chapter six

Caspian Voretti's POV

For centuries, we ruled these lands. Our strength was unmatched, our kind thrived in the shadows, keeping balance. But the hunters they had changed.

Once, they were nothing but men with silver bullets and misguided hatred. Now, they had grown stronger, smarter. Weapons forged in blood and science. Numbers swelling like a plague.

And they wouldn't stop.

They saw us as monsters, but they were the ones waging war, capturing my people, dissecting them like animals. Like Lara.

My sister.

She had been taken.

I sat at the head of the war table, my Beta, Ronan, standing at my side. The room was filled with Alphas from every territory, their expressions grim. Maps were spread out before us, inked with hunter strongholds and borderlines where they had breached our lands.

But none of it mattered.

Not while Lara was in their hands.

She was an omega. Gentle. A pet by nature—not built for war, not built for pain. She had been with my mother when the attack happened. My mother barely escaped, but Lara… she wasn't so lucky.

My jaw clenched as I gripped the edge of the table, forcing myself to stay calm.

"We need to bring her back," I said, my voice measured but sharp. Deadly.

The room was silent. Cowards.

No one volunteered.

We all knew what would happen to her in that place. The hunters' research facility.

Their prison.

We had heard the stories—wolves who had been taken never came back the same. They were tortured, experimented on, stripped of everything that made them who they were.

And she was in there.

The hunters weren't fools. If we attacked recklessly, they would kill her before we ever made it through their defenses. We needed a plan.

A way in.

"We have people on the inside," Ronan said carefully. "A doctor working with us. If we could establish a connection—"

"No," I cut him off. "We don't have time."

Lara didn't have time.

The room fell into uneasy silence again. No one spoke. None of my brothers—all strong Alphas in their own right—stepped forward.

I curled my fingers into a fist.

Cowards.

"If no one else will do it," I said, my voice hard, "then I will."

Ronan stiffened beside me. "Caspian—"

"I'll let them capture me." I met his gaze, my decision firm. "They'll take me straight into their stronghold. Once I'm inside, I can find her. I can send word."

Ronan's expression darkened. "You'll be walking into a trap."

I smirked coldly. "Then I'll spring it from the inside."

The room stayed deathly quiet.

No one argued, because they knew I was right.

This wasn't just about Lara anymore. If we could get inside, if we could dismantle them from within, we could end this war before it destroyed us all.

"I go in tonight," I said. "And I bring my sister home."

The plan was simple get captured, find Lara, tear the hunters apart from the inside.

But these fools… they had no idea what they had just brought into their midst.

The first shot hit my shoulder. A dart. Drugged.

I barely flinched.

The toxin burned through my veins, meant to subdue, to weaken. Pathetic. My body had fought off worse. I staggered slightly, pretending to be affected, but I was far from done.

More came. Poking, prodding, pushing.

Hitting.

A boot slammed into my ribs. A fist cracked against my jaw. They wanted to break me down before they even got me inside.

I growled low, a warning that shook the air.

Enough.

I was ready to snap to tear them apart limb from limb. I flexed my claws, muscles tensing. One lunge and I'd be free, these weaklings wouldn't stand a chance

Then I smelled it.

The world tilted.

My rage stilled as something else something stronger pierced through me like a blade.

A scent.

Rich. Soft. Addictive.

I inhaled sharply.

My chest tightened.

I turned, searching needing to find the source.

Then I saw him.

Standing just beyond the crowd of hunters.

My mate.

I froze.

The Moon Goddess gave me a male mate.

No problem. That wasn't shocking.

But a hunter?

I let out a breath, watching him carefully. He was young. Fragile-looking. Not like the hardened killers who surrounded me. Too soft to be in a place like this.

He didn't belong here.

But he was mine.

I narrowed my eyes, studying him. His body was tense, uncertain. Had he felt it too? That pull? That deep, undeniable bond that had just locked us together for eternity?

I smirked.

Goddess, you have a cruel sense of humor.

A hunter. My fated mate was a hunter.

But it didn't matter. I already loved him.

I would love him.

Cherish him. Protect him.

He was mine.

The hunters around me were still shouting, still taunting, ready to drag me into their hellhole. I could fight I could slaughter them all right now.

But my mate was here.

And if I lost control, if I attacked, he might step in to defend his people.

I wouldn't risk hurting him.

I wouldn't make him fear me.

So instead, I took a slow breath and let them take me.

The cold chains dug into my wrists, their silver bite burning into my skin. They had wrapped me in metal, layering the chains over my arms, shoulders, and legs, as if I were some rabid beast waiting to snap.

They weren't wrong.

But I let them.

I let them drag me across the concrete floors, through dimly lit corridors where the stench of blood and chemicals hung in the air. This place reeked of suffering.

I counted the doors we passed, memorized the turns. If I had to break out, I needed to know my way.

They threw me into a cell. A dark, windowless room with reinforced walls. I heard the lock turn, the final click of the chains securing me in place.

Good. Let them think they had me.

I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly. Then the door creaked open again.

A figure stepped inside a man in a white coat. But I recognized him immediately. Our spy.

A doctor, a human pet working for us. His heartbeat was steady, but I could sense his unease.

He gave a quick glance toward the guards outside before approaching me cautiously.

"They drugged you heavier than expected," he murmured, voice low. "Are you still conscious?"

I blinked, fighting the sluggish haze in my body.

"I'm fine." My voice was rough, but steady.

The doctor exhaled, glancing toward the door again.

"Listen, they think you're out cold. But we don't have much time," he whispered. "I need to know how bad is it?"

I flexed my fingers, testing the restraints. The silver burned, but it was manageable.

"I'll live."

The doctor nodded, then hesitated. "There's something else. When they brought you in you saw someone, didn't you?"

My jaw clenched. He knew.

I let out a slow breath.

"Yes."

He tilted his head. "Describe him."

I didn't even have to think.

"Tall. Slender build. Dark hair, stormy eyes. Human." My voice softened despite myself. "Young. He smelled like—"

I stopped myself. I didn't need to say it.

The doctor's lips pressed together, understanding dawning in his eyes.

"You found your mate."

A statement, not a question.

I nodded once.

The doctor exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think his name is Nikolas. He's a nurse here. Not a hunter."

A rush of relief flooded my chest. Not a hunter.

That meant there was a chance.

That meant he wasn't my enemy.

But my wolf was still restless. The distance between us was already pulling at something deep inside me.

"I need him," I growled. My muscles tensed against the chains, the urge to break free growing stronger. "Now."

"Hey, hey calm down." The doctor raised his hands. "I'll bring him."

I forced myself to breathe, to focus.

"I'll make sure he's positioned here," the doctor continued. "He'll monitor you, meaning you'll see him every day. Just don't do anything reckless. If they suspect anything, they'll separate you."

I hated the thought of waiting, of being helpless in chains while my mate was so close.

But for now, I had no choice.

The doctor gave me one last glance before turning for the door.

Before he left, he paused.

"This could get dangerous, Caspian," he warned. "Be careful."

I smirked, despite everything.

"Too late for that."

Then the door shut, leaving me alone in the darkness.

I tilted my head back against the cold wall, exhaling.

Nikolas.

I would wait.