Chapter 525

Evaline:

I tilted my head just a little.

Not enough to be curious. Not enough to be sympathetic. Just enough to acknowledge that I had heard him.

“What do you want to talk about?” I asked.

My voice was level… almost bored.

Marcus swallowed.

I could see it in the way his throat bobbed, in the way his fingers tightened around the chain binding his wrists. My calm unsettled him more than anger ever could have. He had likely braced himself for rage, threats, perhaps even cruelty just like what he had received since the day he got captured by River.

Instead, he got indifference… and a pinch of kindness.

It took him a painfully long moment to gather his thoughts. His gaze darted briefly to the candle, then back to me, as though drawing courage from its weak flame.

“The… the Soul Death matter,” he finally said.

Ah.

Finally.

I waited.

No gasp. No sharp intake of breath. I gave him no visible reaction at all.

In fact, the corner of my lips curved… just barely. A smirk so faint it might have been imagined, but it was very much real.

“If that’s what you want to talk about,” I said calmly, “then you are speaking to the wrong person p>

His brow furrowed.

“There’s someone far more appropriate for that conversation,” I continued, turning slightly toward the door. “Alpha River Thorne. You can talk to him when you see him again p>

I let my gaze slide back to him, cold and assessing. “And frankly, Marcus, if you actually had anything useful to say about the matter, you wouldn’t be sitting here looking like this p>

The words landed exactly where I intended them to.

He flinched.

I turned away, one hand already reaching for the door.

“Wait p>

His voice cracked.

Desperation seeped through it, raw and unfiltered.

I paused.

A quiet sigh escaped me as I turned back to face him again. This time, he didn’t hesitate. Panic had stripped him of pride.

“I do,” he said quickly. “I do have information. About the Soul Death cases. About what happened to Carson. Real information p>

I studied him in silence.

I took my time with it, letting the quiet stretch until his discomfort was palpable. He shifted in his seat, chains clinking softly, sweat breaking along his hairline.

“If that’s true,” I said at last, “then tell me something, Marcus p>

I leaned back slightly, folding my arms.

“Why didn’t you tell Alpha Thorne p>

His lips parted… but I wasn’t finished.

“And why,” I continued coolly, “did you let yourself get beaten and dragged through interrogations instead p>

My eyes sharpened. “Why tell me now p>

For a moment, he didn’t answer. But then his shoulders sagged.

“I was waiting,” he admitted quietly.

“Waiting for what p>

“To use it p>

I blinked once.

“To get money,” he clarified, his eyes dropping to the floor. “From Alpha Thorne p>

Something inside me twisted… not with shock, but with disgust.

He continued, clearly oblivious to the shift within me. “I thought since he hadn’t handed me over to the council, I still might get away from this unharmed. I didn’t think he would go as far as exiling me without a proper trial. Yesterday, when he said it… I thought it was just a threat p>

His gaze snapped back up to mine. “But today… I told the warriors that I wanted to see him, but no one listened to me. Not even when I told them I wanted to confess. And even now he stayed outside and let only you come in… all this made me realize he might actually do it. Send me away without another chance to speak to him p>

He laughed weakly. “And I can’t risk that p>

I stared at him.

Really stared.

The more he spoke, the harder it became to maintain the calm mask I had been wearing since stepping into this cell. My fingers curled against my arms, my nails digging into the fabric of my pastel blue shirt.

This man.

This pathetic excuse of a man.

People were lying unconscious. Wolves torn from their bodies. Families broken. Lives suspended in endless waiting… and here he was, still thinking about squeezing out more money.

I felt the urge rise fast and violent.

One step forward.

One sharp movement.

And I could dislocate the shoulder I had just fixed. The irony of it almost made me smile.

Almost.

But I didn’t move.

Instead, I exhaled slowly through my nose and turned back to the chair. I sat down again, deliberately, crossing my legs and folding my hands in my lap.

“Speak,” I said simply. “Tell me what you know p>

Relief flashed across his face.

Then greed followed it.

“I will,” he said, licking his lips. “But first… I want something in return p>

Of course he did. I expected nothing less from him.

“I want you to talk to River Thorne,” he continued, emboldened by the fact that I hadn’t shut him down yet. “I want you to make sure I’m spared from punishment p>

I wanted to ask what made him think I had the power to negotiate with an Alpha… and that too Alpha Thorne of everyone.

But I said nothing.

I let the silence answer him first.

Seconds passed.

Then I spoke.

“If the information you provide turns out to be useful,” I said evenly, “I can negotiate for you not to be exiled p>

His eyes lit up p>

“And that’s where it ends,” I cut in calmly.

His expression faltered.

“You will still pay the fine,” I continued. “And you will serve probation. Community hours. Months of them p>

I leaned forward slightly, my gaze unwavering. “You will not walk away clean. That is the best I can offer p>

He opened his mouth to argue.

“You either take it,” I added coolly, “or you get nothing p>

I stood.

And he froze.

I took a step toward the door.

“Wait,” he said quickly, panic flooding back into his voice. “Wait-please p>

I paused again but didn’t turn around.

He hesitated.

I could almost hear the calculations in his head. The weighing of pride against survival. Greed against fear.

Another second passed.

Then another.

I reached for the handle.

“Fine,” he blurted out. “I’ll take it p>

I turned back slowly.

His shoulders slumped as he nodded. “I accept p>

Good.

“Then talk,” I said, my voice cool and unyielding.