Chapter 0099
Judy’s POV
“Irene, I need you to listen to me,” I said, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible despite the panic rising within me. I slid over to her, careful not to move my wrists too much, the silver cuffs still burning painfully. The throbbing ache was almost unbearable, but I had to stay focused. “You need to calm down. If they find out we’re awake, they might come back sooner than later and kill us right away. Right now, we have the element of surprise.”
I could hear their footsteps creaking above us, the floorboards groaning under their weight. I forced myself to lower my voice even further, barely above a whisper, as I feared they might hear us.
“So, are we just supposed to sit here and pretend we’re asleep?” Irene asked, her voice trembling, tears starting to well in her eyes. She looked utterly lost, and it broke my heart to see her so scared.
I nodded, forcing my tone to remain calm. “Until we come up with a better plan, we need to do whatever we can to survive.”
She hugged her knees to her chest but immediately winced and yelped when her cuffs moved. I could hear the faint hiss of pain as the silver burned her skin. A soft sob slipped from her, and my heart ached as I watched the tears spill down her pale cheeks.
“My father will find us…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “He’s the most powerful werewolf in the entire world. He has to find us…”
I wanted to believe her, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t that simple. Gavin was powerful, but even he would have a hard time tracking us down without any leads. I wanted to reassure her, but the truth was, I was just as terrified as she was. I had trained my entire life to be a gamma warrior, but right now, it felt like all that training had vanished. I was completely out of my element, and I didn’t know how we were going to escape.
The basement was dark, with no windows or way to gauge time. My mind wandered to the small vent on the ceiling. Could I possibly get into it? The idea seemed like a long shot, but it was the only option I could think of. However, with these silver cuffs burning into my skin, it seemed nearly impossible.
Irene had curled up on the cold concrete, her face buried in her lap. She took a deep, shaky breath, repeating to herself, “We’re going to get out of here… we have to get out of here…”
Third Person POV
Ethan’s subordinate was enjoying the sense of control. His plan was falling perfectly into place, and he couldn’t help but smile as he sent Ethan a text.
“Everything is set,” he’d written. “It’s all going according to plan.”
Ethan, unaware of the true nature of the situation, felt a thrill run through him. He thought Judy had been captured by harmless packmates, that she was safely locked away somewhere, waiting for her savior. He believed that in 24 hours, he’d be her hero. Judy would be so grateful for his rescue that she would be his, willingly.
The thought of that made him feel excited, and it was enough to send a pulse of desire through him. His mind wandered to the house he’d bought for her, imagining her living there with him, under his control. It was all coming together. He grabbed his phone and added Irene’s name to his contacts, eager to share this newfound excitement with his fiancée.
He dialed her number, but there was no answer. He frowned, staring at the phone screen in confusion. Irene always answered his calls. What the hell was going on? He called again, and again, no response.
Frustrated, he decided to text her.
Ethan: Where are you?
He waited, but the silence persisted. His brows furrowed as he stared at the screen, wondering what the hell was going on. She had to answer him—she always did.
His frustration growing, Ethan stood up and decided to go to the Landry Villa in person. If she wasn’t answering him, he’d find out where she was for himself. He wasn’t going to tolerate being ignored.
As he got into his car and started driving toward the Silver Crescent pack’s territory, he pulled out his phone again. This time, he called the packmates who had taken Judy.
Even though his subordinate had reassured him that everything was set, Ethan wanted confirmation directly from the men who’d kidnapped her. He needed to make sure there were no loose ends before everything unfolded exactly as he planned.
He dialed one of their numbers and pressed the call button.
