131

131

Jacob’s POV

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Jenny was pacing back and forth, her hands balled into fists, while Ian sat, his face buried in his hands. He wasn’t used to being this... helpless. None of us were. We had spent days searching for Sophia, and now that we finally had her back, broken but alive, the adrenaline that had been keeping us moving was wearing off.

Sophia was in the other room with Lyanna, who was working to stabilize her. Jenny had barely been able to look at her without tears welling up, and Ian had been on the edge of losing it the entire time. But we had something else to deal with.

I glanced at Ian. He still hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken since Lyanna had reassured him that Sophia would make it through the night. “Ian,” I said, my voice low. “We need to go. We’ve got him locked up, and we need answers.”

His head lifted slowly, bloodshot eyes locking with mine. For a second, I wasn’t sure he even heard me. But then he nodded, standing up with an exhausted grunt. “Right,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. “Let’s get this over with.”

Jenny stopped pacing long enough to watch us, biting her lip nervously. “You’ll come back right after, yeah?” she asked, her voice small.

“Of course,” I reassured her, stepping forward to kiss her on the forehead. “We’ll be back soon. Stay with Sophia. Keep an eye on her.”

Jenny nodded but didn’t look convinced. I couldn’t blame her. None of us were sure what would happen next, and the thought of leaving the safety of the room where Sophia was recovering felt like stepping into danger. But there was no time to be cautious. Whoever was behind this wasn’t done.

Ian and I made our way down the corridor toward the dungeon, the heavy, stone walls pressing in on us. I could feel the weight of Ian’s silence, his anger simmering just below the surface. I knew he was holding back for now, but I wasn’t sure how much longer that would last.

“Do you think this werewolf will talk?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“He’ll talk,” Ian said, his voice low and cold. “One way or another.”

I nodded, feeling a little bit off about what we were about to do. Interrogation wasn’t something I enjoyed, but right now, we needed answers. We needed to know who had taken Sophia, who had tortured her, and why. And this werewolf was our only lead.

We reached the door to the dungeon, the cold air biting at our skin as we stepped inside. The werewolf was chained to the far wall, his body bruised and battered from the fight earlier. He snarled as we approached, his eyes glowing faintly in the dim light, but there was a flicker of fear behind that defiance. He knew what was coming.

Ian wasted no time. He crossed the room in a few swift steps, grabbing the werewolf by the throat and slamming him against the wall. The werewolf choked, gasping for air as Ian’s grip tightened.

“Who sent you?” Ian growled, his voice barely above a whisper, but it carried all the anger he felt.

The werewolf spat blood, grinning despite the pain. “You think I’ll talk, vampire?”

Ian’s eyes darkened, and I knew that grin had just signed the werewolf’s death sentence. But we couldn’t let that happen. Not yet. We needed answers first.

“Let him go, Ian,” I said firmly, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. “We need him alive.”

For a moment, I wasn’t sure he would listen. The rage in his eyes was overwhelming, and I could see that he was hanging on by a thread. But after a few agonizing seconds, he released his grip, letting the werewolf drop to the floor, coughing and wheezing for breath.

I crouched down in front of the werewolf, meeting his defiant gaze. “Listen, you’re going to talk,” I said, my voice cold. “Because if you don’t, I will let him finish what he started. And trust me, you won’t survive that.”

The werewolf glared at me, but I could see the fear creeping into his expression. He was tough, but even he knew he was outmatched here. We had him at our Mercy, and he knew it.

“I don’t know who they were,” the werewolf rasped, his voice hoarse from Ian’s chokehold. “I was just a pawn. Hired muscle. They paid well, and I didn’t ask questions.”

Ian stepped forward again, his eyes narrowing. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not!” the werewolf gasped, flinching as Ian loomed over him. “I swear. I didn’t ask names. They… they said they wanted the girl. That she was important. That’s all I know.”

“The girl?” I repeated, my stomach turning. “Sophia?”

He nodded, trembling now. “Yeah. They said she had power. That if we didn’t stop her, she’d destroy everything.”

Ian’s fist clenched, but I held up a hand to stop him. “Who told you that?”

“I don’t know!” the werewolf insisted, his voice cracking with desperation. “They were… vampires. One of them was a council member, I think. But they didn’t tell me anything else. I swear!”

“A council member,” Ian muttered, his voice filled with disgust. “Of course.”

I stood up, my mind racing. This wasn’t just a random attack. This was planned, orchestrated by someone within the council. Someone who knew about Sophia’s power and wanted to stop her before she became a threat.

Ian stepped forward again, his eyes fixed on the werewolf. “You’re going to tell me every detail you remember,” he said, his voice low and deadly. “And if you leave anything out, I will make sure you suffer for it.”

The werewolf nodded frantically, too terrified to do anything but comply. “I will. I’ll tell you everything.”

Ian glanced at me, his expression grim. We had our answers, but this was only the beginning. There was a traitor on the council, and we were going to find out who. And when we did, they would pay for what they’d done to Sophia.

“Ian,” I said quietly, “we’re not going to let them get away with this.”

“No,” Ian agreed, his voice cold. “We’re not.”