Page 54 of Wolf's Endgame

“She’ll be okay,” Kris reassured me, patting my hand.

Wiping my eyes, I tried to convince myself she would. “Tell me what happened to you.”

Cannon turned in his seat and met my gaze.

“I came home, and you weren’t there,” he started. “I thought you may be with Nikan or Barbara. When I went to look for you, I passed Tev, and when I went past him, he stabbed me in the back. Twice. The second time, he left the silver blade in my back where I couldn’t reach it.”

My eyes were wide, I knew that, but I was still reaching for him, and he turned, leaning forward so I could see his back. A thin scar was evident in the low light of the car, and I glared at the mark on my alpha’s body. “Tell me you killed him.”

“Nikan took care of that,” Royce said gruffly. “After he…interrogated him.”

My head cocked as I looked between the two of them. “You mean tortured?”

Royce shrugged. “It’s done.”

“He’s dead?”

“He is.”

Turning back to Cannon, I fought my urge to crawl between the seats and sit on his lap. “How long did it take to cure you?”

Cannon’s eyes flicked to Royce. “A while.”

Royce was watching me in the rearview. “Why don’t you tell us why you left?”

They were all waiting for me to speak. “I should never have left that day. But Landon, he told me Kris was in danger and if I told anyone, he would die. I left for my brother.” Kris grunted, but I kept on talking. “And then when I met Landon at the meeting point, he told me he had to trick me as Bale had his mom. And then he knocked me out, and I woke up in a cell.” I glared at the thought. “Which I am sick of, by the way. They knocked me out again?—”

“Who’s they?” Royce asked.

“Bale.” I spat his name with venom. “That sick fucker has lost his mind. He put me in a silver cuff and chained me to a wall and beat me. And Landon tried to get him to believe I could be his mate, which I could never be his mate, and they made me shower in their compound, and this guy watched, and Bale said if I didn’t cooperate with Landon, I was to die. And then Landon told me Cannon had been killed, and I…”

The tears were falling again as I remembered the fear, and I was choked up and my breathing was fucked as I relived it all. “I couldn’t fight them anymore. They told me Cannon was killed, and I broke. Bale said I was broken, and I was to be given to the men, and then Landon told me I had to play along so his dad would believe I was tamed,” I snarled. “He left me and then Bale was there when I woke up, and he said, he said…”

I was breathing raggedly, too far gone to realize I was having a panic attack and not realizing Royce was no longer looking at me with distrust or that he had stopped driving. “He was going to force himself on me, and Moonstar had come back, and she had said Cannon wasn’t dead because I would feel more pain than the silver cuff, so when Bale went to touch me…like that…I let her take control.”

I refused to look at any of them, my eyes stinging and snot running as freely as my tears. Wiping my nose on the back of my hand, I stared out the window.

Royce blew out a breath. “Fuck, that was a lot.” He looked over at Cannon. “I think she’s telling the truth.”

“I have no reason to lie,” I snapped. Cannon opened his door and left the Jeep. I followed him, hearing the others do the same. “You think that I’m lying?” I asked him incredulously.

“When he stabbed me, Tev said ‘Kezia says fuck you.’”

I stared at him, knowing my eyes were as wide as saucers. “You really think I did this?” My guts were churning with anxiety and rage. “That’s why you didn’t come for me?” My laugh was sharp and bitter. “Now I get it.”

“You get it?” Cannon asked, his own anger riding close to the surface.

“No. I don’t. I’m lying.” I refused to look at anyone but Cannon. “Why wouldn’t you come and get me? Why would you let me think you were dead?”

“Because until Moonstar walked into the bunker, I was as good as dead.”

I blinked. Cannon didn’t. A quick look at Royce confirmed what he had said. “What?”

“I was dying. The silver was in my bloodstream. In my heart. Kidneys. Lungs. Tev almost succeeded in his revenge.”

“How? How are you here?” I swallowed. “Moonstar?”

“She used magic. It hurt like hell, and I passed out.” Cannon looked over at Royce. “Royce can tell you more than I can.”

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