POV: JACKSON
I snarled at Sam as we slowly circled each other. I could sense his fear; he realized he couldn't compete with me. When I lunged at him, he turned and ran instead. Without wasting any breath, I chased after him—I wasn't going to let him escape the consequences of his actions. Today, I would end this.
I sprinted faster than he could and tackled him, my teeth sinking into his back while my paws clawed into his sides before throwing him off. He hit the ground with a groan, pain evident on his face. A deep gash marked his back, blood seeping from the wounds.
With a low growl, I charged at him once more. This time, he managed to dodge me, but not without my teeth digging into his right leg. He yelped in agony, trying to shake me off, but I held on tight. Instead of letting go, I shook him violently until I heard a crack—his bones were broken.
He continued to cry out in pain as he struggled to balance on his other leg, knowing that I wasn't finished yet. I circled around him menacingly, growling and locking eyes with him, forcing him to move in my direction. This only worsened the injury to his broken leg.
I connected with him through our minds. "So that's why you always targeted my mate, huh? You knew you wouldn't stand a chance against me." I stopped moving in circles and shot him a fierce glare. "Did you really think this would end any differently?"
"It's not over until we decide it is," he replied, charging at me with fury in his eyes. But his anger couldn't compare to what I was feeling. I lunged for his neck, sinking my teeth into it while my other hand dug into his eyes, trying to pull them out. He pushed me away as he crumpled to the ground, whining in pain. I shifted back to my human form and loomed over him.
"Transform," I commanded with my alpha tone, making him comply and change into human form. He clutched his broken leg with one trembling hand while using the other to alternate between holding his neck and his empty eye sockets. Blood covered him.
I forced his hands away and grabbed his torn neck, eliciting a howl of agony from him. "You'll have a painful and disgraceful death back at the pack. You'll regret betraying me and your own kind," I said, staring directly into his eyes before taking hold of his broken leg and dragging him through the dirt back to where we left Saint. His screams of suffering were music to my ears, echoing throughout the forest. He tried to kick at my hands with his other leg, which I allowed. Then I picked up a rock and struck repeatedly at his toes and leg.
Now both of his legs were broken.
I flipped him over onto his stomach and kept moving with his broken leg in my hands as his screams echoed in my ears. I connected with Chris through our mindlink when I reached the spot where I'd left Saint, but he was gone. The same went for Evelyn and Blake. "Did you bring them back to the pack?"
"Yes, they're at the pack now."
"Is everything alright there?"
"Yes, we've captured quite a few rogues and brought them back as prisoners, while the others are dead. I'm still at one of their hideouts."
We had rushed out from the pack right after the rogue we caught revealed where Saint was being held. We saw some rogues fleeing, as if they were chasing something, which sparked the fight. By pinning one down and asking the right questions, I learned that Saint had escaped. Meeting up with the rogue but not finding Saint indicated he must have taken another path. Chris and a few other warriors joined me in searching for him.
"The problem is," Chris continued through our mindlink, "Ava is dead."
"That's been a long time coming."
"Evelyn too... she's dead."
I stopped in shock. "Evelyn is dead? What happened? Is Blake okay?"
"Yes, but I think something's off with him. I don't have much information on that yet. Saint is fine but badly bruised and unconscious. They're both at the hospital."
All this information made me realize that I had been too lenient with Sam. I wanted to inflict more pain on him, but when I looked at him, he was already unconscious, likely from the pain. It didn't matter; he would face even more suffering when we reached the pack. I dragged him to where Chris and the others were waiting, and then we headed back to the pack.
The pack was shocked to see their delta, a bloodied and unconscious Sam being brought in. I knew they would have a lot of questions about what had happened. I ordered that Sam be placed in the dungeon before he was introduced to the pack as a traitor and a threat. I also made it clear that no one could go in or out of the dungeon without my permission.
Evelyn was truly dead. I still didn't know all the details about how it occurred since we had thought she was involved with Sam. Her body was being kept at the funeral home. We would wait for Saint to tell us what happened so we could decide whether her body would be buried within the pack or outside, since traitors aren't buried among us.
Blake remained unconscious, and according to the doctor, he had suffered heart failure due to shock. The cause was still unknown, but he was receiving care in the emergency section.
Saint was also unconscious, but the doctor mentioned he would wake up later. He was currently in my room. His bruises were starting to heal, although slowly. I used a towel to clean them in hopes of speeding up his recovery.
His eyes blinked several times before finally opening. He looked around, trying to understand where he was, and then suddenly sat up, groaning in pain as he touched his entire body. "Where's Blake? Is he okay?" were the first words out of his mouth.
"Take it easy, Saint. You might hurt yourself," I said, attempting to ease him back onto the bed. He held onto my hands tightly. "Please, Jackson, tell me Blake is alright." Tears filled his eyes as he spoke. I quickly nodded in response. Not wanting to add to his distress, I decided not to mention that Blake was in shock. He let out a sigh of relief before breaking down in tears. "What about... Evelyn?" he asked, and the way he cried told me he already suspected she was gone.
"She's dead. What happened there, Saint?"
"Evelyn was—" he choked out. I pulled him closer and hugged him tightly. "She didn't deserve this, Jackson. She went through so much," he sobbed.
"Breathe, Saint," I said gently while rubbing his back to comfort him. "Can you tell me what happened back there?"