<h4>Chapter 37: Chapter 37 The Face of True Evil</h4>


    Cecilia


    I recognized that face anywhere - Zoe, the VP of the Silver Peak Pack’s branchpany.


    I had suspected there might be someone working against thepany from within, but never thought to look in him direction.


    "So rude, tying up our delicate Secretary Cecilia like this," Zoemented, his tone falsely sympathetic as he strolled into the room, closing the door behind him before flicking on the light—a single dusty bulb hanging from the ceiling, covered in cobwebs, casting an eerie glow across the space.


    In the dim light, I finally got a clear view of my surroundings.


    What appeared to be an abandoned living room with a dining table, sofa, and TV stand.


    Thickyers of dust and cobwebs covered everything, suggesting this ce had been deserted for years.


    I returned my attention to Zoe, fixing him with an icy re from my eyes.


    "My, what a fierce little look," he continued smiling, reaching out to stroke my cheek with his fingers.


    I jerked my head away in disgust, feeling my skin crawl beneath his touch. The scent of him was revolting.


    Zoe rubbed his fingers together, savoring the feeling of my skin before raising them to his nose. "So sweet," he murmured. "Throwing such a beautiful woman into the sea would be such a waste."


    My eyes trembled as fear gripped me anew. The terror I had experienced not long ago came flooding back, seizing my heart. Unlike before, I was fully conscious now, which made the horror all the more vivid.


    I struggled desperately against the ropes binding my wrists and ankles.


    My movements were so violent that one leg of the already decrepit wooden chair snapped with a loud crack.


    The chair tilted instantly, and I fell to the ground with it.


    The impact sent dust flying into my nostrils. I needed to cough, but with duct tape over my mouth, I could only feel my face flush red as tears streamed down my cheeks.


    Zoe crouched down beside me, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "So eager, already lying down for me?"


    His hand caressed my calf, deliberately moving upward inch by inch, relishing my helplessness, terror, tears, and despair. The more he saw, the more he seemed to enjoy it.


    "I’ve changed my mind," he announced. "Instead of throwing you into the sea, I’ll keep you here. Whenever I feel like it, I’lle over to y. Let me experience the pleasures of an Alpha for myself."


    I red at him, my struggles growing more frantic.


    “Don’t fight it. We both know what it’s like to serve powerful men. I may not be as young or dominant as Alpha Sebastian, but I can keep you alive. And really—what matters more than that?”


    Shameless! He was actually trying to brainwash me!


    But in the next moment, I suddenly calmed down. I lowered my eyelids slightly, as if considering his proposal. After a few seconds, I raised my head again, looking at him with teary eyes, and nodded.


    His hand paused at my waist. "You agree?"


    I nodded again, feigning a survival instinct that prioritized self-preservation above all.


    I tilted my head toward the staircase behind us, then looked down at the floor, shaking my head pitifully.


    The message was clear: I wanted to go upstairs, not stay on the floor.


    "I get it," he said with a smirk. "I wouldn’t want to do it on this filthy, hard floor either."


    A flicker of predatory desire passed across his face.


    He crouched down and began untying the ropes around my ankles, then moved to my wrists.


    Halfway through, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it, letting it ring, the sound shrill and persistent in the silence.


    After freeing my hands, he kept one precaution: fashioning the rope into a loose noose around my neck to prevent me from escaping.


    "Let’s go upstairs," he said, pulling me up from the chair.


    I followed obediently, noticing that his phone kept ringing. I guessed that Alpha Sebastian and Beta Sawyer not only knew I was in trouble but had also identified this man as responsible.


    They might even be... nearby.


    I was led upstairs, Zoe behind me fumbling for the hallway light switch.


    When it didn’t work, he cursed, hanging up on yet another iing call before activating his phone’s shlight.


    During this time, I carefully observed the second floor:


    a straight corridor with windows on both sides—old-fashioned double-hung windows.


    One pane was broken, and judging by the entrance downstairs and the direction of the sea breeze, the broken window faced the ocean.


    My only chance of escape.


    I pretended my legs were weak, staggering a few steps toward one side of the hallway. He naturally followed, heading toward a room in that direction.


    From the moment he untied me until we reached the stairs, I had beenpletelypliant.


    He was distracted by operating his phone, and I hadn’t attempted to run, obediently waiting for him.


    Perhaps thinking that to save my life, sacrificing my body wasn’t such a big deal...


    He was smugly satisfied, convinced he had me figured out.


    However, just as he rxed his guard and reached to push open a bedroom door, I quickly slipped the loop from around my neck and sprinted to the window. Without hesitation, I pushed it open and jumped.


    The execution was swift and clean, like a trained female operative.


    Author


    Zoe froze, stunned. His hand hovered mid-air, his body rigid.


    He’d underestimated Cecilia.


    The ssh of her body hitting the water snapped him out of his daze. He rushed to the window. But outside, the sea was ck and endless. He couldn’t see a thing.


    She had jumped into the sea.


    His phone rang again.


    This time, he answered.


    “Beta Sawyer,” he said quickly, voice oiled with excuses, “I’m sorry. I was driving and dropped my phone under the seat. What? Fire everyone if she’s not found? That’s... that’s extreme, don’t you think? The Alpha Sebastian can’t possibly— I know nothing about this situation!”


    Beta Sawyer didn’t respond. He simply hung up.


    Zoe stared at his phone, then immediately called Amara.


    “I’ve been with the branchpany for years,” Zoe hissed, his tone thick with contempt. “And now the Alpha Sebastian’s throwing the entire operation into chaos—over a secretary? You tell me, Amara. What is she to him, really?”


    On the other end, Amara’s grip probably tightened around the steering wheel.


    “They’re issuing ultimatums before we’ve even arrived,” he continued, voice low and poisonous. “And if Secretary Cecilia’s really dead? What then? Are we all supposed to burn for a woman who was never part of the chain ofmand?”


    “Or is this what happens when an Alpha starts thinking with his instincts instead of his head?”


    His words were calcted, designed to provoke. He knew about Amara and Alpha Sebastian’s history. He wanted her rattled.


    “Enough,” Amara said coldly, her voice clipped with authority. “We’ll discuss this at the factory.”


    But Zoe wasn’t finished.


    “ Amara ,” he said smoothly, “You were appointed by Alpha Yardley himself, weren’t you? The Pack’s former Alpha may have stepped back, but his judgment still carries weight. If he knew how... emotionally unstable things have be under his son’s leadership, I wonder what he’d think.”


    He didn’t name Alpha Sebastian directly.


    Amara’s eyes narrowed. Her tone dropped to a razor’s edge.


    “You’re threading a dangerous line, Zoe. Alpha Yardley may have named me, but I serve under Alpha Sebastian—and you do too. Questioning the Alpha’s judgment, even indirectly, is not a mistake you can afford.”


    Zoe’s smile faltered—just for a heartbeat. Then it returned, smaller, tighter.


    “I meant no offense, Amara. Just concern. For the Pack.”


    “Keep your concern to yourself,” she said curtly.


    She hung up. But Zoe was already smirking. He had nted the seed.


    Looking back out at the sea, he sneered.


    “Beautifuldy,” he muttered, “you brought this on yourself.”


    Sebastian


    I arrived at the factory, my heart racing with each passing second.Alpha Xavier followed me silently, but I had no time for him.


    [Something was wrong.]


    Soren’s voice surged into my mind, low and urgent.[She’s in danger.]


    I clenched my jaw, my heart thudding like a war drum inside my chest.


    [Don’t panic,]I told him, even though my own breath was short. [We’ll find her. I swear it.]


    Soren growled, a sound that echoed inside my skull rather than in the air.


    [If we’re toote—]


    [We won’t be.]


    My reply was sharp, absolute.


    Inside the factory’s conference room, the air was thick with tension.


    Managers spoke in low voices, eyes darting toward the door.


    As we stepped across the threshold, the room fell into sudden silence.