I descended the stairs of the abandoned warehouse, my footsteps echoing against the concrete. The dim lighting cast long shadows across the floor, illuminating the scene before me.


    My security team had done their job well. Too well, perhaps.


    Darius Reed knelt in the center of the room, his face a bloody mess. One eye was swollen shut, his lip split in multiple ces. Blood dripped from his nose onto the concrete floor.


    "Alpha King," Maxwell said, stepping forward with a respectful nod. "We found him trying to pawn the pendant at a shop in Shadow Creek."


    I approached Darius slowly, my amber eyes never leaving his pathetic form. He cowered as I drew near, his body trembling with fear.


    "Please," he whimpered, blood bubbling between his lips. "I didn''t know she was your mate. I swear!"


    I circled him like a predator stalking wounded prey. "Tell me what happened."


    Darius swallowed hard, wincing at the pain the simple action caused. "It was just a robbery, I swear. I only wanted money."


    "So you beat a defenseless woman half to death?" My voice was dangerously soft.


    "She wouldn''t give up the ne!" Darius protested, his bloodshot eyes darting around the room as if seeking an escape. "The woman was crazy about it-"


    The word "crazy" ignited something primal within me. Before I could stop myself, my foot connected with his jaw. The sound of teeth shattering filled the warehouse as Darius toppled sideways, blood spraying from his mouth.


    "Don''t you dare call her crazy," I growled, standing over his crumpled form.


    To my surprise, Maxwell stepped forward and delivered another kick to Darius''s ribs. My usuallyposed assistant''s face was contorted with rage.


    "That''s for insulting Luna Winters," Maxwell said, his voice cold.


    Darius curled into a ball, whimpering pathetically. "I''m sorry! Please... I have the pendant. Take it!"


    With shaking hands, he reached into his pocket and produced the crystal pendant-Lily''s pendant. The crystal caught the dim light, revealing the gray ashes inside.


    "It''s not even worth much," Dariusined, still not understanding what he had stolen. "I don''t know why she fought so hard for it."


    "I didn''t mean to hurt her so bad," Darius insisted. "She just wouldn''t let go!"


    I pocketed the pendant, my decision made. "Take him to the pack detention


    center," I ordered my security team. "I''ll deal with himter."


    As they dragged Darius away, his pleas for mercy echoing through the warehouse, I turned to Maxwell. "How


    O Q


    <


    < Chapter 72: The Memory...