19. House of cards

[Kian]

I picked up Carys’ white suit from the floor, stained with blood.

The restlessness in my chest became more intense. I sniffed the fresh blood on her suit and let out a subtle sigh.

It wasn’t her blood. But that was more than enough to spike my anxiety.

“Clear signs of struggle, alpha. The foyer’s a disaster,” Jackson said, looking at the shattered windows and crashed furniture. “Look around,” he ordered our men, who spread around and within the mansion.

The lights in the foyer flickered feebly, and apart from the sounds of insects from the lawn, there was no other noise to disrupt the daunting silence that enveloped the mansion.

“What happened here? Where did all of them go?” Jackson looked around for clues.

“Beta Jackson! We’ve found someone hiding in the thickets of the lawn. She’s injured…”

Jackson glanced at me and both of us dashed onto the lawn. Verity was lying on the grass as though she had been electrocuted. Her eyes were wide open and her body paralyzed.

“I