Chapter 441
“She’s on an untraceable private jet,” Dallas relayed, his voice dropping to a hollow rasp. “Booked through a Rogue mercenary network. She’s already in international airspace.”
He looked at the silver-bladed dagger strapped to his thigh — the weapon meant for Estevan Parrish. He unbuckled it and let it clatter onto the mahogany desk. “She bought a war for me,” he whispered, the realization crushing him. He tapped his comms. “Duncan, prep the jet for Lebanon.”
He turned to leave the study. I stepped directly in front of him, blocking his path.
“I’m coming with you,” I demanded, my voice trembling but resolute.
“Absolutely not,” Dallas snarled, the suffocating weight of his Alpha King aura flooding the room. “It’s a warzone. You are wolfless. I can’t protect you both.”
“She is my family too!” I screamed, grabbing the heavy straps of his tactical vest, my fingers digging into the ballistic material. “I am not staying behind, Dallas!”
He stared down at me. The fierce, unyielding Lycan in his eyes flickered and was suddenly replaced by a profound, exhausting defeat.
“Fine,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
The abrupt surrender sent a sharp spike of unease through my chest, but the desperate relief of not being left behind quickly washed it away.
“You’re hyperventilating,” Dallas murmured, his tone unnervingly gentle. He reached for a glass of water resting on the side table and pressed it into my trembling hands. “Drink. You need to hydrate before the flight. Go pack a bag.”
Trusting my mate entirely, I downed the water in three large gulps. I turned toward the hallway, but I only made it two steps.
The floor violently tilted. My knees buckled as a heavy, unnatural fog crashed over my mind, dragging my consciousness down into the dark.
Strong arms caught me before I hit the hardwood. I looked up, my vision swimming. Dallas was holding me against his armored chest. The cold Alpha King was gone — his eyes swam in an ocean of absolute, agonizing heartbreak.
“You drugged me,” I slurred, the betrayal tearing at my fading mind.
He pressed his lips to my forehead, his voice a raw, self-loathing rasp. “Hate me for this, Adella. It’s the only way. This is the last time I’ll ever hurt you.”
Darkness swallowed me whole.
I was floating in a suffocating void. I could feel the soft silk of the duvet beneath me, but my limbs were paralyzed, weighed down by the heavy sedatives. Through the haze, muffled voices drifted from the penthouse hallway.
“Step aside, Lena,” a cold, arrogant voice demanded.
“Code Red lockdown. No one enters,” the female Warrior replied, her tone unyielding.
“Is that so?” the male voice sneered. “I wonder how the Council would react if they knew exactly which Rogue camp your exiled brother is hiding in. Move, or I make the call.”
A tense, horrifying silence followed. Then came the sound of retreating footsteps. Lena had yielded.
The master bedroom door clicked open. The comforting scent of storm and cedar that lingered in the room was instantly obliterated by the sour, suffocating stench of an arrogant Alpha.