Hayley POV:

The Blood Pit smelled of old iron and fear.

"You're up, little meat," a scarred man grunted.

I was shoved into the arena. The crowd roared. High in the VIP box, Dean sat on a velvet throne, Karina on his lap.

The loudspeaker crackled. "Tonight's main event! The Alpha's reject versus... The Beast!"

A gate opened. A Feral-a wolf lost to madness-emerged, standing seven feet tall, foam dripping from its jaws.

I looked up at the glass box. Dean was leaning forward.

Three minutes, I heard through the dying bond. She won't last three minutes.

He looked... bored. Detached. Like he was watching a weather report, not his mate's execution.

The Feral charged.

I couldn't run. I stood my ground, letting my inner wolf take over. I opened my mouth and let out a high, piercing howl that shattered the air.

The Feral hesitated, confused by the power, but bloodlust won. Its paw swiped me.

I flew across the arena, ribs snapping. I hit the cage wall. Pain blinded me. The Feral was on me again, biting into my shoulder.

I looked up at the box. Dean was gripping the rail, his knuckles white. For a second, the fog in his eyes seemed to clear. He looked horrified. But Karina placed a hand on his neck, and the mask slammed back down.

The Feral raised a claw.

Suddenly, the arena lights died. Gunshots rang out. Pop. Pop. Pop.

Strong arms scooped me up. "I've got you," Brennen whispered. "Stay with me, White Wolf."

I coughed blood. "The phone... photos..."

"I have it."

"Tell Dean..." I wheezed, my vision fading. "Tell him I died."

Dean POV:

The screen in the VIP box went black.

"What happened?" Karina complained. "I wanted to see her ripped apart."

I stared at the static. A sudden, sharp pain pierced my chest-like a violin string pulled until it snapped.

"Dean?" Karina touched my arm.

I flinched. Her touch felt wrong. The sweet scent that usually surrounded her was gone, replaced by something acrid. Sweat. And lies.

"We're leaving," I growled.

"But my winnings!"

"Now!" I roared. The Alpha Command slipped out.

We drove back to the penthouse in silence. A void opened up inside me, a black hole sucking in the air. I doubled over, gasping.

Hayley? I pushed the thought through the mind-link.

Silence. The silence of a disconnected line.

"Alpha!" Marcus burst in. "The Blood Pit... it's gone. Explosion. No survivors found yet."

"No," I whispered.

"She might have escaped," Karina said, leaning in the doorway. "Rats are good at running."

I looked at her. Really looked at her. Without the fog in my brain, she looked... plastic. Cruel.

"Shut up," I snarled.

I pulled up the traffic cams on my tablet. In the smoke, a large figure emerged carrying a small, limp body. Brennen.

Hayley wasn't moving. Her head hung at a sickening angle.

The realization hit me like a physical blow. The drug, the hex, whatever had been clouding my mind-it shattered the moment the bond severed.

"Get the car," I ordered Marcus.

"Where are we going?"

"To the ruins. I need to see it."