t know what my body is supposed to feel like anymore, but I don’t want to feel it. It’s agonizing.

I barely register Dorian taking down Anthony. My eyes are open, but I can barely see. My ears are ringing, and the excruciating sensations wracking my every nerve are deafening to my soul. I can’t find myself in all this pain. I don’t know at what point more people came into the room. I can’t process why they seem to be on my side. The video, the pack, the entire plot of everything that has brought me here… it all seems so far away.

He’s going to kill him.

It’s not a voice in my mind, rather a distant feeling. There’s a sneaking certainty somewhere inside me that Dorian is going to kill Anthony, and I have to stop him. The why and the how are irrelevant, but the feeling grows brighter and brighter inside me, and I know it’s not for Anthony’s sake. What I do next, I do for Dorian.

“No… more…” I grumble, tears streaming down my eyes. I feel my muscles taught as I’m contorted in pain. Everything inside me is aching and screaming, and I feel so cold, but I manage to get the words out.

The sound of my voice is enough to catch Dorian’s attention, and his head snaps in my direction. The other pack members stand around Anthony and restrain him. Dorian shifts as he approaches me, his eyes wide with disbelief. Someone hands him a jacket to cover himself as he kneels by my side.

“Valerie…” he says, his voice trembling.

Emily and Dorian were right. The Lobo Pack sees the truth now, and they circle their fallen Alpha with righteous fury. Dorian looks blurry, but I force myself to speak. I have to get through to him.

“No… more… killing. We… are… one… Pack…”

He shushes me gently, wrapping his arms around me as my limbs grow heavier. I wish I could wipe away his tears. He squeezes my hand, but I can barely feel it. I try to hold on to him, mustering the will to meet his worried gaze and utter one word:

“…family…”

Dorian tucks a strand of hair behind my ears, stocking me softly as he shakes his head.

“Shhh, it’s okay. You’re okay. I’m right here. You’re okay. You’re going to be fine,” he mumbles. “We’re okay, Valerie. Just stay with me. Please. Stay with me.”

I want to, desperately. I try to focus on his words and stay by his side. I want, and I wish, and I fight, and I try…

But it’s not enough.