One Night
One Night 232

Chapter 232

Edwin

My brother was in danger.

At first, a part of me had hoped that Audrey’s nightmare was just that-a nightmare. And then, when she had shown me the details of what she had seen, I had naively hoped that it hadn’t happened yet, that maybe we still had time before Axel slipped a silver knife in between Peter’s ribs.

But now I knew that I had been dead wrong. About all of it.

“You’ll want to see this in person, Alpha,” Charles had said. “I’m almost there. Hang tight.”

And now here my Beta was, his face ashen as he stood in front of me. Audrey was tucked firmly against my side, and I could feel her hummingbird heartbeat hammering against my ribs as we waited for the news.

Charles held out the note. “Here it is, Alpha. The b****rds pinned it to a dead fox on the train tracks.”

The pit in my stomach hollowed out even more at that. I knew, in that moment, that Axel was behind this after all.

He had always said that Peter should have been a fox instead of a wolf when we were kids.

This… This was no mere coincidence..

Achill slithered down my spine as I took the note and opened it. What I read inside nearly made me retch.

“We have your brother,” I read out loud, my voice trembling with barely contained rage. “He is alive, but the silver in his body will kill him soon. Bring us the Silver Wolf, and we will provide the antidote.”

Audrey stiffened beside me, her grip around my arm tightening to the point of pain. I felt my own anger flare up, hot and fierce, but I forced it back down. No. Clarity was a necessity right now. We had to navigate this treacherous path without losing ourselves to fury.

“There’s more,” Charles continued, gesturing to the note. “Flip it over.”

I swallowed hard and did as my Beta instructed.

انه

“P.S. We know that the Silver Wolf hasn’t shifted yet-that you’ve been lying to everyone. What a shame… If only she were with us, where she truly belonged, then perhaps she would have shifted by now.”

I recognized the cadence of that last part all too well.

Fiona had written this note, but they weren’t her words. She was working with my f*****g brother.

Without meaning to, I curled my hand into a fist around the note, crumpling the paper.

Suddenly, my mate’s voice broke through my haze of fury. “What are we going to do, Edwin?”

I began to pace, thinking deeply. We couldn’t give in to their demands-that much was clear. But leaving Peter to die? The idea clawed at my insides, went against everything that I’d ever believed in..

“It’s an impossible situation, and they both know that,” I said, more to myself than to the others. “They think I won’t be able

brother.” to choose between my mate and

my

Charles shook his head. “I don’t think they want you to choose, Edwin.” He jerked his chin toward Audrey. “They want her to choose. They think that she’s soft enough to turn herself in for Peter’s sake.”

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Chapter 232

“Yeah, well, she won’t, growled.

Audrey frowned. “I’m right here. Don’t talk about me as if I’m not.”

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“Sorry.” I offered her an apologetic look. “But Charles is right; they expect you to be selfless and turn yourself in. But we can’t let that happen.”

My mate folded her arms across her chest. “So what do we do, then?” she asked, her voice stern and commanding beyond her years. “You’re not just going to let them kill Peter, are you?”

My footsteps slowed. As much as it pained me… There was nothing else we could do. She wasn’t just the Silver Star, a potential weapon of mass destruction if in the wrong hands, but she was my mate. The very fibers of my being wouldn’t let

harm come to her.

“But…” Audrey’s eyes went wide as she recognized that look in my eyes without me even having to say a word. “He’s your brother, Edwin. You couldn’t possibly…”

I opened my mouth, and instantly felt my heart shudder at the sight of the pain etched into her face. But I couldn’t let it get

to me.

“Peter knew the risks when he took on this mission,” I said. “He would understand. He would accept his fate if it meant protecting you-our Luna, our Silver Star.”

“No.” Audrey shook her head, dark hair falling into her eyes and that silver streak of hers catching the early morning light. “No. There has to be another way.”

“Audrey,” I sighed, growing a bit frustrated now, “we can’t give in to their demands. We can’t let them have you. They expect you to turn yourself in, but that would be far worse. Coldclaw cannot get their hands on you. I won’t allow it.”

“But we can’t let Peter die, either!” she exclaimed, her voice rising, cracking at its peak. Unshed tears shimmered in her eyes, and the pain I felt when I saw them made me feel as if I had just slapped her.

I ran a hand through my hair and turned to Charles. My Beta simply shrugged, at a loss for words.

“You know there’s another way,” Audrey pleaded, storming up to me and grabbing my arm. “We both know it.”

My heart sank as I looked at her and saw the conviction in her eyes. “Audrey, you don’t mean to…”

“Let me do it,” she said, her grip tightening until her nails dug into my skin. “I won’t be turning myself in, not really. We’ll just make them think that I am.”

Bait…

This was preposterous. I wouldn’t allow it.

“No.” I looked at my Beta again and said, “Charles, you have to help me on this. Tell her she’s lost her mind.”

But to my chagrin, Charles cleared his throat and shrugged again. “She has a point, Alpha. It’s risky, but it could work.”

I loosed a growl and turned away. Da***it. The thought of my mate willingly stepping into danger was the last thing I wanted. Peter wouldn’t want it, either. I knew him-he’d be furious, call us fools.

He had a soft spot for Audrey. And if she put herself in danger for him…

Well, he’d never forgive me for that.

I made up my mind. “I said no. Charles, gather Crescent’s best warriors and march into Coldclaw,” I said, turning on my heel and making for the door. “They’ll be punished for this.”

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Chapter 232

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“No!” Before I could reach the door, Audrey jumped in the way, spreading her arms wide to keep me from leaving. Tears slipped down her cheeks, but her gaze was pure silver, her jaw set hard. “No, Edwin. I won’t let you do this. This isn’t the way and you f****g know it.”

I stilled, letting out a heavy sigh as I looked at her.

“Move, Audrey.”

She jutted her chin out, and the furry little tips of silver ears poked out through her hair at the movement. “Make me.”

I didn’t know what to do-either let my mate walk into danger or let my brother die…

It was an impossible decision to make. Especially when Audrey was standing in front of me, insisting on the former.

“You haven’t shifted yet,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “You could be overpowered in a matter of seconds.”

Audrey’s jaw clenched even harder. Slowly, she lifted her hand to flash that ring at me.

“Maybe not,” was all she said.

The implication hit me like a ton of bricks. She couldn’t be…

But she was.

Dammit, I thought, gritting my teeth. She has a point.

Audrey’s lips curled into the tiniest smile, her hand falling back to her side as she realized that she had just won. Before could even stop her, she turned to Charles, those eyes of hers still glowing silver.

“Charles,” she said, “have you ever officiated a wedding?”

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