THIRD PERSON POV
Sam found himself in a decaying dungeon, feeling weak, exhausted, and in severe pain. Claiming he was hurt wasn't an exaggeration; he was genuinely suffering. One of his eyes had been gouged out, covered only by a hastily applied bandage that the nurses had done on purpose. Why bother with care? He was doomed anyway. Both of his legs were badly broken, and he knew there was little chance he would walk again. A large gash on his back continued to bleed, staining the walls as he lay there without any clothes.
He was enduring immense agony.
This wasn't how it was supposed to end. Jackson wasn't meant to find them; Saint and Evelyn weren't supposed to get away. She should have been there before Jackson arrived so they could finish off the alpha's family. But everything went wrong, and now Sam bore the weight of the consequences alone. He understood all too well the brutal fate that awaited traitors; it was a history he knew intimately. Yet he didn't mind choosing this path because his forbidden love for her made it worthwhile.
He had no regrets about anything he'd done up to this point; every action felt justified.
But hope still flickered within him. As long as their love burned brightly, there remained a glimmer of hope for his future. He firmly believed—he would even wager his life—that she would come for him. She wouldn't allow him to perish at the hands of the pack they both loathed. He was certain she would rescue him.
And indeed, she did.
The woman entered the dungeon, slipping past all the guards and heading straight to Sam's cell. It had been challenging to make the guards doze off. She had just one last potion from Ava, and now that Ava was gone, using magic for her plan seemed impossible. Forming an alliance with another witch before making her move would be too risky. She couldn't afford for her plan to fail. She was determined about what she needed to do: save Sam, the love of her life, from all this suffering.
"I knew you'd come! What took you so long?" Sam asked as she approached him, familiar with her scent since they shared a child.
"I only had one sleeping potion left from Ava. I had to use it carefully," she replied, feeling a pang in her heart at how rough his voice sounded. It was clear he was in pain, and she needed to act quickly.
"You were supposed to meet me at the hideout! What happened? We could have handled things before Jackson got to us," Sam complained. He felt that her delay led to his current situation but trusted she had a good reason.
The woman took out the food she brought for him and handed it over. "I had something urgent to deal with. I sent someone to warn you that Jackson knew where you were, but I found him dead before he could reach you. Someone besides Marcus knows our secret." That was the downside of not being mates; despite having a child together, they couldn't communicate through their minds like mated do.
Sam had started eating, thankful for the food she had provided. They hadn't given him anything to eat since he was facing death, and his hunger was intense. "Who could that be? We need to be cautious from now on. We must seek justice for ourselves. For you," Sam said, using his other eye to look deeply into hers. That was their reality; at least it was for them. He had chosen to stand by her side ever since he fell in love with her. He would do anything for her, even if it meant causing pain to his true mate—he didn't care. The woman before him meant everything.
"Everything will be over soon. I have it all under control; I just need to complete one last thing," she said, gazing at Sam with sorrow in her eyes. She never wanted things to reach this point, but she felt she had no choice. It hurt her to see Sam suffering so much; he had broken legs and was blind in one eye. There was no way he could continue with their plan in such pain, and as the only person she truly loved, she would do anything to ease his suffering. To her, that was what real love meant.
POV: SAINT
When we arrived at the hospital, the three of us headed straight to Blake's room. Upon entering, we found him just as he was. "Don't worry, he's going to be fine," I reassured Tom, noticing the worried expression on his face. "I'll step out with your dad to talk to the doctor for a bit, okay?" He nodded absentmindedly.
Jackson and I went to find the doctor, and I asked the question that had been troubling me. "Has any woman come to see Blake?"
The doctor shook his head. "No one has asked to see him. Only you and Alpha are allowed in there."
"Why do you ask?"
"According to Sam, if his biological mother were going to visit, she would want to check on her injured son."
"That makes sense. I'll ask the nurses if anyone stopped by and let you know," he answered before leaving.
"Do you think anyone will show up?" Jackson asked as we walked back toward Blake's room.
"If she truly cares about him, then I believe she'd want to see how he's doing."
"I wonder who—" He suddenly paused and stood still, seeming to communicate with someone through our mindlink.
He finally looked at me. "Sam has been poisoned. I'm going to the cell now; take Tom and head home. I'll assign some guards to accompany you and keep some here for Blake's safety."
I nodded quickly, "I'll make sure Tom is safe." He kissed my cheeks and left. I hurried to Blake's room, took Tom with me, and promised him we would return another time. As we were about to exit, we encountered the pack doctor.
"I checked with the nurses here to see if anyone asked to see Blake, but no one did. Only Samantha came by to inquire about him but didn't want to visit."
"Samantha?" I asked, frowning.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"Uh, no. Just let me know if someone arrives," I replied. He nodded and walked away. Why did Samantha come? If she wanted to know how he was doing, why didn't she just visit him? Even the doctor didn't seem suspicious about her inquiry.
Did she really just want to check on how Blake was doing, or was there more to it? I'm not sure anymore. I can't shake off what that alpha said when he saw me in heat. He mentioned that Samantha told him to go ahead, even though she knew I was in that state.
What's her link to all of this? Could Samantha somehow be tied to Blake? She can't be his mother, can she?
As the guards lead Tom and me back home, I realize I need to uncover the truth quickly. My first step will be to talk to her mate, Joshua.