chapter 56
Dante Pov
'The island had been meant to be an escape.'
That was the first thought that crossed Dante’s mind as he watched the sunlight spill across the ocean, turning the water into molten gold. It was a scene he always admired.
He stood on the edge of the private cove, barefoot, the sand cool beneath his feet, his shirt discarded somewhere behind him. The air here was different—lighter, cleaner. It didn’t carry the weight of the Capital, the politics, the expectations.
It should have felt like freedom. Instead, it felt like a lie.
Because even here—especially here—he was being watched. He didn’t let it show.
Behind him, Ferial laughed. The sound cut through everything. Clean. Bright. Alive.
He turned slightly, just enough to see her without making it obvious. She stood near the water’s edge, her dress gathered slightly in her hands as the tide brushed over her feet. The wind tugged at her scarf, loosening it just enough to let strands of her hair escape. She didn’t seem to notice.
Or maybe she didn’t care.
She had changed. Not in a way that made her unrecognizable. But in the way she held herself now—less guarded, less… small. Like she was slowly allowing herself to exist fully in spaces that had never been made for her.
His chest tightened.
Mine.
The bond pulsed low and steady beneath his skin.
But layered beneath it—
Something darker.
Instinct.
Warning.
His gaze shifted, scanning the tree line behind the cove.
Still.
Too still.
Wolves didn’t need sound to be present.
And whoever it was—
They were good.
“Dante?”
Ferial’s voice pulled him back.
He forced his shoulders to relax and turned fully this time, letting his expression soften.“Yes?”
She tilted her head, studying him. “You disappeared in your head again.”
He walked toward her slowly, each step measured.
“Just thinking.”
“Dangerous,” she teased.
“For everyone involved,” he replied lightly.
She smiled. But her eyes lingered on him for a second too long. She noticed more than she let on.
He reached her, brushing his fingers lightly against hers.
“Come,” he said. “There’s something I want to show you.”
Her face lit up immediately. “Another secret place?”
“Something like that.”
He led her away from the open shore, guiding her along a narrow path that curved along the rocks and into a more secluded stretch of land.
The sound of water grew louder.
A waterfall.
It spilled down from the cliffs above into a deep, clear pool before flowing out into the ocean below. The area was hidden, shielded by jagged rock formations and thick greenery.
It was private, isolated and seemed too perfect.
Dante’s jaw tightened slightly. He didn’t stop walking.
“Dante,” Ferial breathed, stepping ahead of him now. “This is—”
“Beautiful,” he finished.
She turned to him, eyes wide. “How do you even find places like this?”
“I try and look.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.”
She laughed, shaking her head.
Then she moved closer to the water, crouching slightly to touch it.
“It’s cold,” she said, surprised.
“It comes from the mountains.”
She glanced back at him. “You’ve been here before.”
“Yes.”
“With someone?” she asked lightly.
His gaze flickered.
“With myself.”
She held his stare for a second longer, then nodded.
“Good answer.” But she was smiling.
And for a moment—
He almost believed they were alone.
Then—
Movement. A shift in the air behind the rocks. His entire body went still.
There it was.
Not wind.
Not wildlife.
A presence.
Ferial straightened slowly.
“What?” she asked quietly.
He moved instantly.
Closing the distance between them, his hand wrapping around her wrist—not rough, but firm.
“Stay close to me.”
Her expression changed immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said smoothly.
A lie.
The air shifted again.
Closer this time.
And then—
A voice.
Low.
Mocking even.
“Well. This is… disappointing.”
Ferial stiffened.
Dante turned slowly, positioning himself slightly in front of her.
A man stepped out from behind the rocks.
Wolf.
Rogue.
Dante knew it instantly.
Not by scent alone—but by the way he held himself.
Too relaxed.
Too confident.
Armed as well.
“Alpha heir,” the man said with a crooked smile. “And the human.”
Ferial’s grip tightened on Dante’s arm.
Dante’s voice was cold. “You’ve made a mistake.”
The man chuckled. “No. I’ve taken an opportunity.”
Rebellion.
Of course.
They couldn’t reach him in the Capital. So they followed him here. “Leave,” Dante said, his tone not changing.
The man tilted his head. “Or what?”
Dante didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. The air itself shifted—pressure, power, dominance pressing outward in a wave.
The man’s smile faltered for half a second. Then it returned.
“You think you’re untouchable,” he said. “But all kings fall the same way.”
His eyes flicked to Ferial.
“And sometimes… they fall because of who they choose to mate with.”
Dante moved.
Fast.
Too fast for Ferial to track. But the man had been waiting. A gun flashed into view. A shot cracked through the air. Ferial screamed. Dante twisted, pulling her down just as the bullet struck rock behind them.
“Run,” he snapped.
“I’m not leaving you—”
“Run, Ferial!”
The man lunged.
Dante met him head-on.
The impact was brutal—bone against bone, force colliding with force.
Ferial stumbled back, heart slamming, breath coming too fast.
“Dante!”
“Go!” he roared.
The man broke away just long enough to glance at her.
That was all it took.
He changed direction.
Coming straight for her.
Ferial froze for half a second—
Then moved.
She ran.
Barefoot, slipping slightly on the wet rock, her breath tearing from her lungs.
Behind her—
Footsteps.
Fast.
Too fast.
“Ferial!” Dante’s voice thundered behind them.
She reached the edge before she even realized it.
The waterfall.
The drop.
She turned—
The rogue wolf was right there.
Too close.
A hand reached for her—
Then Dante was there.
He slammed into the man, shoving him back with brutal force.
“Jump!” Dante shouted.
“What—?!”
“Jump, Ferial! NOW!”
The man recovered, lunging again.
Dante grabbed her shoulders, his eyes locking onto hers.
“Trust me,” he said.
Her heart shattered.
Then she jumped.
The world disappeared.
Cold.
Violent.
The water swallowed her whole.
The force of it ripped the air from her lungs as she plunged beneath the surface, the current immediately dragging her away.
Up.
Swim up.
Her body struggled to respond. The current was too strong. Too fast for her to swim against. She broke the surface just long enough to gasp—
“DANTE—!”
Then the current pulled her under again.
Above— Dante turned. Rage unlike anything he had ever known tore through him. The rogue wolf charged again. Dante didn’t hold back.
He shifted partially—bones cracking, claws tearing through skin as power surged through him.
The fight lasted seconds. He drove the man into the rock, snapping his neck with a force that echoed.
Silence.
Then—
Dante spun.
The water.
The ocean.
No sign of her.
His heart stopped.
“Ferial!”
Nothing.
The current had already taken her.
His mind snapped open instantly.
CODE BLACK. MATE MISSING. LOCATION—
Coordinates flooded through the link.
DEPLOY ALL UNITS. NOW.
Voices exploded in his head.
Alpha—
We’re mobilizing—
Air and sea units inbound—
Dante was already moving.
He dove.
The water hit him like ice.
He fought against the current, searching, scanning, his lungs burning.
Nothing.
No sign.
No scent.
No trace.
Panic clawed at his throat.
Find her, he snarled through the link. I don’t care how far she’s been pulled—FIND HER.
Above, the sky darkened with incoming aircraft.
Boats cut through the water.
Wolves poured into the ocean.
But Dante didn’t see any of it.
He only saw the moment she looked at him.
The trust.
The fear.
The jump.
“Ferial…”
The ocean gave him no answer.
And for the first time since he had met her—
Dante didn’t feel in control. He felt something far worse in his life. He felt terrified.