The guards in front of Zara’s holding cell were doing their duty when a strange-looking ball rolled to a stop at their feet.
They tensed immediately, turning toward the direction it had come from only to see a familiar face.
"Finn?" one of them called, confused.
But Finn only smiled sinisterly and gestured downward.
The two guards glanced down, and that was when they noticed the odd-looking ball was now beeping with light.
The beeping stopped abruptly, followed by a sharp hiss as the ball cracked open. White vapor spilled out, but in seconds, the vapor thickened into heavy smoke, rapidly spreading and saturating the entire corridor.
"What the hell?!" one of them coughed, swiping at the smoke in a futile attempt to clear his vision.
Meanwhile, Finn calmly pulled a compact filtration mask from behind his back and strapped it securely over his nose and mouth. When the smoke reached him, it rolled harmlessly past, unable to penetrate the filters, and left him completely unaffected.
The two guards tried to run, but it was already too late. The wolfsbane smoke invaded their lungs, burning and paralyzing them from the inside. Their legs buckled as they gasped desperately for air, and within moments, both collapsed to their knees, completely unconscious.
Finn stood over the unconscious guards, the smoke swirling ominously around him. With them out of the way, he stepped forward and entered the holding room.
Zara was asleep when the door creaked open and her eyes snapped wide at the intrusion. She jerked upright, startled, trying to make out the figure standing there.
"Luna Zara." Finn’s voice was eerily calm, as he slipped the mask from his face and shut the door behind him with a click.
"Finn?" Zara blinked rapidly, her vision clearing. "What are you doing here?" She asked, surprised.
However, Zara’s instincts were already prickling. Something wasn’t right. It was highly unusual for Finn to seek her out at this hour, when most of the packhouse should have been asleep.
"Look at you," Finn looked her over, his tone controlled and almost pleasant in a way that made it all the more unnerving. He slowly tsked, shaking his head. "How the mighty have fallen."
Zara was not blind to the sarcasm dripping from his words, and she felt a chill run down her spine.
"You’re right, I look a mess," Zara admitted, intentionally playing it cool as she lifted her wrist, displaying the suppressor cuff as if it were a piece of jewelry instead of a shackle.
At this moment, she looked nothing like the collected, calculating Zara Storm.
Her blond hair was tangled and unkempt, falling wildly around her face. Though she had just woken from sleep, exhaustion clung to her features, making her appear worn and vulnerable.
"Tell me then," Zara said, forcing her expression to stay neutral, "what brings you here?"
At that, Finn let out a slow, unsettling smile. He could smell the sudden spike of fear in her pheromones. She was putting on a brave face, but he knew the truth. Deep down, some part of her already sensed the inevitable. She could feel her end creeping closer.
"I want to tell you a story," Finn said as he stepped closer.
It took every ounce of Zara’s willpower to stay still when he sat beside her on the edge of the bed. His aura was dark, heavy, and suffocating, pressing down on the small room like a dark cloud.
"What story are we talking about here?" Zara asked nervously.
"Oh, don’t worry. It’s a love story. An all-time favorite." His tone was mocking now, laced with venom. "Romance. My mother’s favorite story, or at least, of the love of her life."
Zara managed a polite, brittle smile. "I’m not usually a fan of romance, but let’s hear it." Inwardly, she was stalling, desperately hoping someone would sense the danger and come to her rescue.
"Oh, you’re going to love this one," Finn promised, his voice dark and twisted.
"So, nineteen years ago, or so," Finn began his story, "young Alpha Caspian was in love with a fair maiden named Anna."
Zara swallowed hard. She hadn’t reached the end of the story, but she didn’t need to. The pieces were already falling into place. She had heard that name before, but did not look into it. After all, she was Luna. Caspian’s legal wife. Her position was solid. Why bother about Caspian’s past?
"Anna was from the South Pack, wolves known for their free spirit. She traveled to the North pack to experience its traditions firsthand. But while she was here, she met a brilliant young North prince who swept her off her feet. Theirs was a whirlwind romance, full of promises and plans for the future."
He paused, his gaze cutting into Zara’s. "And then came the news. Caspian was to marry another woman."
Zara stiffened, her lips pressing tightly together.
"The North stays together," Finn said mockingly, quoting the very words he had heard countless times. "And Caspian, your lovely husband, was not brave enough to fight for the woman he loved. So, like a coward, he gave her up. Instead, he settled for you, the perfectly groomed, politically safe cousin. You were the ideal match to preserve the bloodline."
Finn leaned closer, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "Caspian’s mother personally sent Anna away to prevent any hindrance to her precious son’s marriage. But what they didn’t know was that their callous little move shattered a young woman forever."
His jaw tightened, "My mother tried to rebuild her life. She married an innocent wolf from the North pack hoping to fill the void Caspian left behind. But she could never recover from that heartbreak. Her love, her obsession with Caspian, twisted into rage. And all that frustration was poured into her young son. Me."
Zara’s breath caught in her throat, everything dawning on her.
"My mother’s obsession destroyed her marriage," Finn continued coldly. "Eventually, my father had enough. He brought me back here to the North pack, so I could ’connect with my roots.’"
Finn let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "Roots. What a joke."