Adolphus' POV
The scent of blood was everywhere as I led the warriors my brother had given me toward the Pack’s stronghold. Their footsteps pounded against the earth, our breaths ragged with determination.
The moment we reached the gates, the attack began. Swords clashed, growls filled the air, and the scent of iron intensified. But I had only one goal, Katrina.
I pushed through the chaos, my heart pounding as I raced toward the cells where she had been held. My boots skidded to a stop as I reached the cold, damp dungeon, but an eerie silence greeted me.
My eyes darted to the cell where I knew she had been locked away, and a wave of shock crashed over me, she was gone.
“No, no, no,” I muttered, scanning the dimly lit chamber. My fingers curled into fists. Someone had taken her. My jaw clenched as a surge of anger coursed through me.
I stormed out of the dungeon, my mind racing. Cassandra. If anyone had the means and the reason to take Katrina, it was her.
My legs carried me with urgency through the corridors until I reached Cassandra’s chambers. Without hesitation, I kicked the doors open.
The sight before me made my stomach turn. Cassandra was sprawled on top of a man, her naked body gleaming in the candlelight. The man beneath her grunted in shock at the intrusion and tried to grab a sheet.
Cassandra, however, barely flinched. She merely smirked, tilting her head in amusement.
“Really, Adolphus? You could have knocked,” she said smoothly, her voice dripping with mockery.
“Where is she?” I demanded, stepping further into the room, ignoring the man scrambling to cover himself.
Cassandra sighed and reached for a robe. “Who?”
“You know damn well who! Katrina! Where the hell is she?”
Cassandra laughed, the sound grating against my ears. “And why would I tell you?”
I took a threatening step toward her, my patience running thin. “Because if you don’t, I will make sure everyone knows what I just walked in on, including your dear father.”
Her smirk faltered for a brief second, but then she recovered. She leaned against the bedpost, arms crossed over her chest. “Go ahead. Do you think he’d be surprised? I am, after all, an adult.”
I gritted my teeth, realizing she wasn’t as easily rattled as I had hoped. “Damn it, Cassandra! Tell me where she is!”
She narrowed her eyes and took a step forward. “You’re quite the actor, aren’t you?”
“What?” I frowned.
She let out a slow, exaggerated sigh. “You barge in here, demanding answers, acting all righteous, when in reality, we both know the truth.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
She tapped a finger against her lips as if contemplating something. Then, in a dangerously sweet voice, she said, “If Katrina is no longer in her cell, that means someone took her.”
I clenched my fists. “Obviously.”
“And if someone took her,” Cassandra continued, “it had to be you.”
I blinked in disbelief. “What?”
She shrugged. “Think about it. You lead an attack, you come here pretending to be shocked, but really, you already rescued her, didn’t you?”
My pulse roared in my ears. “You’re insane.”
She stepped closer, her smirk widening. “Or maybe I’m just right.”
Before I could protest further, she suddenly turned toward the door and shouted, “Guards!”
My stomach dropped. “Cassandra, don’t—”
The doors burst open, and half a dozen armed guards stormed in, their weapons drawn. I turned to face them, my hands instinctively reaching for my own sword, but Cassandra’s next words froze me in place.
“Have you gotten the others?” Cassandra asked the guards while I scooted back, ready to bulge. When they nodded, she turned to me with a smirk. “Your men are locked up. Now it’s your turn.”
I shook my head.
“Lock him up,” she ordered, pointing straight at me.
The guards hesitated for a fraction of a second, looking between us, but they followed orders quickly. I barely had time to react before I felt the cold steel of shackles around my wrists.
“This is a mistake,” I growled, my muscles tensing as they yanked my arms behind my back.
Cassandra leaned in, her breath warm against my ear. “Enjoy your stay in the dungeons, dear Adolphus.”
I glared at her as the guards dragged me out of the chamber. My mind was already racing for a way out.
Katrina was out there somewhere, and I had no time to waste rotting in a cell. I would escape. And when I did, Cassandra would pay.