Chapter 34

Grayson’s POV

The evening air was cool as I made my way to the car, my mind running through every detail of Carter’s task. I could feel it—every inch of Luther’s empire starting to crumble piece by piece. He’d regret every smug word, every condescending look.

Climbing into the driver’s seat, I started the engine, the low hum of the car filling the silence. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly; the beast inside me simmered just beneath the surface. I was looking forward to this. I was going to enjoy watching him suffer, just like anyone who dared cross me.

I pulled out of the parking garage, driving through the city streets. The speedometer climbed as I pressed down on the accelerator, the engine growling beneath me. The city lights blurred past, but my mind wasn’t focused on the road. All I could think about was how perfectly this was going to play out. Then, my thoughts, without control, shifted to the woman who shared his blood.

I pushed those thoughts away as quickly as they came. Just as I was about to slow down, something felt…off. My foot pressed on the brake, but nothing happened. I frowned, pressing down harder. Still nothing. The car kept moving, faster now, as I slammed my foot down on the pedal again. I yanked at the steering wheel, trying to slow the car, but the speed kept increasing.

“Shit!”

The brakes weren’t working. I could feel my wolf stir, sensing the danger, but I forced myself to stay calm, gripping the wheel tighter. There had to be a way out of this.

The road ahead curved, and I tried to navigate it smoothly, but the car lurched, tires screeching as I swerved, barely avoiding the guardrail. My heart pounded in my chest, but I wasn’t scared. No, fear didn’t belong to me. I wasn’t built for that; I was built for control.

I tried the brakes again. Nothing. The car sped forward, the scenery a blur as the city lights grew distant.

“Come on!” I growled, slamming my foot down one last time. Nothing but dead air. This wasn’t an accident. It couldn’t be. Someone had done this. Luther.

The thought hit me like a freight train. This was no coincidence. He must have had something to do with it. That must have been one of the reasons he came to the company today. I didn’t think he fought this low.

I yanked the wheel hard, the car veering violently to the side. I couldn’t control the speed, but I could at least try to direct the impact. The sound of screeching tires filled the air again as I narrowly missed a streetlight. The wall was coming up fast. Too fast.

The world seemed to slow down, the wall rushing toward me, but I wasn’t afraid. If this was his move, then I’d meet it head-on. My wolf roared, sensing the danger, and instead of pulling back, he pushed forward.

Everything blurred together—the road, the lights, the wall. My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and just before impact, I felt the shift. My wolf surged forward, taking control, its power flooding through my veins. The last thing I saw was the wall, just inches away, before everything went black.

The darkness was absolute. There was no pain, no sound. Just silence. I floated there for what felt like hours, maybe even days. But slowly, consciousness started to creep back in, piece by piece.

The first thing I became aware of was the taste of blood in my mouth. It was faint, metallic. Then came the throbbing in my head, sharp and persistent, followed by the distant hum of voices—or maybe it was just in my head.

I tried to move, but my body felt heavy, like I was trapped under a weight I couldn’t lift. I forced my eyes open, blinking against the harsh light. My vision swam, everything blurry and disjointed. I was lying on my back, the world tilted at a strange angle. Slowly, the fog in my mind began to clear, and the memories rushed back. The brakes. The crash.

With a groan, I tried to sit up, every muscle in my body protesting. My head was pounding, and my vision was still unfocused. But I forced myself to push through it. The car—where was the car?

I glanced around, my surroundings starting to clear. The weight on my legs became more apparent. Chained. My legs were chained to the ground, roughly secured. The dim light was coming from the only open window in what looked like an old cabin, and the voices outside were becoming clearer.

I reached for my wolf immediately, but all I got was a faint growl in response. Weak. So weak. It only meant one thing: wolfsbane. Enough to kill me, maybe. But my wolf was powerful, stronger than they had expected. I was walking a delicate line between life and death.

Just then, the door creaked open. A man stepped inside, pausing when he saw me sitting there, watching him. Another man, with a scar running across his face, followed behind him, speaking first: “He’s alive.”

The first man turned to him with a glare. “I can see that. I’m not blind.” Then his gaze shifted back to me, a cruel smile spreading across his face. “You’re even stronger than the rumors, huh? I injected you with enough wolfsbane to kill you.”

I said nothing. I just stared, calculating. I was already thinking of all the ways I could make their deaths slow and excruciating. There would be no mercy for these fools.

The taller man stepped closer. “Are you not going to say anything? Beg for your life, maybe? Who knows, we might show you some mercy.” His mocking tone was almost laughable.

I didn’t react. I continued to watch him, my mind spinning through options, strategies, ways out of this. The one with the scar shifted uneasily beside him. “Dominic, let’s just finish the job. Aggravating him is a bad idea.”

Dominic. Good.

Dominic snapped at him, “Are you stupid? Why the hell would you say my name?” Then he took a breath, regaining that cruel smirk before looking back at me. “Doesn’t matter, he’s not walking out of here alive. Hand me the injection.”

The scarred man scrambled to the corner and returned with a small box. Dominic opened it, pulling out a syringe with a metallic case. He stepped up to me and jammed the needle into my arm, injecting the fluid without hesitation. My wolf growled weakly in pain, but I didn’t flinch. Didn’t speak. Didn’t move.

Dominic’s smile widened. “Even in the face of death, you still act high and mighty. I’m going to enjoy this.” He backed away slowly, clearly satisfied with himself, while the scarred man watched me with something close to fear.

They turned to leave, and that’s when I finally spoke. “I hope the pay is worth your deaths.”

Dominic stopped in his tracks, then laughed, turning halfway. “Oh, look. The almighty Alpha King finally speaks. And what? You’re going to kill us?” He sneered. “How? Better yet, how do you think you’re going to survive?”

“Dominic, stop. Let’s go,” the scarred man said, his voice shaky. “He’ll be dead soon. We need to get our money and leave town before anyone connects us to this.”

I let a small smile tug at the corner of my lips. “You should listen to your friend. He seems to have more sense than you. But since I’m going to die anyway, why don’t you tell me who sent you? Was it Luther Pierce?”

Dominic’s face contorted in anger. “Who the hell is that?” he spat, the venom in his voice revealing more than he realized.

Interesting. I was good at reading people, and that quick, angry reply told me Luther wasn’t behind this. Or if he was, he didn’t deal directly with low-level thugs like Dominic.

I sighed inwardly. I’d let my guard down, let cracks form, and now whoever this enemy was thought they could just kidnap and kill me. They underestimated me, and that would be their downfall.

I let my voice drop to a calm, almost bored tone. “You’ve won, Dominic. The wolfsbane is kicking in. You can go. Take your…”

“Don’t say my name, you bastard!” Dominic snapped, his fury bubbling over. “I should have cut the brakes on your car and planted explosives before injecting your monstrous ass with wolfsbane!”

And there it was. This was more than a job to him. He had a personal vendetta against me, and that was all I needed.

I stopped fighting. I let the wolfsbane seep deeper into my system, letting my body relax into the weight of it. I felt my legs give out, and I collapsed backward.

“It’s working,” I heard the scarred man say, his voice full of relief. “We can go now, right? You’ve avenged your family.”

Additional information: On second thought, the scarred man had been really helpful. Perhaps I would make his death swift…

“It’s not enough,” Dominic growled. “Burn the whole cabin to the ground.”

Those were the last coherent words that registered. The world began to fall away after that, and the last thing I remembered was the smell of smoke. Then death came, and I allowed it to claim me.