Page 148 of Never Submit

Dax shrugs. “If they have been working for Andras the entire time, then yes. Or she can be working alone. Somehow I doubt it.”

“She’s a fucking snake,” I spit, the fury raging through me, even more powerful with the lack of Noble’s energy.

If I ever see her again, I’ll claw her fucking face to shreds.

Dax paces near the tree line, his fists clenching and unclenching like he’s barely keeping himself together. There’s a wildness in his eyes, his wolf close to the surface, and my own creature surges to mimic him.

Mathis sighs, his voice heavy. “We have to get Torin out of there, but if this turns into a fight, we may not make it out alive. We have to be prepared.”

“Fifty to three doesn’t sound like good odds to me,” I say shakily.

“Speak for yourself, Red,” Dax replies.

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to focus. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“We have to figure out how we’re going to get Torin—and possibly Noble—out without causing a stir,” Mathis says. Clinically, confidently. I unconsciously lean closer to him and the alpha command in his words.

“Yeah,” Dax huffs, “easy.”

My heart stutters when I spot a figure coming out the church’s front doors, and I jerk in that direction.

It’s a man in a sharp black suit meant to blend in with the other wedding guests. But it’s his face that catches myattention—there’s a grotesque scar where his left eye should be.

I freeze, my pulse pounding in my ears.

“It’s him,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “The one who took Flora.” I’d seen her claw out his eye during the struggle.

Not that I need the scar to recognize him. Everything inside of me pays attention to the familiar lines of the man’s body. The way he carries himself. I’d gotten an up close and personal look at him that night.

It’s the same guy.

Mathis stiffens beside me, his wolf bristling, but he doesn’t make a move. Not yet.

“Shit,” Dax mutters, finally snapping out of his pacing to step closer. “This is worse than we thought.”

The man’s remaining eye glances our way, and we duck behind the shadows and brush.

A chill runs down my spine and tangles with the overpowering desire for revenge.

“We need to find a way inside,” Mathis whispers in a tight voice. “Dax.”

“Follow me,” he growls before sneaking off to the right, deeper into the forest, toward the back of the church.

I force myself to follow him and Mathis, even as my instincts scream for me to run, force myself inside, and get Torin to listen to me.

We need to stop the wedding and we’re running out of time.

Chapter 34

Torin

I’ve always said that clothes make the man. Until today. Today, they’re about to unmake me. This tie is trying to strangle me.

With everything inside of me I resist the urge to rip the tuxedo jacket off my shoulders and shift. To tear away my humanity along with my clothing and escape.

Run.Run.

I force my focus on the glittering gold-and-diamond cufflinks, straightening my sleeves to keep them in place. Catarina will round the pews any moment now. Is it supposed to feel like I just got pummeled right in my aorta?

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