Liam's POV
The underground chamber reeked of damp stone, rusted iron, and blood. My blood ran hot as I stepped deeper into the space, every muscle in my body coiled with tension. The walls were rough, uneven, carved out of the earth itself. The iron chains still dangled from their hooks, the scent of Ava’s pain lingering in the air like a ghost that refused to leave.
I swallowed the growl clawing up my throat.
She had been here. Alone. Trapped. Suffering.
I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms as I forced myself to keep searching, to stay sharp. Whoever had done this had taken their time, had hidden her away in a place only a predator could find. And that meant they weren’t finished.
The scent of Ava’s blood was everywhere. But beneath it, tangled in the musty dampness of
