Page 54 of Cruel Alpha: Season One

There’s pure venom in his words, and I don’t doubt that he means them for even a second. Nor do I doubt that finding out my cousin, Elizabeth, is to blame will have no bearing on the harshness of his punishment.

As I said before, Cas is nothing if he isn’t a man of his word.

Covered in sweat and blood, he takes his seat behind the wheel, then starts the engine as he slams his door shut. We drive, moving at a dangerously high speed, but getting help quickly might be my only hope.

Cas dials a number and the line trills through the car’s speakers as he casts a look over his shoulder toward me. He faces the road again, but reaches behind the seat and takes my hand, squeezing it, bringing me comfort as I attempt to keep my eyes open.

“You found her?”

“I did. There’s been an accident, and she’s in bad shape. Tell Jezabel to be ready and waiting when I get there. Whoever and whatever she needs, make sure she has it.”

“On it,” the voice on the other end of the line confirms. “Any idea what’s going on?”

“No, but I sure as hell intend to find out. In the meantime, the estate is officially on lockdown. No one gets in, and until I get to the bottom of things… no one gets out. Understood?”

“Understood.”

There’s a long breadth of silence, and I feel his emotions swirling inside the car—fear, anxiety, anger.

“What about you, Cas? Are you good?” the voice asks, and only now am I able to put a name to it. Creed.

“I’m fine. I just need her to be okay,” he answers, and while I’m not able to show much of a reaction otherwise, I squeeze his hand a little. “Thank the gods Archibald thought enough to tell me something seemed off when she left. If he hadn’t, I…”

Cas’s voice trails off, and his jaw clenches as the rest of his statement goes unsaid.

“Say no more,” Creed interjects. “And whatever assistance you need, I’m here.”

“Thank you.”

The line goes dead when Cas ends the call, and the mood in the car is just as heavy as before while his truck winds over the very road that nearly ended me. There are still so many pieces to fit together, so many pieces to the puzzle that mayneverfit, but there’s one thing I’m certain of as of this very moment.

Caspian is officially, beyond the shadow of a doubt, my hero.

And I owe him my life.

21

Season One Finale

Caspian

My steps echothrough the guard tower as I ascend. The sound is accompanied by that of Creed and Dimitri’s feet moving up the stone staircase just as swiftly. I waited until Annalise was somewhat stable and receiving care from Jezebel before making this trek across the grounds. And now, I’m a man on a mission.

Annalise was still in no shape to explain the entire ordeal, but she was coherent enough when I left to speak the name of the one behind the setup.

Her cousin, Elizabeth.

In hindsight, I acted hastily. Killing the wolf in the woods wasn’t the wisest move, but rage drove me to it. The terror I felt at the thought of losing her, the disgust when I saw someone standing there, observingwhat could have been her final moments.

Death felt like the only option for him. It felt like the only outcome he deserved.

It added insult to injury when I sent guards to seize Elizabeth and her sister, only to discover that Elizabeth managed to escape before the lockdown took effect. So, I’ve dispatched my best trackers to scour all of New Eden, and since I’m unable to question the one Annalise accused by name,I’ve decided to settle for the next best thing.

“Good evening, Alpha,” both guards utter in unison.

“The door, please,” I say with a nod.

“Right away, Sir.”

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