Chapter 16 · Red Well Trap

The Red Well sat in a clearing that smelled like rust and bad decisions.

I could see Ryan twenty feet from the stone rim, hands zip-tied behind his back, blood running from his temple. My mom knelt ten feet to his left, head down, wrists bound. Two of Theron's wolves stood between them and the Well. The third one had a phone out, filming.

Kade's hand locked around my wrist before I could move. "It's a kill box."

"I can see that."

"Then you can see he wants you to run in."

I twisted free. "He's got my mom."

"And he'll kill her the second you step into range." Kade's voice dropped. "That's the play. You go in, he wins. You stay out, he makes you watch. Either way, you break."

My pulse hammered in my ears. The bond hummed under my skin, pulling tight like it knew what was coming. Ryan's head lifted. His eyes found mine across the clearing. His mouth shaped my name.

I looked at Kade. "So what do we do?"

"We leave. Now. Before he closes the perimeter."

"Leave."

"Yes."

I stared at him.