CAYDEN
“This is ridiculous,” I murmur as I pace up and down, locked in by an extremely annoying, buzzing shield.
I hear Fynn laughing in the distance, and I shake my head with a grin.
He must be elated just as I am, but I guess that he enjoys the thrill of the chase and all this pent-up anticipation more than me.
Groaning, I throw my head into my neck, pushing out a deep breath. “I know that it is supposed to be exciting, but this is making me nervous.”
“Just relax. I think it won’t take any longer until they reach the cabin and Corvina lets down the shields,” I hear Hendrick talking behind the shield that is separating me from him.
Driving my hand through my hair, I scoff. “I just have some kind of bad feeling. I can’t explain it.”
“You are just nervous,” Logan chimes in from somewhere behind me. “We had a few bad days, and it will be over tonight. No wonder we are all freaking out.”
I’m about to laugh at this and retort something sarcastically as I suddenly feel my chest constricting, my air being cut by my throat tightening.
What the fuck!
Aiden roars in my head as I clasp the fabric covering my chest, and I slump to the ground.
“Cayden?” Hendrick asks, just as the shields disappear.
I turn to lie on my back, staring into the starry sky through the trees as my sight begins to become blurred.
“Cayden!”
This time it is Corvina calling me, rushing to my side and letting herself fall on her knees. She looks up, holding a knife towards Hendrick, who has reached us with a panicky expression. “I need your blood. Hurry!”
I notice that none of my brothers are rushing towards us, and my heart sinks.
A strange sensation streams through me, making me shudder. “What the fuck is this?”
“You are dying,” Corvina says, rummaging through a bag she has carried to my side.
I laugh, “Business as always.”
She shakes her head, swallowing a sob as Hendrick cuts his wrist, making blood fall to the ground.
Swiftly, she reaches out, catching it with a small vial. “Go fetch the others!”
He is just about to move as Logan stumbles through the trees, carrying Fynn.
“Oh, my God,” Corvina murmurs, shaking the vial with Hendrick’s blood.
She leans down to me, bringing the vial to my lips as she whispers. “I’m sorry for this. But I don’t have time to find out what they gave you. And you have to save Missy.”
Missy?
I cough as my stomach revolts against the blood, but as soon as I have swallowed down the bile rising in my throat, I feel an awesomely sizzling sensation ripple through my body. My blood starts boiling, my sight refocuses and the pressure on my chest lifts, allowing me to breathe again.
“Here!” Corvina screams, throwing another vial at Hendrick. “I have the herbs in it already. Fill it with your blood and shake it. Make him drink all of it.”
I sit up with a groan, watching Hendrick making Fynn drink his blood as Logan is standing beside him, his fingers clasping his hair.
Observing them groggily, it takes my mind a moment until I turn towards Corvina. “Where is Missy?”
“She has been taken.” She gulps as she turns to the others. “By Lisa. Just after she stabbed Rachel.”
With a growl, I skyrocket up, charging towards Logan. He stands there with his hands lifted stupidly as I pack him by his collar, shaking him. “Where the fuck is she?”
“I- How the fuck should I know? Lisa is not my fucking problem anymore,” Logan defends himself, making me growl again.
“I’ll rip your fucking heart out. What did you do?” I ask, and he shakes his head, swearing on his innocence again.
“Cayden. Missy is my everything. What should I do with Lisa?”
Fynn comes back to his senses slowly, groaning as he holds his head. “What the fuck?”
Hendrick slaps his face with a chuckle as we suddenly jerk up simultaneously.
“Rogues?” Fynn asks as he gets to his feet, risking losing his balance. “What the hell?”
“They are attacking us,” Hendrick observes, making me tighten my grip on Logan’s shirt.
Growling into his face, I bare my teeth. “What did you do?”
“Nothing! I did absolutely nothing!” He whines, sinking his claws into my hands. “I know that I disappointed you because I felt sorry for her, letting her close enough to poison me. But I’m out of it now! I have nothing to do with it!”
Shaking him, I ignore the snarling rogues that are about to surround us as my rage rises in me, risking making my heart explode.
“You were the one harming her all along. The Omegas, the pills, the fucking water!”
“What?” His eyes widen, as he shouts back at me. “Don’t be ridiculous. What water?”
“She said that the water tasted strange!” I roar. “You gave her the fucking water in the limousine. She felt bad just after she drank it. I tried to ignore it! But this ends here!”
He takes a deep breath, his eyes switching from dark to light as his wolf struggles to stay back at defending his pride.
But he knows better than me that if he shifts it will be the last thing he will do.
“What the fuck, Cayden?!”
Logan pushes at my chest, getting me to let go of him as he shouts. “I didn’t spike the fucking water. It just happened to be there. It was in the car. There were like five bottles. What the actual fuck!”
“Always ready to hit us with your excuses, right, Logan? Aren’t you tired yet?” I scoff, making him growl.
He charges towards me, pushing me again. “I said I didn’t do it. You gave me your word that you would believe me.”
“How can I believe you if you go on hurting our mate? And we nearly died. How is it that you are still standing and doing pretty well?”
His chest heaves as he stretches out his hands, looking at them. “I don’t know.”
I laugh as his murmur gets drowned by the snarling of the nearing wolves. Scanning my surroundings, I blink twice as I suddenly realize something.
Turning around, I check again, sniffing the air as well.
But it’s gone.
My eyes widen as I suddenly have a flashback and I see the scene playing clearly in front of my inner eye.
It is like I’m back in the royal palace.
We are about to leave for the hearing when I see my brother handing Missy a glass and she lifts a brow as he smiles.
She takes it with one of her gorgeous smiles, drinking the transparent liquid without any hesitancy.
Because his caring nature is just natural, is it?!
My heart halts as Hendrick tilts his head, looking at me just as confused as the others. “Are you alright?”
“Guys…” I say lowly. “Where is Matthew?”