Chapter 163: Chapter 162

Braden “Wait, wait, wait,” Lanie said, shaking her head. “What exactly are you talking about?”

| ran a hand through my hair. This was going to be a hard pill to swallow.

“The Council is kidnapping hybrids and running tests on them,” | said. Lanie’s eyes widened. “They want to create a stronger, all-

powerful wolf hybrid species.”

“W-why would they do that?” the other girl in the room squeaked. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, and her face was white as a ghost. Who the hell even was this?

“The wolf shifters could break the peace treaty or any other rule they wish,” | continued. “They could do whatever the f uck they wanted because an army of hybrids would be nearly impossible to kill.”

A tortured look crossed Mason’s face. | wondered if he believed what | was saying or if he thought | was trying to rile him up again.

“Who is behind all of this?” Lanie asked.

But her expression told me she already knew the answer. And judging from Mason’s knitted brows, so did he. Still, | felt a little bad having to be the bearer of bad news.

“Orion Constantine,” | said.

“F uck,” Mason mumbled, pressing his closed fists to his eyes.

Lanie’s mouth formed a round “o” before she suddenly spun around in a circle, her eyes darting wildly around the room.

“Wait...where are Xander and Zane? Do they know about this? Are they part of this?”

“| bet they f ucking are,” Mason growled. Da mn, this guy was so reactive.

Meanwhile, Lanie looked like she was about to hyperventilate. | preferred getting her worked up p over silly things...seeing her so scared like this made my chest knot up.

“Lanie, no, they’re in prison!” the other girl piped up.

Lanie gasped. | already knew this, of course. | was getting there.

“They've been tried with the murder of multiple hybrid she-wolves...including you,” the other girl said.

shakily CHANN “The accusations are false,” | jumped in quickly before Lanie or Mason could overreact. “Obviously.” | waved at Lanie standing in front of me, very much alive.

“The Council is accusing Xander and Zane of the murders they committed?” Lanie asked.

“Exactly,” | said.

1/2 So they have!

Good to know | wasn’t the only man he didn’t trust.

“| don’t believe so. Orion and the High Council are starting to get desperate,” | explained. “The she-wolves. they've kidnapped so far aren’t passing the tests they’re giving them, so now they’re seeking out a new subject: hybrid babies.”

| gritted my teeth. | didn’t want to say this next part, but | had to. “They know Stella exists, Lanie, and they're going to come after her.”

The other girl let out a little yelp. Lanie looked like she might be sick.

Mason narrowed his eyes, appraising me. “How can we trust anything you say?”

This f ucking guy. He was wasting precious time.

“Why do you think Orion was talking to Selena?” | asked, cutting my eyes right back at Mason.

His jaw dropped slightly and Lanie took in a sharp breath.

“Yeah, | know about that,” | said. “Lanie, Orion threatened your sister into giving him valuable information about you a and your whereabouts”

Lanie’s eyes welled with tears. “S hit,” she whispered. “This is all my fault.”

placed a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned into him. A pang of jealousy ran through me.

“It's absolutely not,” he said.

“Mason is right,” | said. | fought back a wince. Those words tasted rotten in my mouth. “You can’t help what you're born into.”

| should know. | never intended to be a vampire. Waking up as one all those years ago was a big f u cking shock.

“So where do we go from here?” Mason asked.

“| told you,” | said. “We get Lanie out of here and get her and Stella into hiding.”

They seemed a lot less resistant to the idea now. Took them long enough.

“But first, we go get Xander and Zane,” | said.

Mason fully rolled his eyes, and Lanie and the other girl looked confused.

“Who's breaking them out?” Lanie asked.

“My accomplice,” | said simply. “Their identity might surprise you.”