The Face Beneath
Thea’s POV
I froze, feeling the blood congealing in my veins. Fuck, how did this happen? Why was I so blind? I couldn’t move a goddamn inch. Fear and humiliation pinned me in place, my mouth too dry to form words. My entire world shattered like glass right before my eyes.
“I caught her, just as you requested.”
Those words played on repeat in my head, nearly driving me insane. All those months of suspicion, speculation, and searching… and Sebastian’s warnings… they all made sense now. My enemy hadn’t been hiding in the shadows at all—he’d walked straight into my life and into my arms.
“What the fuck is going on here?” An angry roar came from behind me.
I turned my head with effort and saw Iris bound to a steel chair several meters away. She had a nasty gash on her temple, with dark red blood already crusted over her brow bone. I’d been so focused on my own situation that I hadn’t even noticed she was here too. She’d been positioned in my blind spot, and my senses were completely numbed by fear and adrenaline.
“I thought it was obvious,” sneered the man standing between us, “two lost she-wolves falling into a hunter’s trap.”
“Why drag her into this?” I demanded, “Your target has always been me, not her.”
I stared at the floor as I spoke, unable to look at that face I’d trusted so much and that had now betrayed me.
“An unexpected bonus,” the hunter who’d kidnapped us shrugged, eyeing Iris, “the future Luna of the Sterling Pack, worth quite a bit. When I saw her alone by the back door, I knew it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Imagine what that Alpha brother of yours would pay to get his mate back?”
Indeed, even though we were estranged, I knew Roman would do anything for Iris. He loved her deeply, mate bond or not.
“Wait, why is Kane here?” Iris suddenly spoke up, her voice filled with confusion and innocence, “Is he here to rescue us?”
Hearing her say his name made my heart feel like it was being torn apart. Why me? Why, when I finally believed I could escape Sebastian’s shadow, when everything seemed to be moving in the right direction, when I thought I could build a new life with him—why did fate have to stomp me under its foot again?
Iris called his name a second time, her voice trembling. No answer. But the burly kidnapper roared with laughter.
“Rescue you? Ha!” His mouth stretched wider, revealing yellowed teeth, “He’s my employer, paying me to dispose of this wolfless bitch.”
Iris gasped sharply, while I closed my eyes, letting darkness envelop me temporarily. The gap between suspicion and confirmation was like the difference between looking at a cliff and actually jumping off it. I’d been hoping for some explanation, some misunderstanding. Maybe someone impersonating Kane, or him being coerced. But Kane was right there, never denying any of it.
I gave up fighting and let the chains bear my full weight. At that moment, only the cold metal prevented me from collapsing to the ground. How could I be so stupid? For these past months, every touch, every sweet word, those whispers in my ear—all designed to lower my guard so he could easily kill me?
“That’s impossible… Kane isn’t that kind of person!” Iris called out, still struggling to find a rational explanation. “There must be some misunderstanding…”
I could only smile bitterly. Just as naive as I was. The cruel truth was right in front of us, and I no longer had the strength to deny it. Kane had manipulated me for so long. He carefully planned everything, made me fall in love with him while plotting my death. This hurt worse than Sebastian’s coldness or Aurora’s hatred. At least they never pretended to love me.
The hunter pulled out a sharp hunting knife and handed it to Kane: “Since you’re here, boss, will you do the honors yourself, or shall I send this wolfless trash on her way?”
I finally looked up to meet Kane’s eyes. Those pitch-black eyes I once got lost in were now cold as ice, without a trace of warmth. He took the knife, the metal glinting in the dim warehouse light.
“I just want to know why,” I asked, my voice shaking, “why pretend to care about me? Why sleep with me? Why make me think you cared, Kane? If you wanted to kill me, why not just do it directly?”
Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, but I forced myself not to look away. I wanted to remember his face, remember the face of this liar.
“No need to answer this bitch, boss,” the hunter said dismissively, “she’ll be dead soon anyway.”
I could almost imagine them laughing about me in private—a pitiful wolfless creature, easily fooled.
Suddenly, Kane quickly pulled out a gun and aimed it at the hunter’s forehead. With a bang, the man’s head exploded, blood and brain matter splattering across my face and clothes. Iris screamed, but I didn’t even blink. Then he turned the gun toward my face. His expression remained impassive, those black eyes like an abyss, swallowing every drop of hope I had.
“Kane, please,” Iris screamed, her voice filled with terror, “you don’t really want to hurt Thea! I can tell your feelings for her are real! No matter how this all started, I know something changed along the way. You couldn’t have been pretending the whole time!”
“Shut up, Iris,” I snapped. Then I snarled at Kane: “Fucking shoot! If you have the guts, just do it!”
“Thea, are you crazy?” Iris yelled at me, but I ignored her. I stared at him. The face that made my heart race before now only made me sick.
“Fucking shoot, Kane!” I screamed again, tears blurring my vision. “You had the balls to make me fall in love with you, so have the fucking balls to shoot me to my face!”
I watched his finger move toward the trigger, my heart shattering into pieces. At that moment, death seemed easier to bear than facing such betrayal. Easier than facing Sebastian’s seven years of coldness, than facing my family’s seven years of rejection, than facing my own seven years of self-loathing. I closed my eyes, waiting for it all to end. The gunshot exploded in the enclosed space, deafening.