Chapter 2

When I woke up, my neck was wrapped in thick bandages. The bruises on the back of my hand stood out clearly. That deep purple mark was the imprint left by Evan's boot.

I sat up and glanced around. I was still in the Hidden Chamber. The silver glass wall and dim lighting were all exactly as before.

Cain was no longer outside the glass wall.

I took a deep breath, pushing away the jumble of thoughts in my head.

Evan sat in a chair across the room. His intense gaze locked right on me.

"You think you're clever enough," Evan said, his tone flat.

I didn't reply, but I stared at him silently.

"The heiress of the Montgomeries," he said, getting up and walking toward me. "You spent three years getting close to the guise of an engagement, waiting for the right moment to avenge your parents."

He stopped right in front of me. "Did I get it all right?"

My heart gave a violent jolt. He knew it all from start to finish.

I kept my face blank, lifting my chin a bit. "Since you already know," I said coldly, "why keep me alive?"

"Because..." He bent over me, his fingers lifting my chin with a possessive grip I couldn't escape. "You're the last of the Montgomeries."

Indeed, I was the last of the Montgomeries.

My eyes stung instantly, catching me off guard. I clenched my jaw hard, determined not to let him see a flicker of weakness.

"I want you to live," Evan said, his voice cold, completely devoid of warmth. "I have to keep you alive."

I closed my eyes, my lashes shielding the sting in my eyes.

Footsteps sounded outside. I opened my eyes and turned toward the silver glass wall.

Cain was back.

He wore a dark coat. His chestnut hair was a mess. When he stepped into the command room, he walked in faster than usual. His deep amber eyes, usually smiling, now held an anxiety I'd rarely seen.

Cain was desperately searching for me.

Cain, the so-called "gentleman hunter" whose smile never truly reached his eyes, was pacing the command room, his composure completely shattered.

The Mate Bond's pull couldn't break through the silver glass, but my inner wolf was restless, instinctively urging me to press closer to the glass, aching for him to see me.

However, I couldn't move at all.

Evan loomed right behind me. "He can't find you," he murmured in my ear, his voice low. "I've already told him you're probably in the hands of a rival pack."

I watched Cain lose his mind outside the glass, and my heart went cold.

Both sides were cages for me. Cain weaved one with our engagement, his gentleness and smiles that were soft yet deadly, while the other belonged to Evan, made of silver glass and fueled by violence, harsh and unyielding.

Evan's phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen, answered, and switched to speaker.

"Did you find anything?" Cain's voice came through, urgent and rough. "Where is she?"

"Not confirmed," Evan replied, his tone steady without any flaws. "But there are reports that she was spotted near the northern border." As he spoke, he strode over to me and pressed his hand firmly over my mouth, sealing the lower half of my face.

My breath was cut off, warmth trapped beneath his palm, with nowhere to escape. Instinctively, I grabbed his wrist, my nails digging deep into his skin, but he didn't move an inch.

"I'm dispatching people to the north to verify," Evan said.

Cain was silent for a couple of seconds, his voice icy. "Who did you send?"

"Taylor's men," Evan replied.

"I'm going myself."

"Cain—"

The busy tone sounded. Evan put his phone away, his hand still clamped over my mouth as he looked down at me.

I was at my breaking point.

Suddenly, I twisted to the side and ripped the phone cord right out. The metal connector hit the table edge with a crisp clang, and the call was cut off for good.

The room went dead silent. Evan turned to me.

I looked up, making my voice soft on purpose, with a touch of submission. "He's gone. Who's left for you to perform for?"

I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Evan, you said you want me alive." I paused. "So tell me. How do you want me to live?"

He stared at me, those cold, gray eyes fixed on my face for a long while. Then he reached out, his fingertips tracing the edge of the bandage at my neck.

"Obey," he said, his voice deep. "That's all."

"Fine," I answered, not even hesitating.

His hand paused for a moment. He was clearly caught off guard by how quickly I agreed.

I knew exactly what Evan wanted. It was never about making me surrender. He wanted me to give myself to him willingly.

But that day would never come. Everything I did was to buy myself a little more time.

That calm obedience lasted less than fifteen minutes. He came toward me again, his usual possessiveness simmering beneath the surface. His hand clamped down on my shoulder, pressing me back forcefully.

I took a step back, but there was nowhere left to go. The silver glass wall was right behind me.

"No." I rejected him in a low voice.

He didn't let go.

"I said no," I repeated.

"You don't have the right to say no." He lowered his gaze, his voice heavy with threat. "Unless you want me to mark you right here and now."

That word slammed into me like a silver bullet, tearing through flesh. If he marked me, it would destroy me completely.

Not only would my revenge fall apart, but my soul as Ivy Montgomery would be forever bound. The Hartleys would claim the last heiress of the Montgomeries.

All my father's seven years of scheming would turn into nothing but a cruel joke.

I bowed my head, not trying to resist.

Suddenly, the footsteps of guards sounded in the corridor outside. Heavy boots struck the floor steadily and rhythmically. Two people were heading straight for us.

Evan released me, stepped back, and straightened his collar. His expression returned to its usual cold indifference, as if nothing had happened.

He took a neatly folded, thick blanket from the shelf, walked over, and draped it over my shoulders.

I stayed still, letting him tuck the blanket snugly around me.

He cast a downward glance at me silently, then turned and walked to the chamber door, punching in a code.

With a beep, the door opened, and he stepped out. The electronic lock sealed itself behind him, leaving me alone in the darkness behind the silver glass wall.

*****

I stood there for ages before finally drifting toward the glass. The blanket weighed heavily on my shoulders, but I didn't bother to shrug it off.

The command room lights were still blazing, illuminating every inch outside the glass. Cain was nowhere to be seen.

He was gone, off to the north to search for me. He had stepped right into Evan's carefully laid trap. I had been a breath away from him, separated only by this glass wall, yet it felt like an endless distance.

How ridiculous. I pressed my palm against the icy glass, which blocked all warmth and sound.

My breath misted the surface, blurring my reflection. I tapped the glass with my knuckles, the sound hardly noticeable. Outside, there was nobody except the harsh lights and the hollow, deserted command room.

When I was about to turn away, the door swung open.

Cain walked in. He hadn't left. He was back.

He still had his coat on, holding something in his hand. He entered with his head lowered and quickly scanned the room. His gaze flicked over the hidden door, the bookshelf, the file cabinet, and finally onto the silver glass wall.

I pounded on the glass, over and over, with all my might.

Cain whipped around and looked at the glass. His brows were drawn tight. His deep amber eyes clouded with confusion as he rushed toward the glass.

Suddenly, a gunshot went off. A muffled bang rang out from the corner of the command room. I didn't even catch where it exactly was.

A silver bullet grazed Cain's face, leaving a bloody gash beneath his cheekbone. Blood sprang out instantly. He jerked to the side on instinct. Meanwhile, the bullet slammed into the corner of the silver glass wall.

Glass shattered with a deafening crash, cracks spiderwebbing out from the impact.

I went rigid, my throat locked up, and I couldn't even breathe.

Cain pressed his hand to his cheek and looked up. His deep amber eyes found me through the shattered silver glass, locking onto my face right through the web of cracks.

My heart froze in my chest.