Chapter 510 +25 Bonus Alexander’s POV I stared at the man kneeling in front of me, then at the four others behind him who had also dropped to their knees. Their heads were bowed, hands pressed over their hearts. “Richard is a tyrant,” the man said when I was still too stunned to speak. “A murderer. He is not our Alpha, and never has been. Lilith is our true Alpha.” His throat bobbed. “We were afraid. We scattered when Richard killed our leader. But we heard that she escaped, and we came to pledge our support again, and to apologize for being cowards.” My heart cracked. I realized where I knew these people from; they’d been there that night, in that house. They were part of the resistance against Richard. “Lilith is dead,” I said quietly. Saying it out loud made me feel sick, but I had to be honest. I couldn’t lead them on toward more false hopes. “We know.” The woman who had sobbed earlier stepped forward. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her hands were shaking. We saw. We were too late to save her, but we came as soon as we could.” “( Before I could answer, the first man stood, brushing dirt off his knees. “We’ve been tracking Richard’s movements for weeks. When Lilith escaped his custody last night, we knew he would retaliate. We just didn’t know how.” He looked at the house behind me and grimaced. “Richard disappeared from Stormhollow shortly after Lilith escaped with the evidence,” the woman added. “No one has seen him since. And now your house is burning and Lilith is dead.” “Wait. The evidence.” I pulled the baggies out of my pocket. “You mean this? I found them on Lilith’s… body.” The woman gasped. The man nodded. “That’s it,” the man said. “The bullet that killed our leader. Lilith was supposed to…” He shook his head, voice trailing off, then went on, “At least that survived. It may just be the one thing that finally puts Richard in jail.” I slipped the bags back into my pocket, ensuring they were fully secure this time. “I’ll make sure this evidence gets into the right hands.” I glanced up at the house again. “As for the fire… You really think it was arson?” “More likely than not,” the man replied quietly. “Seems a little too coincidental, doesn’t it?” My jaw clenched. Indeed it did. No wonder the house went up so quickly; this had to be more than just a stray flame from a fireplace catching a curtain. I just wished I had realized sooner. “Well, then we’ll have to hurry, won’t we?” I asked. We didn’t waste any time. If this fire was intentionally set, then there could still be evidence laying around. The culprit may have even been close. I doubted Richard would set the fire himself, but I honestly hoped I was wrong. If I could track him down, find him… It would change everything. Put an end to this nonsense, this bloodshed, once and for all. Ella was still in the hospital, but for now, she would have to wait. I hated not rushing to her side, but what was I supposed to do? She would understand. She always did. The group began scanning the grounds, checking around the burnt house while I approached the firefighters. The fire had mostly been put out by now. Thankfully, most of the house was still intact, although the entire eastern wing would need some serious renovating. “Alpha,” one of the firefighters said, turning to me as I approached. “We’ve put out the bulk of the fire, but the house will need to be cleared for safety standards before we let anyone back inside. We hope you understand.” I nodded, then looked around, counting the heads on the lawn. Twenty–five. Everyone was there–the staff, the guards, Hunter. More had gathered that weren’t in the house at the time of the fire starting. I spotted Anya and her family running across the lawn, breathless and pale. +25 Bonus “Alexander!” Anya came skidding to a halt, meeting me halfway. Her eyes were wide. “What happened?” “I’m not quite sure yet,” I said. I gripped her shoulders. “Anya, did you see anyone who doesn’t belong here? Anything suspicious at all?” She furrowed her brow, and her eyes widened further when she saw the stretcher containing Lilith’s body in the back of the ambulance. “Focus, Anya,” I insisted. Her chin quivered like she was about to cry, but she swallowed it down. She closed her eyes, thinking. Then: “That man who came to the property earlier. He walked past my window.” “What man?” She opened her eyes. “Tall. Brown hair. Kinda skinny.” She frowned. “You didn’t know him? I thought he was visiting.” “No.” I released her and took a step back, circling my finger in the air to signal the Stormhollow group. “I think that was our culprit. Thank you, Anya.” “Wait! But-” I didn’t stop to hear the rest of whatever she had to say. The details would have to wait until later. noveldramaWe made our way down toward Anya’s cottage, scouring the ground for clues. Near Anya’s window, I spotted a footprint in the mud–large and distinct, with a space under the arch of the foot. I followed it, but the trail went cold about twelve feet into the woods. Whoever had lit the fire had covered their tracks well–no scent, no debris. I was beginning to lose hope when one of the Stormhollow men shouted, “Alpha! We found him!” I raced over, spotting the group surrounding a tall pine tree. “Come down!” someone was shouting. I shoved my way to the center of the group and looked up. There, I spotted him. A man crouching amongst the branches, clinging to the trunk of the tree. He paled when he saw me. A little white later, we found ourselves in Anya’s kitchen. The space was cozy and bright, but the chair we’d tied the man to had splintered. I had hit him so hard that it fell over onto the floor with him in it, cracking one of the legs. I would have to replace that at some point. “Where is Richard?!” I bellowed. I grabbed his shirt and hauled him back up, chair and all, shaking him furiously. “I know he sent you. Where the hell is he?” The man blanched. His face was bloody, his nose broken. He spat out a tooth that went rolling across the hardwood. Finally, he said one word. “Hospital.” The word came out rough and low. I almost didn’t hear it at first, but then it hit me. “The hospital,” I said. “Ashclaw General?” The man nodded. I released him. With the broken leg, the chair toppled over, sending him slamming to the floor again. He grunted with pain, but I didn’t care. I was already out the door. Already reaching for my keys. I should have known. Goddess, I should have known. I should have gone to her before it came to this. Lilith, the rightful Alpha of Stormhollow, was gone. Now, there was only one other woman in Richard’s way. And somehow, he knew that she was laid up in the hospital, unconscious and recovering from a procedure gone wrong. Richard was going to find her. And I didn’t want to think about what he planned to do when he did. 213 adminSara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.