Chapter 70

Sebastian’s pov

The car slowed down abruptly, drawing my attention.

“Alpha Sebastian!” Liam’s voice dropped to an urgent whisper, his professional composure cracking for the first time tonight. “That car ahead—is that it p>

I leaned forward, my eyes narrowing as I peered through the tinted window. A sleek black sports car sat just fifty feet ahead of us. The license plate matched perfectly.

“Stay calm. Keep following,” I commanded, my voice deliberately even. Years as Alpha had taught me that panic spreads like wildfire, especially in crisis situations. “Maintain distance p>

“Yes, Alpha Sebastian,” Liam replied, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as he gradually increased speed.

I texted Harper with our location update. She would bring the police—proper channels were important in human territories. Meanwhile, I’d sent Tang ahead as backup. My wolf, Soren, paced restlessly in my mind, sensing my mate was in danger.

[She’s ours to protect,] Soren growled. [If they’ve harmed her p>

[Focus,] I silently replied, though my own anger simmered dangerously.

After fifteen minutes of careful pursuit, the black car turned into a gated residential community. Our vehicle couldn’t follow without arousing suspicion.

“This is—” Liam’s eyes widened in recognition. “This is Cecilia’s former home p>

I stared out at the familiar entrance gates, my expression hardening into stone. Alpha Xavier’s residence. Where he and Cecilia had lived during their marriage.

Without hesitation, I pulled out my phone and dialed Alpha Xavier’s number. My patience had just run out.

Cecilia’s pov

The pungent smell of gasoline jolted me awake, burning my nostrils and making my stomach heave.

It was everywhere—soaking my clothes, my hair, even my skin. I forced my heavy eyelids open, disorientation giving way to cold horror as I realized where I was.

[This is our living room. Our home. Mine and Xavier’s p>

Even in the dim lighting, I recognized the floor-to-ceiling windows, the arrangement of furniture, the exact placement of the door. Four years of living here had burned every detail into my memory.

Panic flooded my system as I tried to move and found myself immobilized—duct tape binding my wrists and ankles, another strip sealing my mouth. My muscles heavy as lead, unresponsive to my desperate commands. Some kind of drug, I realized. My mind was clearing, but my body remained a prison.

The sharp click of heels against hardwood pulled my attention to the doorway. A petite silhouette approached, settling beside me on the sofa. Even without seeing her face clearly, I knew instantly who it was–Cici White.

I stopped struggling, straightening my posture as much as possible. If I was going to die, I wouldn’t cower.

“I’ve been waiting three whole days to catch you,” Cici said, her voice light and sweet—but something about it was off. She flicked a lighter open and closed, the small flame dancing between her fingers, just inches from my gasoline-soaked clothes. “Three. Whole. Days p>

She stepped closer, and in the brief flash of firelight, I saw her face twist into something almost inhuman.

Gone was the pretty, cheerful girl Xavier had once chosen over me. What stood before me now was a woman who had clearly lost her mind.

“Scared?” she asked, waving the flame near my face like it was part of a game. “Don’t be. It’ll only hurt for a little while. Then you’ll just be ashes, and Xavier—he’ll throw up when he sees you. What a way to end, right p>

Her laughter rang out, high-pitched and unhinged. It bounced off the walls like broken glass, sharp and chaotic. She wasn’t just angry—she was completely gone.

Suddenly, she leaned in and tore the tape from my mouth. I gasped in pain, and she grabbed my jaw hard, forcing me to look at her.

“Let’s make a deal,” she whispered. “Bark like a dog. Beg me. If you make me laugh, maybe I’ll let you live p>

I stared back at her, cold and calm. I said nothing.

Inside, every part of me screamed with fear. My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking—but I knew begging wouldn’t save me. She’d already made up her mind. There would be no mercy.

Her face twisted with rage. She slapped me hard across the face. My head jerked to the side, and the pain burned, but I stayed silent.

“You won’t beg? Fine!” she shouted. “Then I’ll have someone hurt you first, cut you into pieces, and burn you with this house p>

She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back again. Her mood shifted so fast it made my skin crawl.

“I’m giving you a chance!” she said breathlessly. “Just bark. It doesn’t hurt. It’s nothing. Just do it p>

I looked straight into her wild eyes and spoke clearly, my voice low but steady.

“Murder is a crime. If you kill me, you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison. Is that what you want p>

She froze, clearly thrown by my calm response. She’d expected me to break down, to beg and plead. The fact that I hadn’t—infuriated her.

Slaps rained down on my face, one after another until my mouth filled with blood and my skin went numb from pain.

“I am going to kill you,” she hissed, her breath hot against my ear. “I’ll torture you until you wish you were dead. And yes, murder is illegal, but who can prove I did it? I’ve eliminated all evidence. The whole world might suspect me, but without proof, what can they do p>

She straightened up, her voice taking on a dreamy quality. “After this, your husband will be mine. Everything that was yours will be mine. We’ll rebuild on the ruins of your tragic death. We’ll marry, have children, live happily ever after p>

I couldn’t help but laugh at her delusion. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll become a vengeful spirit haunting you p>

“If you become a ghost,” she snarled, “I’ll find a warlock to capture your soul. I’ll force you to watch Xavier and me in bed together. I’ll make you watch as I take everything that was once yours p>

“You’re so incredibly cliché,” I replied flatly.

My comment earned me another brutal beating. When she finally tired, she stood back, breathing heavily.

“Cecilia,” she said, suddenly thoughtful. “Are you stalling for time? Hoping someone will rescue you p>

She laughed, a brittle sound like breaking glass. “Don’t dream. No one will save you tonight. No one will guess you’re here. By the time they find you, you’ll have committed suicide—I’ve even prepared your note p>

She stepped back, flicking the lighter on again. “No more games. I’ll send you on your way now p>

The light reflected in her eyes as she admired the fear and desperation she assumed were on my face. With a theatrical flourish, she tossed the lighter upward p>

In that split second, survival instinct surged through me, somehow breaking through the drug’s paralysis. I managed to lurch forward, falling from the sofa to the floor.

But it wasn’t enough. The lighter would hit the ground, ignite the gasoline, and I would burn alive.

I closed my eyes in utter despair.

I never imagined I would die because of Xavier’s infidelity. If ghosts were real, I would become one—and my first target would be Xavier himself.

This was all his fault.

Cici waited eagerly for the inferno to consume me.

But the expected sound of the lighter hitting the floor never came. Neither did the rush of heat from igniting gasoline. Instead, a dark shadow appeared on the floor.

Just inches from the ground, a hand reached out and caught the burning lighter.

“Who are you?!” Cici’s face contorted with shock.

The figure rose smoothly from the ground, ignoring her question. Seeing her plan falling apart, Cici lunged toward me with frightening speed. She snatched a knife from the coffee table and drove it down toward my crumpled form by the sofa.