The One Night Stand Turns Out To Be My Professor

130

130

Ian’s POV

We found her.

The moment I caught her scent, faint but still there, it was as if the world narrowed down to that one thing—Sophia. Her pain, her suffering, all of it came crashing down on me, sharper and more real than anything I’d felt in my life. I didn’t say a word as I surged forward, faster than I ever thought possible, driven purely by the need to get to her. To save her.

The place where they kept her was a decrepit warehouse, reeking of blood and decay. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered except her. I could hear the low voices of the men inside, smug and unbothered, unaware that death was coming for them. I could feel both Jacob and Jenny behind me along with some of my most trusted men. I closed my eyes tight, inhaling and trying to get my mind in the right place before I barged in and killed them all. I kicked the door in with a force that sent it flying off its hinges.

The room was dimly lit, filthy, and reeking of pain. And there she was, chained in the corner like some kind of animal. Sophia was barely recognizable. Her skin was pale—far paler than usual—her body bruised, covered in cuts, and her wrists raw from the chains that bound her. Her clothes were torn, her hair matted, and the weak rise and fall of her chest was the only sign she was still alive.

My vision tunneled, rage boiling inside me so violently that I could hardly breathe. It wasn’t just anger—it was something far darker, something far more dangerous. A primal need to destroy. To end the lives of the men who dared to touch her.

They didn’t even get a chance to scream.

I moved through them with deadly precision. The first man didn’t even see me coming. His neck snapped in my hand, and he dropped like a sack of bones. The second tried to pull a gun—foolish, pointless—but before he could aim, I had him by the throat. He sputtered and choked, his feet kicking in the air as I tightened my grip, crushing the life out of him.

The others in the room scrambled, trying to flee, but there was no escaping me. I ripped through them, my anger fueling every strike, every kill. The smell of their blood filled the room, but it was meaningless. All I could think about was how they had hurt her, how they had tortured her.

One man, the last one standing, dropped to his knees, begging. “Please—please, I was just following orders. Don’t kill me. Don’t—”

I let him live. Not out of mercy, but because I needed someone to take back to the dungeon. Someone who could answer for this. Someone who would feel every ounce of pain I would inflict on him before he begged for death.

I grabbed him by the collar and flung him against the wall, my hand tightening around his throat just enough to make him gasp for air. “You’re going to tell me who did this,” I growled, my voice cold, terrifyingly calm. “And if you lie, I will make sure your last moments are more painful than you can imagine.”

He nodded frantically, eyes wide with terror. “I’ll tell you. I swear—just don’t kill me.”

I released him, for now, and turned my focus back to Sophia.

My heart clenched painfully in my chest as I knelt beside her. She was so still. Too still. I could barely hear the soft, ragged breaths coming from her lips. “Sophia,” I whispered, gently brushing the hair from her face. Her eyes were swollen shut, her skin too cold.

I felt my chest constrict with a fear so raw I could hardly think. This was my fault. I had failed her. I had let them take her, hurt her. But she was still alive. Barely. There was a chance, a sliver of hope.

“Sophia, please,” I whispered, pressing my forehead against hers. “I’m here. I’ve got you. Just hold on.”

She didn’t respond. I had no idea if she could even hear me.

I tore the chains off her wrists, carefully lifting her into my arms. She felt so light, so fragile. It was wrong—she was never meant to be this broken, this close to death. I had to get her out of here. I had to get her to safety. To Lyanna. She would know what to do.

The man I had left alive whimpered from where he lay crumpled on the floor, as if just now remembering I was still in the room. I don’t know why someone had not taken him away already. Maybe the others were scouting the area to make sure no one got away. I shot him a look that told him everything he needed to know—his fate was sealed. “You’re coming with me,” I growled. “But don’t think for a second that I’ll let you off easy.”

I strode out of the warehouse, cradling Sophia to my chest. Jacob was waiting outside with Jenny, both of them tense, their eyes widening when they saw her. Jenny gasped, her hand covering her mouth in horror, while Jacob’s expression twisted in anger.

“Get him to the dungeon,” I ordered Jacob, motioning to the man I had dragged with me. “I’ll deal with him later.”

Jacob nodded, his jaw clenched tightly as he grabbed the man, practically dragging him toward the car. But I couldn’t focus on that. Not right now. I had to get Sophia help. Now.

Jenny stepped forward, her voice shaky. “Is she…?”

“She’ll live,” I said, though it was more a hope than a certainty. She had to live. There was no other option. “She has to.”

We got into the car, and I held her in my arms the entire way back, my mind racing with thoughts of vengeance, of blood, of making whoever had orchestrated this pay for every second of her suffering.

But right now, vengeance could wait. Right now, I had to save her. And I would. Or I would die trying.