Chapter 201

Ava's POV

The car screeched to a halt outside the abandoned steel factory, its engine sputtering before falling silent. I leaped out, my shoes hitting the cracked pavement as I scanned the area. The factory stood silent and foreboding, its broken windows like hollow eyes watching me.

“Bels, we’re here,” I said through the link. “How far out are you?”

‘Five minutes,’ she replied. ‘Don’t do anything stupid, Lilian. Wait for backup. We don’t know who’s in there, and Liam had more power and connections than any of us realize. Your parents’ pack might not be enough. Rickon has more wolves.’

‘Okay.’ I shut off the connection.

But I couldn’t wait. Grayson didn’t have five minutes.

“Are you coming?” I asked my mother, already striding toward the entrance.

“Wait,” she said, grabbing my arm. “We can’t just walk in blind.”

“I don’t have a choice,” I snapped, wrenching free. “You can stay here and wait for the pack, but I’m going in.”

I didn’t wait for her response. I pushed open the rusted doors, trying to be quiet. The steel doors creaked on their hinges as I slipped inside.

Inside, the air was thick with the stench of oil and rust. My wolf senses flared, catching traces of sweat and adrenaline—there were men inside. My breath hitched, but I forced myself to move silently, keeping low and close to the shadows of the towering machines that lined the room like forgotten giants.

The faint clatter of metal echoed through the cavernous space, drawing my attention to a group of men several feet ahead. They moved with purpose, hauling crates and equipment across the floor. The faint hum of machinery came from deeper within the building, almost drowned out by my own heartbeat.

I crouched behind a rusted steel beam, peeking around it. There were at least six of them—armed, judging by the bulges under their jackets. My wolf snarled quietly in my mind, urging me to shift, to fight, to rip through them. But I pushed the instinct down, knowing brute strength wouldn’t help.

Not yet.

I scanned the room, looking for a way down. My gut told me Grayson was below, in a vault or hidden chamber. The thought tightened my chest. Every second wasted felt like losing him.

“Grayson, hold on,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Suddenly, Isabella’s voice surged into my mind, loud and sharp.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?!’ she demanded, her tone a mix of panic and fury.

I winced, my hand instinctively going to my temple.

‘I’m getting to him,’ I whispered fiercely.

‘Get back out here!’ she shouted. ‘You’re going to get yourself killed! Strategize with us. You don’t even know what you’re walking into!’

‘I don’t have time, Bels!’ I hissed, keeping my voice low. ‘You, Rickon, and my mother figure something out. Just don’t let them know you’re here, or they’ll blow the vault before I get to it.’

‘Lilian, you stubborn—’

‘I’m cutting the link.’

‘Don’t you dare—!’

I severed the connection, the sudden silence almost as loud as her voice had been. My body trembled, but I couldn’t falter. Grayson didn’t have time for me to play it safe.

I edged forward, circling the group of men. One paused near a stack of crates, pulling out his phone. I froze, pressing myself flat against a machine as he answered.

“Yeah?” he said, his voice gravelly.

I strained to hear the other voice, but it was too faint and distorted. Still, something about it felt familiar. My stomach twisted.

“Understood,” he said. “We’re almost done here. Just a few more minutes, and we’ll be out.”

My blood ran cold. I didn’t have that much time.

He turned, walking in my direction. My heart thundered as I pressed myself tighter into the shadows. If he saw me, everything would be over.

He stopped a few feet away, leaning against the machine. My pulse roared in my ears as I remained still, barely daring to breathe.

“Yeah, yeah,” he continued into the phone. “Everything’s set.”

He paused, then laughed. “I am aware of the change in plans. You can be assured that it will all fall through.”

What change in plans? I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t let fear take over.

He ended the call, shoving his phone into his pocket as he walked away. I waited until his footsteps faded before moving. My legs screamed as I slipped through the maze of crates and machinery toward the far end of the factory.

There had to be a vault entrance somewhere. My wolf felt it, a faint pull in my chest.

As I crept closer, I noticed a heavy metal door. Two men stood guard. My instincts screamed at me to act, but I stayed hidden, watching for any sign of weakness.

Suddenly, Isabella’s voice tugged at my mind, softer this time but no less urgent.

‘Lilian, please,’ she pleaded. ‘Don’t do this alone. Let us help you.’

“I don’t have a choice,” I whispered. “Just trust me, okay?”

‘Damn it, Ava,’ she growled, but she didn’t push further.

I exhaled shakily, cutting the link. My focus sharpened as I turned my attention back to the guards. I needed a plan, and I needed one fast.

The sound of them shifting gave me an idea. If I could create a distraction, I might slip past them unnoticed.

I glanced around, spotting a loose pipe. My fingers closed around it, the cold metal biting into my skin.

This was it. I only had one shot.

I adjusted my grip, every muscle coiled tight. My breathing was shallow, but my heart felt like it was trying to beat its way out of my chest. The guards were only a few feet away. This had to work; there wasn’t another option.

I hefted the pipe and threw it as hard as I could toward the far end of the factory. It clattered loudly against the floor. Both guards jerked their heads toward the sound, their hands instinctively moving to their weapons.

“What was that?” one muttered, moving toward the noise.

“Could be one of the others. I’ll check it out,” the second replied, following him.

I pressed myself further into the shadows, waiting for them to disappear. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my wolf growling impatiently.

‘Move now,’ I urged myself, slipping from my hiding spot. My steps were light but quick as I darted toward the now-unattended door. It loomed in front of me, heavy and foreboding, but I didn’t have time to think about what lay on the other side.

I grabbed the handle and pulled, the metal groaning in protest as the door creaked open. The dim light of the factory gave way to a narrow hallway lined with flickering fluorescent bulbs.

For a moment, I allowed myself hope. Almost there, I thought, my instincts screaming that Grayson was close. I took a step forward—then another.

Pain exploded at the back of my scalp as something yanked me violently backward by my hair. A startled cry tore from my throat as I crashed to the ground, my back slamming against the cold concrete. The air was knocked out of me, leaving me gasping as I scrambled to regain my senses.

I looked up in time to see one of the men looming over me, his lips curling into a cruel smirk.

“He said you would come,” he drawled, his voice dripping with dark amusement.

My wolf surged within me, and I tried to push myself up, but before I could react, his claws extended, gleaming wickedly under the flickering light, and in the split second it took for me to process what was happening, they came slicing toward…

Chapter 202