Chapter 34 · No More Cages

Derek's on his knees when I climb out of the pit.

He's bleeding from where the circle backlashed. His hands are shaking. The silver blade he dropped is right there between us, glinting in the pre-dawn gray.

I could pick it up. End this. No one would stop me.

Behind me, a hundred wolves are crawling out of the ground. They're thin. Scarred. Some of them can barely stand. But they're alive. They're free. And every single one of them is watching me.

Cain pulls himself over the edge of the crater, his shirt torn and bloody. He doesn't say anything. Just stands there, breathing hard, his eyes locked on Derek.

Derek looks up at me. His face is a mess—nose broken, lip split. But he's smiling.

"Layla," he says. His voice is wet. "Baby. You came back."

I don't move.

"I knew you would." He tries to get up, stumbles. "I knew—I knew you'd realize. You need me. You've always needed me."

"Shut up," I say.

He blinks. Like I just said something in a language he doesn't speak.

"You don't mean that." He's crawling toward me now. One hand reaching. "Layla, listen. This—this whole thing, it's a misunderstanding.