Chapter 24 Hudson
Hudson
Blood drips steadily onto the concrete floor, each droplet joining the growing puddle. The metallic scent fills the basement, mixing with sweat and fear.
“Pace yourself,” I tell Axel, my voice steady despite the rage burning in my gut. “We need answers before you carve him up completely.”
The man dangles from chains bolted to the ceiling, his feet barely touching the ground. His left eye is swollen shut, his lip split open, and multiple cuts crisscross his abdomen.
Axel steps back, admiring his handiwork with a twisted smile. Blood speckles his face like freckles, and his eyes hold that manic glint that means he’s enjoying himself too much.
“Don’t worry,” he says, wiping blood from his hatchet blade onto his jeans. “I’m just warming up.”
I circle the prisoner slowly, taking in his battered form. He tried to take Luna and one of our protected females. He put his hands on what’s mine. Every alpha instinct in me screams to let Axel finish him, but we need information first.
According to our file, this piece of shit has been working for us for two weeks. One of the new hires that came with glowing recommendations. Too glowing, I realize now. We should have dug deeper.
“Why did you apply to work here?” I ask, keeping my voice level despite the simmering rage beneath my skin.
The man spits blood onto the floor. A glob of red lands near my boot. “Go to hell.”
Axel’s hatchet flashes again, opening another line across the man’s chest. The prisoner screams, the sound bouncing off the concrete walls.
“Wrong answer,” Axel snarls, his voice dropping to that dangerous register that makes even me uneasy. “Let’s try again.”
The man wheezes, struggling to catch his breath. “Fuck. Okay. I volunteered.”
“Volunteered?” I press, stepping closer until I can smell the fear radiating off him. It’s sharp and acrid, cutting through the copper scent of blood.
“I knew my wife was here,” he gasps. “Figured I’d get both at the same time.”
“Both?” I lean in closer. “Explain.”
He laughs, a wet, gurgling sound. “The silver-haired bitch. And my wife. Two birds, one stone.”
My fist connects with his jaw before I can stop myself. His head snaps back, and fresh blood sprays from his mouth.
“Her name is Luna,” I growl. “And you’ll show some fucking respect.”
“Whose orders?” I demand, grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking his head back. “Who sent you after her?”
The basement door creaks open, and Damien joins us.
“What the fuck happened?” he asks, his eyes narrowing as he takes in the bloody scene before him.
“This piece of shit attacked Luna,” I explain, releasing the prisoner’s hair. “Tried to drag her and one of our female tenants into a guard truck.”
Damien’s expression darkens, his jaw tightening until I hear his teeth grinding. “Is she okay?”
Before I can answer, the door opens again, and Ethan walks in, his usually pristine shirt speckled with Luna’s blood. The sight makes my wolf snarl, straining against my control.
“She’s resting,” Ethan says, his voice tight. “A mild concussion and various bruises. She’ll be okay, physically at least.” His eyes land on our prisoner. “But she’s shaken up.”
Damien’s fists clench at his sides. “And the other female?”
“Sedated but stable,” Ethan replies. “She’s his wife, apparently. Been hiding with us for months.”
The prisoner lets out a bitter laugh, spitting more blood onto the concrete floor. “She’s my property. Mine to do with as I please.”
Axel growls, sounding more like an animal than a human. “Let me carve his fucking face off.”
I hold up a hand, stopping him. “Not yet. We need information first.”
“I’ll ask again,” I say, turning back to the prisoner. “On whose orders?”
He spits blood on the floor but doesn’t answer.
“Listen,” I say, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at me. “You’re dead either way. That’s a given. But you can choose how you go. We can kill you quickly, or Axel here will make you wish for death, slowly, over days.”
The man’s eyes dart between us, calculating his odds. Finally, he licks his bloody lips and smiles, revealing red-stained teeth.
“Do you know how much that silver pussy is worth in the flesh market?” He laughs, a wet, gurgling sound. “You’re sitting on a fucking gold mine. Every alpha from here to the capital wants a piece of that.”
Axel roars, lunging forward with his hatchet raised. I barely catch his arm before the blade connects with the prisoner’s skull.
“I’m going to fucking rip you apart, you piece of shit,” Axel snarls, straining against my grip. His eyes are wild, pupils blown wide with rage.
“Axel, enough!” I bark, my alpha voice resonating through the basement walls. “We need information. He’s goading you.”
But Axel is beyond reason, his body trembling with violence barely contained. He’s like a bomb with the timer counting down.
“Get him out of here,” I order Ethan. “Now.”
Ethan grabs Axel’s shoulders, steering him toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go check on Luna.”
“I’ll kill him,” Axel growls, his eyes never leaving the prisoner. “I’ll fucking skin him alive.”
“You’ll get your chance,” Ethan promises, his voice low and soothing as he pushes Axel up the stairs. “But Luna needs us right now.”
The door closes behind them, leaving Damien and me with our prisoner. The man hangs limply from his chains, blood dripping steadily from his wounds.
“Talk,” I demand, turning back to him. “Who sent you?”
The prisoner coughs, blood spattering onto the concrete.
“Wasn’t hard. Been tracking my bitch of a wife for months.
” He pauses, drawing a ragged breath. “When I heard rumors that Conrad Clawford’s mate was in the same place…
” He shrugs, wincing as the movement pulls at his wounds. “Two birds, one stone.”
A smile spreads across his battered face. “Word is, he’s desperate to get her back.”
“Besides,” he continues, licking blood from his split lip, “Conrad’s offering a fortune for the female. Said I could finish my wife off, and he would dispose of her body. No questions asked.” His eyes gleam with a sick light. “Said he was going to chain your silver-haired bitch—”
Damien moves too quickly for me to stop him. One moment, he’s beside me; the next, his hands wrap around the prisoner’s throat, twisting sharply. The crack echoes through the basement.
The prisoner’s eyes widen in shock, his mouth opening, but no sound comes out. His body goes limp, held up only by the chains.
“Damien—What the fuck?” I roar, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around. “We needed more information!”
Damien’s face is eerily calm. “He gave us what we needed,” he says flatly, wiping his bloody hands on his jeans. “Conrad is coming. Our security is compromised. That’s all that matters.”
“We needed to know how many are coming, when they’re coming. What their plan is.”
“This piece of shit wouldn’t be privy to that info.” Damien shrugs. His eyes meet mine, cold. “You got what you wanted. Conrad took the bait.”
My stomach twists at his words. “Clean this up,” I order. “And next time, remember who’s in charge here.”
Damien’s eyes narrow, challenging. For a moment, I think he might defy me, but then he nods, a barely perceptible dip of his chin.
I turn to leave, needing to get out of this blood-soaked room, to clear my head and think.
As I reach the first step, Damien’s voice stops me.
“You should tell her the truth,” he says. “Before it’s too late.”
“I’ll handle it,” I say, climbing the stairs.
But even as I say the words, I know I’m lying. To Damien. To myself.
And most of all, to Luna.