Chapter 549

Olivia

The baton cracked against the side of my skull with a sickening force. White-hot lights exploded across my vision as I crumpled to the floor, the world tilting violently around me for the second time that day. Deep voices barked orders, heavy bootsteps thundering across the cheap linoleum.

I blinked sluggishly, my eyes refusing to focus. Four… no, five bulky shapes loomed over me, indistinct in the hazy gloom. One of the figures reached down, seizing a fistful of my hair to yank me up onto my knees.

“Don’t bother fighting, girlie,” a gruff voice growled. “You’ll just make this harder on yourself.”

My gaze drifted past the thug holding me up, over to where Mira still cowered against the far wall. Tears streamed down her face, her body trembling violently as she watched the scene unfold. I felt a flare of white-hot rage cut through the disorienting haze.

These bastards had played us for fools from the start.

In that moment, my Ancient Wolf instincts took over once again even though I had used up so much of my energy before. Something primal, something roiling and furious surged up from the depths of my being. An almost electric tingle danced across my skin, crackling at my fingertips.

The man holding my hair cocked his head, his brow furrowing. “What the fu—”

I didn’t let him finish. Reaching up with both hands, I grabbed his burly forearm and channeled every ounce of my waning power into a single, explosive burst of energy.

An invisible wave of force sent him flying backwards, careening through the air in a tangle of limbs to crash into the far wall with a sickening crunch.

The remaining men surged forward with a ragged chorus of shouts and curses. I rolled onto my back just in time for another merc to barrel down on top of me, his baton raised high. At the last second, I crossed my forearms to block the strike.

Agony lanced through me at the impact, but at the same time, the words left my lips.

“Stop. Sit.”

The man paused, then staggered backwards, looking around dazedly before he obediently lowered himself to his knees. While the others were confused, I took the opportunity to scramble to my feet.

“You two,” I said, using my Telekinesis to pull the baton out of the kneeling man’s hand, which I then pointed at them. “Drop the batons and sit against the wall. Now.”

The men exchanged glances, but it was clear that they weren’t expecting this. With frightened looks in their eyes, they did as I told them to—they dropped the batons to the floor in a clatter, then scurried over to the wall and sank down to the floor, hugging their knees to their chests.

Without a moment of hesitation, I walked up behind all three men and whacked them hard enough on the backs of their heads to knock them unconscious.

Only then did I tear my gaze away to meet Mira’s terrified stare. The poor girl remained frozen against the wall like a frightened mouse, tears streaking down her hollow cheeks.

“I-I’m sorry,” she said, her voice trembling. “P-Please don’t kill me.”

I took a halting step towards Mira, my hands raised in a placating gesture. “It’s alright,” I said. “It’s not your fault.”

She flinched at my words, shrinking further against the cracked plaster. “S-Stay away…” she stammered through chattering teeth. “I… I’m so sorry, I d-didn’t have a choice…”

Slowly, I lowered myself into a crouch a few paces away. Up close, I could better make out the harsh, bloody brand marring her arm.

“Mira,” I said softly, pointing, “what did they do to you?”

She opened her mouth to respond, but only a pitiful whimper escaped. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“They were going to kill them,” she finally choked out. “All the other girls, if I didn’t do what they said. Th-They had men everywhere, watching us at all times…”

The more she spoke, the more her hysteria seemed to ebb. Soon the words came tumbling out in a breathless torrent.

“I led them to the safehouse so they could take the others,” she whispered, eyes downcast in shame. “I-I don’t know where they are now.”

I swallowed, nodding at her words. Of course they had taken the girls. I just hoped that they were unharmed, although I doubted that was the case. “And Nathan?” I asked. “Do you know where he might be?”

Mira shook her head. “All I know is that they were supposed to ‘handle’ him at the party. But I don’t know if it’s been done yet.”

That was all I needed to hear. Rising to my feet, I shrugged out of my ruined coat and draped it over Mira’s shuddering shoulders. Next, I fished my wallet from my pocket and withdrew some money—all the money I had left after giving a sizable chunk to the boat captain and her son.

“Take this,” I told her, pressing the money into her hand as she stared up at me with reddened, puffy eyes. “Get yourself somewhere safe for now, and lay low. I’ll come back for you, I promise.”

She opened her mouth as if to protest, but I raised a hand to silence her. “No more apologies. What’s done is done—all that matters now is putting an end to this.”

A nod was all the response she could manage. I gave her shoulder one final reassuring squeeze before turning on my heel and surveying the scattered debris for anything I could use as a disguise. I had to get into that party.

Finally, amongst the heaps of discarded clothes and furniture in the bedroom, I spotted a simple, long, black evening gown. Perfect—this should let me blend right in at the ball.

I took a few minutes to tidy myself up as best I could, splashing cold water on my face and sweeping my matted hair back into a messy updo. A few swipes of makeup helped conceal the worst of my bruises and cuts. Lastly, I shimmied into the slinky black dress. Surprisingly, even though it wasn’t mine, it fit like a glove.

Another time, I might have reveled in how the clinging fabric hugged my curves. But now, I only hoped it would serve as suitable camouflage to sneak into the event unnoticed so that I could find my husband before it was too late.

Finally, slipping my feet into a pair of strappy heels that I found beneath one of the overturned cots, and a pair of long white gloves that went up past my elbows, I cast one last glance in the cracked mirror.

“Not bad for half-dead, I suppose,” I muttered to my reflection with a wry smirk.

“Not half-dead,” my wolf corrected. “Half alive.”

I would have laughed, had circumstances been different. But there was no time for humor now. I had to hurry.

As I swept out of the ransacked safehouse and hailed a cab, my thoughts were a whirling mess. Handle him, Mira had said. What did they mean by that? Was Nathan okay? Would he even be there by the time I arrived?

The taxi pulled up in front of the grand ballroom a little while later, a towering facade of smooth marble columns flanked by elaborate fountains. A steady stream of socialites flowed in and out of the building, the sound of music coming from inside reaching my ears even from inside the taxi.

I leaned forward in my seat, squinting up at the tall columns as a cold knot of dread twisted in my gut.