26

Asher

Present

The alarm blares, a harsh, echoing scream that pierces through warehouse.

My eyes snap to the screen above, where two words glow in harsh red against the dark background.

SPLIT

For a second, relief washes over me. I chose split, and now Blair—

But then my gaze slides to the other side of the screen.

STEAL

I stare at the word, my mind refusing to process it.

Steal. She chose to steal the money.

Around us, the crowd erupts, screaming and jumping, their shouts deafening. Someone pops a bottle of champagne, spraying the stage in a glistening arc. The lights flash wildly, casting the scene in chaotic colors.

And Blair stands across from me, her doe-brown eyes wide as they meet my gaze. For a moment, she looks just like she did at fourteen again, that same expression of fear. The same expression she wore when she first walked up to me that day at the park. The first time we ever met.

“We have a winner!” the announcer calls out, his voice booming through the speakers, crackling with energy.

The realization hits me like a punch to the gut. I was ready to share everything with her, to walk out of here together, but she chose to take it all. Blair’s walking away with a million dollars, and I’m left with nothing. Not a damn thing. What about my grandma? What about my future?

What the fuck happened in the last ten minutes?

For a moment, I can’t even feel angry. I just stand there, numb, staring at her, trying to make sense of the betrayal slicing through me. Lex is handing Blair a heavy bag of all her winnings.

She had her choice. She could’ve had me and half the money. But no. Blair, the spoiled rich girl, chose wealth over everything we could’ve rebuilt. If it all fell apart years ago, why would tonight be any different between us? In the dark room challenge, Blair told me she still loved me, and it was all a misunderstanding. Was that just another fucking lie?

I turn sharply, shoving my way through the crowd, barely registering the hands grabbing at me or the shouts that fill the warehouse. I’m done with this place. This was my chance, my one shot, and I let her distract me. Blair Bennett, with her pretty words and promises, has cost me everything.

I burst into the hallway, heading back to the exit.

“Asher! Wait!”

Blair’s voice rings out behind me, desperate and trembling. I spin around, facing her as she reaches for me.

“Go fuck yourself, Blair.”

Her eyes widen, glistening with tears as she steps back. “Asher, I’m so sorry,” she breathes. “I… I thought you were going to steal. I screwed up. Please, you have to believe me—”

“We agreed on the plan—” I start, before stopping myself from continuing. “Fuck it. I don’t want to argue about this. Goodbye, Blair.”

“It was a mistake!” She grabs my arm, her fingers gripping tight, but I easily wrench myself free. “Please, listen to me. Lex got in my head, and I freaked out. He told me things that—”

I slam her against the wall. She yelps but I don’t care. I need to tear this girl out of my brain and my body and my soul.

She gasps, her eyes wide, her chest heaving as she stares up at me, torn between fear and something else. Something darker. But I don’t care. I can’t let her get under my skin again. I have to rip her out, once and for all.

“Listen carefully, Blair,” I say. “You need to leave. Now. Don’t come back here. I don’t want your explanations. I don’t want your apologies. I don’t want you.”

Her mouth opens, a strangled sound escaping, but I don’t let her speak.

“Apart, we might get by in our own lives. Together, we’re toxic. We’re worse than any fucking snakebite.”

A small moan slips from her lips—a sound that trembles with both fear and desire. It’s almost enough to make me hesitate, almost enough to make me give in to the urge of lust I can’t help but feel every time I get near her body.

But I don’t.

“So go back to your rich parents, to your nice, respectable future husband. Run, Blair. Run before I decide you deserve a punishment worse than anything life’s got waiting for you. Before I decide that I want to be the one to punish you.”

She blinks, and for a split second, a tear glints in her eye, catching the neon light. She stares at me, her gaze raw, like she wants to argue back.

But she just pushes herself away from me and runs, her figure disappearing into the dark, the bag of cash swinging at her side. I watch her go, that clean white shirt streaked with dirt and blood as she slips out of sight.

My fingers twitch. Fuck, it would feel good to chase after her. Tail her into the night and pounce on her like a wolf taking down its prey. Drag her back into the darkness that circles me and fuck her until she was broken and obedient. Until she understands what it means to cross me. To betray me. Maybe then I’d finally be able to let her go.

But I stay rooted, forcing myself to let her go, to watch her fade into the shadows.

“Tough break, Asher.”

Lex’s voice, smooth and mocking, cuts through the haze. He’s standing beside me, his eyes glinting in the pulsing lights. Back inside, the party surges on, the crowd oblivious to the storm raging inside me.

“Not celebrating?” he asks pointedly.

I clench my fists, biting back the urge to punch him then and there. “You shouldn’t have invited her here tonight.”

“I did you a favor. She’s been clouding your judgment for too long. Now you can see her for what she really is.”

“What did you say to her, Lex?” I snarl, stepping closer, my voice low and dangerous.

Lex’s smile widens. “Only the truth. Only what she needed to hear.”

I take another step, my fists flexing. But he doesn’t flinch. Instead, he leans in, his voice dripping with malice. “You should go after her. There’s still time to catch up.”

“I’m not playing your games any fucking longer, Lex.”

“Oh, but Blair’s game has only just begun,” he murmurs, glancing toward the crowd. “She made quite the impression tonight. The other players, the ones who survived—they’re not happy. They don’t take kindly to outsiders, especially ones who walk away with a million dollars in their pocket.”

A sick feeling twists in my gut. I glance behind us, catching the glares of the other surviving eliminated players who are congregating outside. Ivan, his eyes narrowed, has his fists clenched, ready to take what he thinks he’s owed.

“You’re going to let them go after her?” I ask.

Lex smirks, raising an eyebrow. “What happens outside these walls isn’t my concern. I just run the games, Asher. And Blair chose to play.”

Rage boils inside me. I can feel my control slipping, feel the darkness rising. I want to tear him apart, to watch him bleed. Before I can stop myself, I swing my fist, slamming it into his face. The impact sends him stumbling back, blood trickling down his lip. He touches his mouth, his fingers coming away red, and he lets out a low laugh.

I glare at him, breathing hard. “I’m done with this place,” I say, my voice rough. “I’m done with the Mortalis Society. I’m done with you.”

But as I walk away into the night, a flicker of something dark and twisted gnaws at me. Lex’s right about one thing. Blair chose to walk away with everything I wanted—and now the wolves are circling.

I’m not done with Blair Bennett. Not yet.