Page 99 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

And I need to know exactly what the hell is going on.

In a matter of seconds, we’re out of the palace and on our way. The convoy cuts through the city. Jack sits beside me in the lead vehicle, his jaw tight, eyes locked on the road ahead.

When we arrive, I step out first, boots hitting the dirt with purpose. The air is eerily still, unnervingly quiet. No movement. No sound. Just the remnants of a military camp that’s been wiped clean. Tents have been flattened, fires long extinguished, a half eaten meal rotting on a makeshift table. But there’s no sign of them.

Jack steps up beside me, arms crossed over his chest as he surveys the area. “Hell of a magic trick,” he mutters.

I don’t respond right away. My entire body is tense, my mind running through a hundred different scenarios. None of them make sense. Valerian had an army here. Thousands. He was preparing for war. And now, without so much as a whisper, they’ve vanished into thin air?

No. That’s not how this works.

I exhale sharply, turning to Jack. “Get the generals on the line. Anyone with intelligence. I want eyes everywhere. I want to know where they’ve gone, and I want to know now.”

Jack pulls out his phone, already dialing. “Alex, they didn’t regroup somewhere else. They scattered.”

“And that’s exactly what worries me,” I snap. “They’re planning something, Jack. I need to know what.”

Jack doesn’t argue. He knows I’m right. He lifts the phone to his ear, stepping away as the call connects. I rake a hand through my hair, the unease in my chest growing by the second.

This isn’t just a retreat. Valerian isn’t running. He’s moving the game pieces into position. And I have no idea where he’s going to strike next.

Just then, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, frowning at the screen. The number is unfamiliar, blocked. Something cold slithers down my spine.

I answer. “Who is this?”

The voice that slithers through the receiver turns my blood to ice.

“I have something that belongs to you, little nephew.”

Valerian.

My teeth clench so hard my jaw aches. “Where are you?” My voice is low, lethal.

A soft chuckle. Amused. Like this is a game to him. “It’s not about where I am. It’s about what—or rather, who—I have.” A pause. Then, smooth as silk, he adds, “I’m offering you a fair trade. You relinquish the throne that is rightfully mine… and I’ll spare the life of your mate.”

For a second, I can’t breathe. The world around me ceases to exist. The air in my lungs vanishes. My pulse roars in my ears.

My grip on the phone tightens until my knuckles burn. “You’re lying,” I growl.

But before I can demand proof, the call cuts out. A second later, a message pings. I look down. And the moment the imageappears on my screen, a sharp, murderous rage detonates inside me.

Katherine.

She’s unconscious, her dark lashes resting against pale skin. Her wrists are bound, her mouth gagged. She looks lifeless. Helpless. A red haze clouds my vision. My hands shake.

The phone shatters in my grip, the screen splintering into a thousand useless shards.

Jack turns at the sound. “What the hell—”

But one look at my face, and his expression changes. His entire body tenses. “Alex… what happened?”

I can barely hear him over the roar of my own blood. My breathing is ragged, my fingers curled into fists so tight my nails dig into my palms.

“He has her,” I grind out, my voice. “Valerian has Katherine.”

Jack’s entire body goes rigid. His jaw tightens, his brows pull together.

“He fucking took her, Jack!” I explode, my chest rising and falling in quick, furious breaths. “And he’s using her to get to me. He wants me to abdicate. Give up the throne.”

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