The Broken Queen

Chapter 56; Do You Trust Me?;

Jonah's POV:

We're running.

Not the careful, stealthy kind. The kind driven by adrenaline and the image of Bree's broken body seared into our minds. Wind blows Lexi's hair backward in tendrils that make my heart falter as I pull her along behind me. My wolf snarls in my head, pushing me forward, eager to gain more distance. Faster.

Then —

A body collides with mine from behind, hard enough to knock the breath from my chest, sending me flying forward. Lexi stumbles forward with a sharp gasp, her magic glitching in and out as the rogue turns around before the cloaking spell drops altogether.

Fuck.

The rogue's scent fills my nose instantly, grease, sweat and gunpowder—recognition hits me like a slap to the face. One of the wolves who casually watched from the wall with a cocky smirk on his face as their leader beat Bree horribly before leaving him to die.

My wolf growls furiously in my head, enraged by his presence. Let me at him. My heart hammers in my chest, the pressure in the air around us suddenly thick enough to taste. His eyes widen as he registers the two non-rogue females in front of him. Confusion quickly turns into something darker as his eyes sharpen and he lunges for us, grabbing Lexi by the shoulders with a low growl. His claws extend simultaneously—making her cry out in fear and pain.

Something in me snaps.

I don't think. I don't hesitate. I move.

I hit him full-force in the nose, then drive a powerful knee into his groin, knocking him back into the dirt. "Lexi, the cloak, quickly, spread it over the three of us." I whisper. She nods uneasily but her veins illuminate with her magic.

I turn back to the rogue groaning on the ground and throw myself down into the dirt behind him, putting him in a choke hold tight enough to kill if necessary. My wolf surges forward, furious and territorial and mine, mine, mine. He struggles for exactly five seconds before I cut off his oxygen completely, holding him there until his movements go slack beneath me.

Unconscious. Alive.
Barely.

We can't afford to alert them to our presence, not yet.

"Jonah—" Lexi whispers urgently.

I drop him, pulling her close before she can say a word. I scan our immediate surroundings as her magic gently curls outward again, this time controlled, deliberate.

"A fogging spell. Memory loss. Clean and quiet. Because if anyone else heard any of that — we give up our advantage."

My hands hold each side of her face as I grin, something that feels rare nowadays. Her cheeks burn and pinken under my touch as my pulse kicks hard beneath my skin, blood rushing through my skull.

We don't waste another second.

I grab Lexi's hand and pull her with me as we break into a full sprint, putting as much distance between us and the compound as possible. Our boots pound against the dewy grass and dirt, breaths becoming shallow as the cloaking spell settles over us like a second skin, cool and humming with magic.

My wolf is still raging beneath my ribs, clawing to be let out. I fight her every step of the way, waging a brutal mental war to keep her under control as her fury leaks into my skull and leaves a dull ache behind my eyes.

"This way," I whisper, angling us toward an opening in the trees ahead. "We're almost out of range." Lexi nods, forcing out a breathy sound of agreement as she pushes herself harder to match my pace. And it hits me then—she doesn't have the speed I do. Not the endurance. Not the raw physical advantages I do.