<h4>Chapter 13 - In Trouble</h4>


    <strong>*****************</strong>


    <strong>Chapter 13</strong>


    <strong>~Valerie''s POV~</strong>


    My movements were swift as Inded a sharp punch to his jaw, sending him stumbling back with a curse. Before he could recover, I followed up with a quick leg sweep, knocking him to the ground.


    He barely had time to grunt before I was on him, my knee digging into his chest as I drew a dagger from my boot and pressed it against his throat.


    <i>Sluggish bastard.</i>


    His breath hitched. His eyes flickered with real fear, just like I had once seen.


    I smirked. Good.


    "Start talking," I growled, pressing the de down just enough to draw blood. "Where is my goddamn ne?"


    The silver edge of the dagger glistened against his skin. His body tensed as the realization hit him.


    Silver. And his wound wasn''t healing. Good, now he knew I wasn''t joking.


    He froze. "You—you''re carrying silver?"


    I tilted my head. "I came prepared this time, seeing as my dagger was merciful thest time."


    His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, eyes darting around. His pulse hammered beneath my de.


    "Now," I said, pressing a little harder. "Talk."


    His lips trembled before the words finally spilt out. "I—I sold it!"


    "To who?" He hesitated as if searching for a way to knock me off him. So, I did what I could. I unleashed a bit of Astra''s strength, pinning him downpletely.


    He winced. "A-Arnold. His name is Arnold Michel... the ck Merchant."


    My heart clenched.


    I knew that name.


    The ck Merchant wasn''t just some street dealer. He was one of the most powerful underground traders in the city. If he had my ne, getting it back wouldn''t be easy.


    "Where?" I demanded.


    The thief hesitated. I twisted the de slightly.


    He yelped. "His mansion! At Gracevine! Ten streets from here! You can''t miss it!"


    <i>Gracevine</i>.


    I exhaled slowly, my grip on the dagger steady. I had what I needed.


    Now, what to do with him?


    Astra purred in my mind. "<i>Kill him.</i>"


    Tempting. But no.


    I pulled the de away slightly. "Consider yourself lucky," I muttered. "I don''t kill idiots. Just people who waste my time."


    With one swift motion, I mmed the hilt of my dagger into his temple and his body slumped unconscious.


    I stood up, exhaled, and wiped my de clean on his clothes before slipping it back into my boot.


    Gracevine Mansion, here Ie.


    I turned on my heel and strode out of the alley while keeping to the shadows to avoid any unforeseen nuisance while the thrill of the hunt was already ignited inside me.


    I was going to get my ne back.


    And if the ck Merchant didn''t want to hand it over? He was about to have a very, very bad night.


    <strong>***************</strong>


    I moved quickly, slipping past the main roads and into the shadows of Gracevine Mansion''spound.


    The ck Merchant''sir.


    The estate was massive, with towering iron gates shielding the mansion from view. Security was tight—guards patrolled the area as their sharp eyes scanned for threats.


    Getting in unnoticed wouldn''t be easy.


    But I didn''t need it easy. I needed results.


    I kept low, slipping through the dense hedge surrounding the property. The thick scent of damp earth filled my nose as I wove through the bushes, my boots making no sound against the ground.


    The moment I got past the outer wall, a wire snapped beneath my foot.


    Shit.


    A loud <i>whirring</i> sound filled the air, and before I could react, a thick metal sprang from the ground, wrapping around me in an instant.


    I had fallen into a trap. Yikes. If uncle where to find out now, I''ll never hear the end of it till the day I die.


    I snarled as my body was yanked upward, suspended midair, the biting into my arms and legs. I had walked right into it.


    "Fucking fantastic," I muttered under my breath.


    Within seconds, movement surrounded me. Guards—well-equipped and probably trained guards.


    Half a dozen men, their eyes glowing in the dim light, stepped forward, their stances rigid and ready to attack. Their wolves lurked just beneath their skin, eager for blood.


    They bared their teeth, snarling and inching closer—until a single p echoed through the night.


    The men stilled instantly, snapping to attention at the same time a slow, amused voice followed.


    "Well, well... I''d say it was a 50/50 chance you''d show up, but after putting so much effort into tracking that little trinket, I''d say it was more like 60/40."


    A shadow emerged from the darkness, stepping into the faint moonlight.


    Tall and refined, dressed in an expensive silk suit that barely wrinkled as he moved. His slicked-back silver-streaked hair reflected under the light, and a knowing smirk pulled at his lips.


    Arnold Michel, the ck Merchant himself.


    His gaze gleamed with amusement as he studied me, arms folded behind his back.


    "Though," he added, tilting his head, "I never expected Johan to double-cross me like this."


    Johan, I suspected, was the name of the thief.


    I gritted my teeth; it was more like he set me up and not the other way around. So the bastard was working for Arnold.


    One of the guards moved forward, a de in hand, and sliced the ropes of the.


    I fell hard, my body hitting the cold ground with a thud as they closed in on me again, barely offering breathing space thanks to the numerous spears pointed at me.


    I barely had a second to regain my footing before I was surrounded again.


    Arnold clicked his tongue. "Now, little girl, I''m going to ask just once..."


    His eyes darkened. "What do you want with my ne?"


    I scoffed. "Your ne?"


    I moved to stand up, but before I could get the next word out, pain coursed through me the second something pierced my skin.


    A sharp sting pierced my neck.


    Then another.


    And another.


    I nced around just in time to see three men huddled at a corner with darting pipes between their lips.


    My breath hitched. My fingers reached up, brushing against the three darts lodged into my skin.


    Shit.


    Immediately, my vision swam as the world tilted. It was a paralysis dagger. No... Poison?


    I staggered, my knees buckling as darkness crept in at the edges of my sight.


    Thest thing I saw before my body copsed was Arnold''s smug smirk, followed by a girl dressed in a long cream nightgown covered with a night purple robe.


    And atop her neck sat my ne.


    "My neck..." Arnold chuckled darkly as he moved closer, ghosting over me like a gue.


    Then, just as the darkness was about to envelop me, I felt a shift in the atmosphere; at the next second, a bone-chilling presence ran down my spine and prickled my skin.


    And then the earth shook. The presence, aura, and scent washed through me, assaulting my nostrils in waves I never knew. I fell to one knee, clutching my chest.


    Everything had been too much for me to bear, and then I heard the words that I never thought I''d hear ring out. "What the hell are you doing to my mate?!"