CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-ONE THE DELAY

JAVION’S POV I sat in the cold, damp cell, my back against the rough stone wall, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling out of control. The minutes felt like hours, each second stretching on endlessly as I waited for the sound of battle—the signal that my pack had come for me. For us. But all I could hear was the faint drip of water echoing through the darkness, and it was starting to gnaw at me. Why weren’t they here yet? I’d gone over the plan with Luca and Enzo a hundred times before I let myself get captured. They were supposed to attack today. Everything was supposed to happen today. But the sun had set hours ago, and there was nothing. No howls in the distance, no sound of paws thundering toward Xander’s territory. Just silence. I ran a hand through my hair, my fingers brushing over the bruises and cuts from the beatings I’d taken. My body was sore, weak from the abuse and lack of food, but it was the uncertainty that was killing me. What if something had gone wro