Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Isabella’s POV
Ethan paced back and forth in front of me, his boots crunching against the gravel floor of the warehouse. He was talking to his men, giving orders, checking his watch every few minutes like he was waiting for a package to arrive.
Except the package was Dimitri. And this was a trap. When he arrived, he would be surrounded. It was going to be him versus over twenty of Ethan’s men.
I had to get out of here before that happened.
My wrists were bound behind me with zip ties that bit into my skin with every movement.
The gag in my mouth made breathing difficult, forcing me to pull air through my nose in shallow, panicked gasps.
But my legs were free—a mistake on Ethan’s part, probably because he thought I was too weak, too scared, to try anything.
He didn’t know me at all.
I scanned the entire space. The front door was not an option. Ethan’s men were clustered there like bees. Behind me, I saw a broken window. That was going to be my escape route.
I waited until he turned his back, his attention on one of his wolf shifters near the entrance. Then I stood slowly and started backing away. The plan was simple: fling myself out through the window and run like hell.
It might have worked had it not been for that bottle of beer I accidentally knocked to the ground, drawing attention to myself.
“Hey!” Ethan yelled. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
I turned swiftly, about to throw myself over the window, but someone grabbed me from behind.
Large hands yanked me backward with brutal force.
I hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me, my shoulder taking the brunt of the impact.
Pain exploded through my body. It was the wolf shifter Ethan had been speaking to.
“Going somewhere?” Ethan’s face appeared above me, twisted with fury. “Did you really think you could just run?”
His boot connected with my ribs before I could even try to curl into myself. Once. Twice. The third kick drove all the air from my lungs.
I tried to scream, but the gag muffled everything into pathetic, strangled sounds.
“You stupid bitch.” Another kick, this one to my stomach. I tasted blood in my mouth. “You and Dimitri killed my Mate! You destroyed everything we built. And you thought you could just escape?”
The man grabbed me again, hauling me upright and holding me in place while Ethan slammed his fist into my face. My head snapped to the side, stars exploding across my vision. Blood filled my mouth.
“You’re going to die here,” Ethan hissed, his face inches from mine.
His breath smelled like rage and desperation.
“But first, Dimitri is going to be here to witness the spectacle, to watch me rip you apart piece by piece. And then, when he's broken and begging, I’ll finally end him. Too bad you won’t be able to see it. ”
He hit me again. And again. My face, my ribs, my stomach. Each blow was calculated to cause maximum pain without killing me outright.
Finally, Ethan stepped back. I sagged in the grip of whoever was holding me, blood dripping from my nose and mouth onto the concrete below. My entire body ached with pain.
“Much better,” Ethan said, surveying his handiwork with a smug smile. “Now you look appropriately terrified.”
He stood straighter, checked his watch again, then smiled. “Any minute now.”
As if on cue, I heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. A single car engine growing louder. That must be Dimitri. Fuck!
I didn’t care if I died here. Knowing Adele would have Dimitri left me with some level of relief, even if it was sad that I wouldn’t get to watch her grow.
But I knew Dimitri wouldn’t want that. Wouldn’t want a world without me in it.
Knew he’d walk straight into hell itself if he thought it would save me.
“Let him through!” Ethan yelled to his men outside, and seconds later, Dimitri was in the warehouse. His eyes swept across the place, landing on me. And when he saw my condition, his face twisted into pure, unfiltered rage.
“Let her go.” His voice was low, deadly calm in that way that meant he was seconds from snapping. “This is between you and me, Ethan. Leave her out of it.”
“Leave her out of it?” Ethan laughed, the sound sharp and bitter.
“You both killed Selene, Dimitri. You think I believe that bullshit on the news about you defending yourself?” He scoffed.
“Obviously, Selene’s strength is no match for yours.
Which means the tussle must have been between her and Isabella.
So no, I’m not letting her go. She’s absolutely part of this. ”
Dimitri’s eyes flickered gold, a sign that his wolf was just tethering at the surface. Barely controlled violence radiated from every muscle in his body.
“Let her go, Ethan. This is the last time I’ll ask.”
And to that, Ethan let out a hysterical laugh. “You still think you have power? You think you’re in control. Look outside, Dimitri! I have twenty plus men waiting to rip you apart if you dare to make the wrong move.”
In an instant, the laughter died down on Ethan’s lips, and his face contorted into a frown, showing what a maniac he was.
“Let me tell you how this is going to work, Dimitri. I’m going to give you the greatest show of your life by making you watch me kill your precious Mate.
And I’m not going to kill you just yet. I’ll find that daughter of yours and finish what Selene started—you’ll watch that, too. ”
My blood boiled listening to him threaten Adele.
And then I’ll torture you until you’re begging for mercy. I’ll show the whole world just how weak you are,” he continued. “Only then will I end you.”
“You talk about me being weak,” Dimitri said, his voice still conversational despite Ethan’s threats. “But you couldn’t even protect your own Mate, could you, Ethan? You hid while she faced the consequences of your conspiracy. You ran while she died.”
Ethan’s face went purple with rage. “Shut up—”
If I hadn’t known better, I’d say Dimitri was insane—trying to trigger a man who seemed to have both our lives in his hands.
“Some Mate you are. Some Alpha.” Dimitri’s lip curled. “At least when my family is threatened, I show up to defend them. I don’t send them to do my dirty work while I cower in the shadows.”
“I said shut up!” Ethan lunged.
And in a split second, the warehouse erupted into violence. Ethan’s men stormed into the warehouse in a second. But it wasn’t just Ethan’s men—it was members of the Ravencrest security force. Somehow, Dimitri had managed to sneak them into the perimeter.
Dimitri lunged forward, shifting mid-leap, his wolf form massive and ethereal, his eyes glowing with a gold that promised pain. He tore through the first two attackers before they could react, jaws closing around throats, claws rending flesh.
But there were too many. They swarmed him from all sides, trying to bring him down through sheer numbers.
I struggled against my bonds with renewed desperation. The zip ties cut into my wrists, drawing blood, but I didn’t care. I had to get free. Had to help him.
The hands holding me tightened painfully. “Stay still, bitch.”
Dimitri fought like a demon possessed. Ethan’s men fell to the ground, either dead or bleeding profusely.
When Ethan noticed he was losing the fight, he dipped his hand into his back pocket and pulled out a silver blade. Silver was harmful to wolf shifters. But it wasn’t just silver. The edge of the knife was coated in yellow liquid. And I realized instantly what it was. Wolfsbane.
“Dimitri, watch out!” I tried to say, but the gag on my mouth wouldn’t let me. I wriggled aggressively against the man holding me down. But he was too strong.
I shoved my head backward and knocked into the man from behind. Blood oozed from his nose. “You bitch!”
And then I hit him between his legs, and that did it. He let go of me, collapsing to the ground.
Despite the pain in my body, I tried to stand to deter Ethan, but I wasn’t quick enough.
Ethan was already pushing forward, ready to strike him from behind.
But Dimitri was faster than Ethan expected.
He shifted back to human form in an instant and caught Ethan’s wrist, stopping the blade mere inches from his ribs.
They grappled, both fighting for control of the weapon. Dimitri was stronger, his grip like iron, but Ethan was desperate, driven by grief and rage and the knowledge that this was his last chance.
The knife wavered between them, neither gaining the advantage.
And then Ethan did something I didn’t expect.
He twisted, using Dimitri’s momentum against him, and redirected the blade.
Toward me.
Everything slowed down.
I saw the knife coming, saw the malicious triumph in Ethan’s eyes as the blade nearly connected with my chest.
I was prepared to accept my fate. But somehow, Dimitri was there.
He’d released Ethan’s wrist and thrown himself between me and the knife, his body becoming a shield. And the wolfsbane blade sank into his chest with a sickening sound.
“No!” The scream tore from my throat, muffled by the gag but no less anguished.
Dimitri stumbled backward, his hand going to the knife protruding from his chest. Dark blood spread across his shirt, and I could already see the telltale black veins spreading from the wound, the wolfsbane working its poison quickly through his system.
He fell to his knees, his eyes finding mine across the space between us.
And in that gaze, I saw everything. Love. Regret. Goodbye.
Ethan stood over him, breathing hard, that vicious smile returning to his face. “Not so strong now, are you? Not so clever.”
He yanked the knife from Dimitri’s chest, and Dimitri collapsed onto his side, blood pooling beneath him.
“Now,” Ethan said, turning toward me with the bloody knife, “it’s your turn.”
Ethan advanced slowly, savoring the moment, the knife raised. “I’m going to make this hurt. For Selene. For everything you took from me.”