Chapter 93
It was nearly midnight when Christian and Dallas arrived at the pack’s underground stronghold. The heavy iron security gates hissed open only after scanning Christian’s biometric print, granting them entry into a subterranean labyrinth guarded by heavily armed gammas.
They walked directly toward the reinforced steel lift, the lone gateway down to the deepest sub-levels—a cold, soundproofed domain reserved exclusively for traitors, spies, and prisoners of the pack.
Christian stepped into the elevator first, his towering frame radiating a suffocating, dominant pressure. Dallas followed closely behind, the doors sliding shut with a heavy, metallic click.
Christian’s jaw was a rigid line of locked bone. The low, rhythmic hum of the descending lift only grated on his frayed patience. When the doors finally parted, they stepped out into a dimly lit, subterranean corridor.
Their synchronized, hurried footsteps echoed off the polished concrete floors, cutting through the heavy silence of the bunker. The narrow hallway was illuminated only by the rhythmic, sickly buzz of occasional fluorescent bulbs overhead.
Reaching the high-security bulkhead of the interrogation chamber, Dallas punched a sequence into the digital keypad. The lock disengaged with a heavy mechanical clunk, and the thick door swung open.
The room inside was a masterclass in utilitarian cruelty. Stainless steel tables lined the perimeter, bolted to the floor and equipped with heavy leather restraints alongside an array of silver-plated instruments designed to bypass a werewolf’s rapid healing.
Heavy chains hung like iron vines from the concrete ceiling, casting jagged shadows across the floor under the harsh, stark glare of the overhead lights. In the dead center of the room sat a single wooden chair. Bound tightly to it by thick leather straps was a heavily bruised man, whimpering softly as his blood dripped onto the stone floor.
“Theo,” Christian purred, a lethal, terrifying smile curving his lips as he stepped into the light.
Theo flinched, his entire body convulsing with terror. His animal instincts were screaming, recognizing the absolute apex predator standing before him. “A… Alpha… please… mercy… Forgive me!” he wept desperately, the scent of fear pouring off him in waves.
“Don’t waste your tears, Theo,” Christian grated out, his voice dropping an octave as he loomed over the bound wolf. “You should be proud. You possessed the kind of reckless bravery most wouldn’t dare dream of. You chose to betray your Alpha p>
Christian let out a dark, mocking laugh. “Not only did you turn rogue in secret, but you rigged an explosive to take out my mate and my pups. Bold move for a mouse p>
“No, Alpha, I swear! I was just given the device and told to plant it on your vehicle! I didn’t know the Luna and the pups were with you!” Theo sobbed, the leather straps creaking as he trembled.
Christian’s eyes bled into a piercing, luminescent amber, his inner wolf snarling for blood. He leaned down, his breath hot against the traitor’s ear. “And who gave the order, Theo? Who convinced a loyal pack member that crossing me would end in anything but your absolute destruction p>
Theo’s eyes darted frantically around the room, looking for an escape that didn’t exist. “I… I can’t say, Alpha. If I speak, they’ll hunt down everyone I love p>
Christian reached out, his clawed fingers gripping Theo’s collar and yanking him forward until their faces were inches apart. “And you think I won’t?” he hissed.
“I’m sorry! Please, Alpha, spare me! I have a family!” Theo wailed, tears tracking through the blood on his cheeks.
“Give me the name of your handler, and I will personally place your family under pack protection,” Christian offered, his tone absolute.
Before Theo could choke out a syllable, Dallas stepped between them, his expression twisted in protective rage. “He’s a rat, Alpha. He won’t speak to a merciful offer. Let me break him first,” Dallas growled, wrenching Theo back before driving a brutal fist directly into the center of the man’s face.
The force of the blow shattered Theo’s nose, followed immediately by a devastating kick to his ribs.
“You tried to slaughter our bloodline, you piece of trash!” Dallas roared, unleashing a savage volley of strikes. The chair toppled backward with a loud crash, pinning Theo to the floor, but Dallas didn’t stop. He rained down a barrage of heavy kicks, his boots quickly becoming slick with the traitor’s crimson blood. “You don’t deserve the Alpha’s mercy p>
Christian’s sharp eyes caught the sudden, unnatural angle of Theo’s head and the immediate dissipation of his scent. He lunged forward, grabbing Dallas by the shoulder and ripping him back with dominant strength.
“Enough, Dallas! Stop! He’s gone!” Christian barked, his voice echoing off the concrete walls.
Dallas froze, breathing heavily as he looked from his Alpha down to the limp form in the shattered chair. Theo lay completely still, his eyes rolled back, his chest devoid of any movement.
Dallas nudged the man’s shoulder with the toe of his boot; the body rolled lifelessly. “Damn it… how did he give out so fast?” Dallas muttered, rubbing his knuckles.
“Because you snapped his neck, you reckless idiot,” Christian growled, his fury pivoting toward his subordinate.
“I… I apologize, Alpha,” Dallas stammered, his scent souring with sudden anxiety. “I lost control of my wolf. Seeing him confess to targeting the Luna and the pups… I couldn’t contain the rage p>
Christian ran a hand over his face, exhaling a sharp, frustrated breath. “We needed a name, Dallas. We needed a trail to the mastermind. Now the rat is dead and the trail is cold p>
Dallas bowed his head, his posture tense with guilt. “I’ll fix this, Alpha. I’ll deploy every tracker we have. I’ll uncover the mole myself p>
“You had better,” Christian warned, his voice dropping to a freezing whisper that made Dallas shift uncomfortably. “Because if the next strike comes from the shadows and catches my family, it won’t be a traitor’s corpse on this floor. It will be yours p>
Turning his back on the mess, Christian slammed his boot against the stone floor in a rare display of unbridled frustration. “Clean up this garbage. And bring me the transcripts of whatever your men managed to beat out of him before I arrived,” he commanded over his shoulder.
“Right away, Alpha,” Dallas nodded quickly.
Christian ripped the heavy steel door open, stepping out into the cold corridor and slamming it shut behind him with a deafening bang. His mind raced, pulling at the threads of a dangerous, unsolved conspiracy. Someone within his inner circle wanted him dead—and they were willing to burn down the entire pack to achieve it.