Chapter 3

3

I looked up to see a man whose power rivaled Shane's standing in the center of the Arena.

In the blink of an eye, I was swept up into his arms.

"Are you alright?"

The man's voice was thick with worry as he knelt to check my injuries.

Recognizing him, Shane's pupils shrank.

"Logan Wakefield! You've got a lot of nerve barging into my territory. Do you want to die?"

As the leader of the Western Outpost, Logan and Shane were natural enemies, but Logan didn't seem to care about the politics right now.

"My sister was bitten by an Alpha. Please, I'm begging you to save her!"

Logan's hands were trembling as he held mine, his voice cracking with desperation.

Hearing the reason, Shane tilted his head and let out a cruel laugh.

"I told you Wood-types were useless. She should have stayed in the garden instead of trying to fight. She deserves to rot!"

"If you want help, you should be begging me!"

He pulled Susannah forward like a trophy.

"Do you even know what a real Healer looks like?"

"There's no such thing as a Purifier! It's just a myth used to trick idiots like you!"

Logan's knuckles turned white.

"Beg you? You aren't fit to lick her boots!"

"Ms. Marlowe, Lila has worked so hard. she was injured this morning protecting the retreat."

He ignored Shane's mocking and looked at me with bloodshot eyes.

My heart softened; I needed a way out of here, and Logan had provided the perfect exit.

"Take me to her. Now!"

Logan scooped me up, preparing to use his speed.

"Nobody said you could leave!" Shane roared.

"A Purifier doesn't belong to any base! You have no right to stop her!" I shouted back.

"Bullshit! If you believe she's a Purifier, you might as well start digging Lila's grave!"

"A woman belongs in the kitchen, not out there pretending she has a gift!"

Shane was fuming, his ego bruised in front of the crowd.

I couldn't take it anymore.

"Shane, you keep calling Wood-types trash. You don't think I can save Lila?"

"Then let's make a bet. I bet that I can turn that 'trash' woman into someone who can beat you into the dirt!"

Shane paused, then burst into a theatrical fit of laughter until tears came to his eyes.

"That dying piece of garbage? Beat me?"

"What could you possibly offer that would make that bet worth it?"

I had him.

"Every chemical formula I know, plus my method for gene stabilization," I said firmly.

Susannah scoffed.

"You're a terrible liar. Dr. White spent decades just to make a basic serum, and you think you're better?"

"I'll also throw in forty percent of the Western Outpost's supplies and armory!" Logan added, catching onto my plan.

"Is that enough for you, Shane? Or are you too scared to take the deal?"

Logan stared them down with icy resolve.

Susannah tugged on Shane's sleeve, her eyes greedy.

"We'll bet fifty percent of our supplies, plus both our lives!"

The crowd gasped. This had just turned into a death match.

"That girl won't even survive the hour! Right, Shane?"

Shane looked at Susannah's confident face and felt foolish for hesitating.

In his memory, Lila had been killed by the Alpha.

If Seraphina were a real Purifier, why wouldn't she have saved her back then?

Shane nodded, and we signed the blood pact right there.

He gestured to his men.

"To make sure you don't cheat, bring Lila Wakefield here! I want to watch her die."

Logan nodded at me and went to get his sister.

While they were gone, I took a moment to clean up and change into fresh clothes.

The meeting spot was now crawling with people from neighboring bases who had heard the news.

When I saw Lila being wheeled in, strapped down and wearing a muzzle, my skin crawled.

She barely looked human anymore.