chapter 38
A/N: Not too happy about the chapter, but let me know.
The moment the plane’s engines finally fell silent and the doors opened, Abdie looked like a man who had been released from captivity.
He stretched his arms wide, cracked his neck dramatically, and inhaled as if freedom itself had a scent. Then—completely unprompted—he began to sing.
It started soft, almost reverent, his voice carrying the familiar melody of Carry That Weight. Ferial froze mid-step, her head snapping toward him in disbelief.
“Oh no,” she muttered. “Absolutely not.”
Abdie ignored her, swaying as they walked down the stairs, his voice gaining confidence. “Come on,” he urged, nudging her shoulder. “Don’t leave me hanging. You know this one.”
“I am not singing in front of wolves,” she hissed
“That’s exactly why you should.”
He spun in front of her, walking backward now, gesturing grandly to the armed wolves and their mates surrounding them. “Ladies and gentlemen, the emotional baggage tour—please clap.”
A few wolves stiffened. One growled low.
Ferial sighed, defeated, and joined him—quietly at first—before Abdie immediately ruined her restraint by grabbing her hands and twirling her into an exaggerated spin.
They danced. They sang. They shuffled badly across the tarmac.
Abdie pointed at one of the guards. “You look like the type who cries in private but pretends you don’t feel things.”
Another jab at a wolf and his mate. “You two definitely argue telepathically.”
Ales Yenny one of their guards, walking a few paces behind, pinched the bridge of his nose. “They are still traveling,” he muttered to no one in particular. “Unfortunately.”
Dante finally snapped.
He shot Ferial a look—equal parts exasperation and accusation. “This,” he said flatly, “is exactly what I meant when I said if Abdie tells you to jump, you ask how high.”
She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Abdie beat her to it.
“Oh please,” he scoffed. “She didn’t even hesitate. That’s loyalty.”
“That’s peer pressure,” Dante shot back.
Abdie grinned wider. “Same thing in a good relationship.”
By the time they were herded into the SUV, the chaos settled into something heavier.
The vehicle was large, armored, its interior quiet to the point of suffocating. Dante sat beside Ferial. Abdie sprawled lazily across from them, Lina beside him, with a single guard in the front passenger seat.
The road stretched long and dark ahead of them.
No one spoke.
The silence dragged, thick and uncomfortable, pressing into Ferial’s chest until she couldn’t stand it anymore.
She cleared her throat.
“Does… does anyone outside your family know I’m coming?” she asked Dante softly.
Before he could answer, Lina spoke, her tone calm and measured.
“No one outside the family knows about you or Abdie,” she said. “There’s been no media release. That will only happen after everything is discussed and decided.”
Ferial nodded slowly, absorbing that. “And my grandparents?”
Dante’s jaw tightened.
“I’ve taken care of them,” he said simply.
She waited for more. None came.
Her fingers curled into her palm, but she didn’t push. Not now.
Abdie, however, lived to push.
“So,” he leaned forward suddenly, pointing at Lina. “Let’s talk about myself and muscle mommy over here.”
Lina raised a brow, amused.
“As long as I’m a kept man,” Abdie continued cheerfully, “I don’t mind giving you a few pups.”
The guard stiffened.
Ferial choked. “Abdie!”
Lina laughed—actually laughed.
She groaned quietly beside her as Abdie went on.
“I just need to know,” he said thoughtfully, “who’s the male in this relationship because clearly she’s more muscular.”
Ferial smacked his arm. “You are impossible.”
Lina wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. “He’s not wrong.”
The SUV slowed suddenly.
Without warning, Dante and Lina opened their doors and stepped out.
“What—?” Ferial started.
The doors slammed shut before she could finish.
Two new guards got in, faces hard, eyes scanning the surroundings.
The engine roared back to life.
“Where are we going?” Abdie demanded.
No answer.
The air shifted.
Ferial’s pulse spiked. “Something’s wrong.”
Then it happened.
Gunshots cracked through the night.
Shouts. Smoke flooding the road ahead.
The SUV lurched violently forward, tires screaming as it sped down the road, swerving hard enough to throw Ferial into Abdie.
“Dante!” she screamed.
Abdie grabbed her, holding her tight. “What’s happening?!”
More shots. The windshield rattled as something struck it.
“Answer us!” Ferial yelled at the guards.
“Safety first,” one of them barked. “Do not move.”
The vehicle flew through the streets, headlights cutting through chaos as explosions echoed behind them.
Ferial’s breath came fast, her hands shaking as she clung to Abdie.
“Where did they take them?” she sobbed.
Abdie’s face was pale now, all humor gone. “Hey. Hey. Look at me.”
Another sharp turn. The city blurred.
“We’re not dying today,” he said firmly, pressing his forehead to hers. “Not without answers.”
The guards said nothing.
And whatever had just begun, it was far from over.
Dante POV
Dante didn’t look back when the SUV doors shut behind him.
The moment his boots hit the ground, the noise rushed in—engines idling, radios crackling, the faint hum of the city beyond the secured perimeter. Lina fell into step beside him instantly, her expression calm but her body alert, every muscle coiled.
“They’re early,” she said quietly.
“I know.”
A guard approached, speaking fast. “Movement on the east and south routes. Unmarked vehicles.”
Dante’s jaw flexed. “Execute secondary protocol.”
Lina turned slightly, watching the SUV carrying Ferial and Abdie disappear down the road, escorted by two decoy vehicles.
“She’s going to hate you for this,” Lina remarked.
“She’d hate me more if she were dead.”
Another sharp sound split the air—gunfire, closer now. Smoke bloomed near the outer checkpoint as shouting erupted.
Lina didn’t flinch. She lifted her chin, eyes hard. “They’re testing response time.”
“And realizing too late they picked the wrong target,” Dante replied.
He raised his hand once.
Everything moved.
Wolves surged forward, weapons raised, bodies shifting with lethal precision. The guards formed a moving wall around Dante and Lina as bullets tore through the space they had vacated moments earlier.
A vehicle exploded near the barricade.
Lina cursed under her breath. “They’re not here for you.”
Dante’s gaze sharpened. “No. They’re here for her.”
For Ferial.
For leverage.
He hated how predictable that made things.
They moved quickly, slipping into an armored transport as another wave of attackers emerged from the smoke. Lina slid inside first, weapon already in hand.
The doors slammed shut.
The vehicle surged forward.
Inside, the silence was sharp and controlled—nothing like the chaos Ferial was trapped in.
Lina exhaled slowly. “Abdie’s going to talk himself into a grave one day.”
Dante huffed once. “He’ll survive. He always does.”
A pause.
Then, quieter, “She won’t forgive me for sending her away like that.”
“No,” Lina agreed. “But she’ll be alive to be angry.”
Dante leaned back, eyes closing briefly as the transport sped through secured back routes. His thoughts were not on strategy now—but on Ferial’s face when the doors had shut.
Confusion. Fear. Trust she hadn’t even realized she was giving him.
Lina watched him carefully. “You didn’t tell her about the grandparents.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Because you relocated them?”
“And doubled their security,” he said. “And wiped any trail leading to them.”
Lina nodded. “She would’ve panicked.”
“She already is.”
The radio crackled. “Alpha, hostile forces diverted. Decoys successful. No casualties on primary asset.”
Dante opened his eyes. “And the SUV?”
“Clear. Moving to safe location.”
His chest loosened a fraction.
Lina tilted her head. “You know this isn’t going to end here.”
“I know,” he said coldly. “This was a warning.”
The transport slowed, turning into an underground entryway. Heavy doors opened, swallowing them whole.
As they stepped out, Lina finally allowed herself a thin smile. “Whoever did this wanted to see how far you’d go.”
Dante’s expression was lethal.
“They’re about to find out.”
He turned, already issuing orders, mind racing three steps ahead—because now it wasn’t just about power or territory.
They had brought violence too close to Ferial.
And that was unforgivable.