Without a word, he turned and strode out of the venue.

A command snapped through the mindlink, low and lethal.

"Prepare the car."

The growl carried enough weight to make every pack member who heard it stiffen, a chill running down their spines as they scrambled to obey.

The moment Nathan stepped out of the hotel, the car was already waiting.

He didn’t hesitate. Didn’t look back. He went straight for it, yanked the door open, and got in, his mind consumed by the news, nothing else registering, nothing else mattering. He didn’t even notice Maddison rushing after him.

Behind him, she struggled to keep up, urgency driving her forward, but the tight red mermaid gown and five-inch heels worked against her, slowing every step. She tried to match his pace, but it was impossible.

The irony of her situation.

She had chosen that red mermaid gown on purpose to showcase every curve of her body and every detail deliberately. As one of the maids of honor arranged at Nathan’s side, it was meant to send a message.

A quiet but cutting declaration that she had already slept with the groom, something she herself had orchestrated, to deepen Ashley’s humiliation. The narrative was clear: Nathan had long belonged to her, and Ashley, the supposed bride, was nothing more than an outsider reaching for something she could never have.

A frog dreaming of eating a swan’s meat.

That was the image Maddison wanted the world to see.

And yet, now...

The very dress meant to elevate her was dragging her down.

The tight fit restricted her movement, the height of her heels slowing her steps, turning urgency into frustration. At the worst possible moment, when Nathan was spiraling, when his emotions were unstable and unpredictable, she couldn’t even keep pace with him.

She had planned everything down to the smallest detail.

But not this.

And now, as unease settled in her chest, she couldn’t shake the feeling that things were starting to slip out of her control.

By the time she reached the entrance, breath uneven, the car had already pulled away.

It didn’t slow down, nor did it wait for her.

It disappeared down the drive, heading straight for the place where Ashley had fallen to her death, leaving Maddison standing there, a step too late.

Maddison watched the car disappear and cursed under her breath, her expression twisting, no trace of softness left, only something sharp and vicious beneath her gaze.

Slowly, she turned back toward the hotel.

Then she reached out through the mindlink to her own people attending the mating ceremony, her voice cutting through with chilling precision.

"You. Handle the two warriors. Make sure they never speak again." There was no hesitation in her tone. No room for misinterpretation.

On the receiving end, her people stiffened as dread crept down their spines. They understood exactly what she meant and what it would take. But it wouldn’t be simple. Nathan’s pack members were still nearby, and they’d have to move carefully, find a way to slip past them without drawing attention.

All while the shock hadn’t even faded.

Because despite everything, despite the bullying, the resentment, the way they had treated Ashley over the past month, there was still something buried deep within them. A decade of respect didn’t just vanish. They had once looked up to her, admired her talent, and her presence.

And now she was dead.

That truth lingered, heavy and unsettling, even as they prepared to carry out Maddison’s order.

As werewolves, they weren’t supposed to dwell on death the way humans did, but that didn’t mean they didn’t feel it. They were a social species, bound tightly to their pack, and when one of their own died, they grieved. Quietly, heavily, and for far longer than they’d ever admit.

Ashley had been exiled. They had mocked her, turned their backs on her, and spoken her name with contempt.

But death... was different.

Knowing she’d died like that, knowing they had played a part in pushing her there, left something sour in their chests. Uneasy. Guilty. And Nathan’s reaction only made it worse. The way he lost control, the way his rage turned lethal, it planted a sharp, lingering fear in all of them. Because if he ever found out what they had done behind his back...

They wouldn’t walk away from it.

So even as that dread twisted inside them, they moved.

Maddison’s orders came first.

They trailed behind the guards hauling the two unconscious warriors since Nathan’s orders had been clear, and that was to interrogate the two warriors. Get every detail of what happened, how it led to Ashley’s death, and they can’t let it happen, or they and Madison would meet their doom.

No matter how much they had dragged Ashley down over the past month, one truth remained: she and Nathan had a history. And that kind of past didn’t just disappear. So his reaction... it wasn’t surprising.

Maybe it was his plans falling apart. Maybe it was his lingering attachment to her surfacing when it shouldn’t.

Whatever the reason, it didn’t change what they had to do; they had to silence those two.

So they pushed everything else aside, the unease, the doubt, the guilt, and moved after the guards escorting the two warriors, waiting for the right moment to act.

The group descended toward the basement, heading for the transport vehicle that would take the prisoners back to the pack.

The elevator doors slid open.

And that was when it happened.

The moment they stepped out, shadows moved.

Figures lunged from behind Nathan’s guards, locking the three escorts into chokeholds before they could react. The grip was crushing their throat, cutting off air, and tightening with ruthless efficiency. They struggled instantly, claws tearing at the arms restraining them, trying to break free—

But it didn’t work.

Their attacks landed, flesh splitting under their claws... only to heal.

That was when it hit them.

These weren’t ordinary assailants.

They were werewolves too.

And worse, they didn’t flinch no matter what they did. The more the guards fought, the tighter the hold became, until panic started to creep in, cold and suffocating.

Because whoever these attackers were—

They came prepared to kill.

"Ugh—!"

The warriors grunted in pain, bodies jerking as they kicked upward, trying to throw their weight back and break the hold. For a split second, it almost worked...

But their attackers had already anticipated it.

Their grip tightened. And used their own weight and momentum to flip the guards they are holding, forcing them hard onto the ground. The attackers’ backs slammed against solid concrete, the impact knocking the air from their lungs.

Even then, the attackers didn’t loosen their hold. If anything, they locked in deeper, legs coiling around the guard’s bodies, pinning them in place, cutting off any chance of escape.

The chokeholds only grew tighter.

Desperate, the guards tried to reach out through the mindlink, to call for help, to warn the others...

They never got the chance, though, as a sharp, brutal twist reverberated in the empty parking lot.

Crack.

Their necks snapped to the side in unison, eyes going dull as the last trace of life was extinguished on the spot.