Chapter 506

Enzo

I stood outside the interrogation room, flexing my fingers as I stared down at my palm. The remnants of a few small cuts were there; scrapes on my knuckles from where I had beaten Matt, and then a few cuts on my palm where I had crushed that glass last night.

“I scared her,” I thought to my wolf as I looked at the damage I had done to my hand, which was nothing in comparison to the damage I had done to my wife. “Why did I have to scare her?”

My wolf stirred in discomfort. “You didn’t mean to.”

“But I still did it.”

I drew in a deep, shuddering breath as I recalled what had happened last night. When Nina had brought up taking a break, I had begun thinking about Mila. And when I had begun thinking about Mila, I had felt so much… rage in my heart.

How could I idly sit around while Mila was still alive? How could Nina expect that of me? It felt preposterous, to even imagine that I could ever take a ‘break’ before I took out Mila.

And then there was the way that Nina had looked at me—both before and after I had crushed the glass.

Before, she had looked at me like a basket case. Like an invalid who needed pity and, likely, medication.

And after…

After I had crushed the glass in my palm, she had looked terrified of me. Even now, imagining the way she had flinched made my heart sink. God, how could I have frightened her like that?

She had cleaned my wounds, yes; she had kissed me and reassured me, yes; but I could see the way she looked over her shoulder whenever I passed. I could see the way that she looked at me out of the corner of her eyes.

I would never hurt Nina.

Never.

“Pull yourself together, Enzo,” my wolf said, pulling me out of my deep thoughts. “You’ve got a job to do.”

“Right,” I muttered aloud.

Ronan.

Nina had told me everything as soon as we had gotten back to Mountainview; the break-in, the pack of werewolves, and finding Ronan. I still had to question him and find out whoever he was working for. At the very least, I had to do that much.

With a deep breath, I pushed open the door and stepped into the small cell where Ronan was being kept. He was sitting on the bed with his knees drawn up to his chest and didn’t even look up when I entered.

There was a plate of half-eaten food on the side table next to him and a few books that had clearly not been touched; attempts at not torturing the guy, at least. I would have preferred locking him in a bright white cell with nothing but the walls to bang his head on, but Nina had made it clear that we weren’t that type of pack.

“Ronan.” I stopped in front of him and placed my hands on my hips. “Look at me.”

Slowly, he raised his head. Despite his mussed hair and his red-rimmed eyes, he shot me a smile.

“Ah, if it isn’t my old hockey rival,” he said with a gravelly chuckle. “Look, whatever you have to ask me, I’ve already told your girlfriend everything I know.”

I frowned. “She’s not my girlfriend; she’s my wife. And why don’t you humor me and answer my questions anyway, hm? For old times’ sake?”

Ronan paused for a moment, warily drinking me in with his eyes, before he gestured for me to sit on the small chair near the bed.

I sat, knowing that he wasn’t going to pull anything; there was nothing for him to pull. His two choices were to either behave or be injected with the antidote, rendering him human again. And considering the fact that he based his entire personality around his wolf, he wasn’t going to risk losing it.

“Ask away,” he said.

I cut straight to the chase. “You’re working for someone,” I said. “Who?”

“Some family known as the Schreibers,” he said. “Don’t know much else about ‘em.”

“And why are they hiring you to come after my family?”

He shrugged. “Something about blood.”

“That’s it?” I growled, growing frustrated by his blase nature. “Just… blood?”

“Yup.”

“Ronan.” I stood again and crossed over to him, stooping so that our faces were almost aligned. “If you’re withholding information from me…”

“Relax, Enzo. I’m seriously telling you everything. All I do is take payment, and besides, I’m already putting my neck on the line by saying what I’ve said so far. So back off.”

As Ronan spoke, his upper lip curled back slightly to reveal his white teeth; and so did mine. But the longer I looked at him, the more I realized he was telling the truth. He really didn’t know anything else, as frustrating as it was. My wolf sensed it, too.

Finally, I straightened and crossed back over to the door. “Fine,” I said. “But if you think of any other details, you had better tell us.”

“So you’re not letting me go?”

I froze, my shoulders stiffening. Slowly, I turned to glare at him. “What makes you think I’d let you go?”

“I did what you asked,” he said. “You can’t keep me in this cell forever.”

“Oh, yes I can.” I narrowed my eyes at him and turned fully to face him now. “And after the shit you’ve pulled in the past, maybe I’ll watch you rot here.”

Ronan scoffed. “Fine, then. I’ll just have your little girlfriend set me loose; you know she’s got a soft spot for me. Hell, I think she still wants me.”

I knew that he was trying to rile me up. The logical part of my brain was well aware of that. But the look in his beady little eyes, the smirk on his face…

It looked all too much like Mila’s face when she had thought she had won. Just like moments after I had killed the bear shifter and she had come down from her horrific throne to disrobe in front of me.

Without a word, I rushed forward and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, yanking him to his feet with ease. Mila’s—no, Ronan’s—smirk merely grew, stretching across his face like a mask.

“There’s the violent Enzo I know so well,” he cooed. “Not much has changed since our hockey days together, huh? You’re just like you were back then, losing your cool over the slightest provocation. Like an animal.”

“I’ll kill you,” I hissed. “I’ll kill you for what you did to Nina, you little snake.”

“Go ahead. My boss will probably kill me anyway; after he kills you, of course.”

My blood simmered beneath my skin at his words. Drawing in a sharp breath through my teeth, I quickly pulled my fist back, curling my fingers up into a tight ball. I wasn’t an animal. No, I wasn’t an animal, not even when I was in Mila’s arena.

But, oh, how I relished the thought of feeling this creep’s cartilage crunch under my fist. Oh, how I wanted nothing more than to watch the light leave his eyes… Mila’s eyes… No. Wait.

“Enzo!”

Nina’s voice suddenly cried out from behind me, and I blinked in confusion as the face in front of me morphed and changed; not Mila, but Ronan. Two villains, but one much smaller than the other. God, where was I? Was that the roar of the profane crowd that I thought I heard? No, I was in the tunnels. I was in Mountainview.

And Nina…

Ronan’s grin grew as I released my iron grip on his shirt. “Go on,” he whispered. “Put your leash back on, dog.”

I felt another wave of rage overcome me at his words. But this time, before I could lash out again, I felt a cool hand on my arm. I turned to see Nina’s brown eyes blinking up at me, confused and terrified and worried all at once.

“Enzo,” she whispered. “This isn’t you.”