Chapter 4
The cold handcuffs bit into my skin.
The enforcers shoved me forward, rough and relentless.
Arthur stood on the steps, looking down at me like I was dirt.
"Joanna, I never thought you could be such a poisonous snake.
"You'd kill your mate for power," he spat.
Beverly leaned into Arthur's arms, dabbing at her fake tears like she was in a play.
"Arthur, Logan died such an awful death. You have to get justice for him," she whimpered.
I shot daggers at that disgusting pair.
"That dagger has been locked in my safe this whole time. Only Logan knew the password.
"You two set me up," I snapped.
The enforcers didn't let me explain. They dragged me straight down to the dungeon beneath the Sterling Estate.
The cell was dark and wet and smelled like rot.
They forced me into an iron chair and chained my wrists and ankles down with thick shackles.
"Start talking. How did you team up with outsiders to kill Logan?" the enforcer barked.
He cracked a spiked whip against the wall, the sound echoing off the stone.
"I didn't kill him," I yelled back, rage burning in my voice.
With a smack, the whip came down hard on my back.
My clothes split open, and a searing pain tore through my nerves.
"Still won't confess? The transfer records are right here," the enforcer barked.
The whip cracked down again.
I clenched my teeth and took the beating without breaking.
Blood ran down my back and soaked into the chair.
I was already weak from the pregnancy, and the pain nearly knocked me out cold.
I lost track of how long it'd been when the cell door finally opened.
Beverly walked in, strutting like she owned the place, carrying a tray.
The enforcer stepped out and left us alone.
Beverly came right up to me and picked up a bowl of dark, bitter liquid from the tray.
"Joanna, stop pretending you're so tough.
"Drink this truth serum and tell us everything you did," she said.
The second I caught that sharp, nasty smell, I knew something was wrong.
This wasn't truth serum.
It was something to kill my pup.
"Get away from me. Don't touch me," I screamed, thrashing against the chains as hard as I could.
The chains rattled and clanged with every move I made.
Beverly laughed like she was having the time of her life.
"You really think you can get away?
"Logan kept you around to breed. Now you aren't even good for that anymore.
"Once that pup inside you turns into a puddle of blood, the Sterling Group will belong to Arthur and me. Nobody else," she sneered.
She grabbed my jaw and shoved the bitter liquid straight down my throat.
The cold, nasty fluid burned as it went down.
Despair and rage exploded inside me all at once.
Right then, my pureblood wolf power burst out of me, wild and uncontrollable.
With a crack, I snapped the thick chains apart with nothing but raw strength.
I shot to my feet, ripped the bowl out of her hand, and slammed it over Beverly's head in one motion.
The porcelain bowl shattered. Black liquid and blood mixed together and poured down her face.
"My face! You crazy bitch," Beverly screamed, her voice echoing through the dungeon.
I grabbed her by the hair and smashed her head into the iron bars.
"Touch my pup, and I swear I'll end you," I snarled, my voice cold.
Arthur came storming in with his guards, drawn by the noise.
"Joanna, let her go now," he shouted.
I kicked Beverly hard in the knee and tossed her at Arthur's feet like a bag of trash.
I picked up a sharp piece of broken porcelain from the floor and pressed it against her throat.
"Take one more step, and I'll open her neck right here," I threatened.