Wolf tales viii, p.1
His Wicked Revenge (Wicked Duet Book 2), page 1
Copyright © 2025 by Hannah Jo
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictionally. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Editing: Jaquelyn Vale at She Who Edits LLC.
Cover: Created by author using Canva.
Also by Hannah Jo
If I Can’t Have You
The Wicked Duet:
Her Wicked Plan
His Wicked Revenge
For those who have always wanted to seek revenge.
Have fun living vicariously through Leo!
Content Warning
This story contains mature themes. If you are not 18 years or older, do not read this book. If you are not a fan of smut, then please do not read this book.
Sexual scenes, adult language, violence (on screen), murder (on screen), knife play, blood, mention of death of family member, mention of mental health issues, and attempted sexual assault.
This story does have a happy ending… depending on who you are rooting for.
Playlist
Your Betrayal - Bullet For My Valentine
Little Girl Gone - CHINCHILLA
DARKSIDE - Neoni
Limits - Bad Omens
How Villains Are Made - Madalen Duke
Love into a Weapon - Magdalen Duke
Don’t Go Insane - DPR IAN
Cry - Benson Boone
Shadow - Livingston
Bitter - Chappell Roan
Good Hurt - Chappell Roan
A Little Death - The Neighbourhood
Daredevil - Stellar
You’ve Created a Monster - Bones
Poison Poison - Renee Rapp
Too Late To Love You - Ex Habit
Psycho - Jake Daniels
The Night We Met - Lord Huron
Devil I Know - Suki Waterhouse
Choke - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
The Crystal Ship - The Doors
Wicked Game - Chris Isaak
Contents
Veronica
1. Leo
2. Leo
3. Veronica
4. Leo
5. Leo
6. Leo
7. Veronica
8. Leo
9. Leo
10. Leo
11. Leo
12. Veronica
13. Leo
14. Leo
15. Veronica
16. Veronica
17. Leo
18. Leo
19. Veronica
20. Leo
21. Leo
22. Veronica
23. Leo
24. Veronica
25. Veronica
26. Leo
27. Leo
28. Leo
29. Veronica
30. Veronica
31. Veronica
32. Leo
33. Leo
34. Leo
35. Veronica
36. Leo
37. Veronica
38. Leo
39. Leo
40. Veronica
41. Veronica
42. Leo
43. Veronica
44. Leo
45. Leo
46. Chloe
47. Veronica
48. Veronica
49. Veronica
50. Veronica
51. Leo
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Where to find me!
Veronica
PROLOGUE
Thump. Thump. Thump.
There is a thunder pounding in my chest, and the roaring sound travels straight to my ears. Every time my feet dig into the soft Earth, it is on beat with my heart, creating the natural rhythm of a drum.
The loud alarms blaring from the asylum grow quieter as I rush through the forest. Tall trees whip past me, and I dodge low-hanging branches. Roots crawl up from the ground in hopes of tripping me, but I launch myself over them and push myself harder.
The warm June air sticks to my skin as I begin to sweat from the summer heat. It is making my hands slick and almost hard to hold onto the journal, but I grip it like my life depends on it.
Even though I carried out the plans written down in the small booklet, no one can find it. There are too many memories of Leo and me in here that are for my eyes only.
I keep darting through the woods at a speed I never knew I was capable of. I see a spot through the trees where the moon is shining fully, just like the place where I left Leo behind.
Sweet Leo.
A fool who trusted a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Running away by myself was the plan all along, so why does my stomach twist with agony? The same agony I’m sure he felt when I stabbed him. It was unfortunate timing for him, his mother dying and all, but him being that vulnerable was crucial.
I shove the thought of him out of my mind because I can’t lose focus. My mind isn’t allowed to wander to him while I’m running for my life.
Passing through more trees, I finally reach the opening and find that it’s an empty road. I glance left and then right, seeing nothing but a straightaway blanketed by the night sky and spotlighted by the moon.
Allowing my eyes to shut, I take this second to catch my breath and attempt to die down the cramp burning in my side.
Tires roll on the asphalt in the distance. The sudden noise causes my eyes to fly open, and my head quickly turns to the left. I see headlights. They come closer, and I don’t hesitate to raise my hand for them to stop.
It’s risky. The person driving this car could be someone from the asylum looking for me, but it is a risk I am willing to take.
The car slows down, and as it approaches, I realize it’s not a car but a van, which only adds to my nervousness. Panic consumes me at the make of the vehicle, and I think that maybe I should have dipped back into the forest instead of waving him down like a cab.
Images of being shoved into the van at the courthouse after my sentencing flutter through my mind. My mother and father’s faces as the door slammed shut, trapping me inside. I tilt my head to the side, dismissing the visualization and focusing on the person driving up to me.
When I have a good view of the van, it is not the same one that took me to Black Lake. This van has no writing on it. It is a deep brown with an orange stripe running horizontally through its side.
Slowing down until the passenger window is right in front of me, the young man looks over at me with a goofy smile.
“Need a ride?” he asks, and by the tone in his voice, I can tell he just got high.
“Yeah,” I answer slowly.
He gestures for me to get in, and I do. I don’t want to stand out in the middle of the open road while I’m being hunted down.
Sliding into the passenger seat and slamming the door shut, the stench of weed hits my nose like a wave. The smell doesn’t bother me because this guy being super high is probably the best outcome I could have had when being picked up.
He won’t know that I’m on the run or ask me any questions about why I was out here in the middle of the night.
“Where you heading?” The man asks as he presses on the gas pedal.
“Uh, where are you headed?” I turn the question on him since I don’t know where the hell I’m going.
“Bend, Oregon.” He grins widely. “Meeting some friends for some camping.”
“Crazy! That’s where I’m going,” I lie.
His head falls to the side, and he looks at me with glossy eyes. “What a coincidence!”
“Yeah.” I fake a smile, then ask, “Can I borrow your phone?”
“For sure.” He hands me his cell phone, and I dial a number that I memorized when I had first entered it into my phone.
It rings a few times, and then he answers despite the time of night. “Hello?”
“Hey. It’s…” I peek over at the driver to make sure he isn’t listening. I lower my voice and say, “It’s Veronica. I’m gonna need that favor now.”
CHAPTER 1
Leo
Death is peaceful.
I had always been afraid of the concept when I was growing up. Loved ones dying and never being able to see them again. My dying and going to eternal darkness.
But right now?
I feel more peaceful than I ever have before. It’s dark for a moment, terrifying and cold, until I see the light. The one that everyone talks about—the light you are supposed to walk toward, and that’s what I do.
Every step is slow, like my feet are acting as magnets against the ground. When I finally approach the end of the tunnel, and the light grows bigger, I see my mother’s face—a wide, beautiful smile paired with loving eyes, as if she is unaware of what I’ve just done.
I tried to help Veronica escape.
She betrayed me.
She stabbed me.
All the emotions come swirling back like a storm, and they hit me incredibly hard—so hard that they push me away from the light and my mother. Her face drops only slightly, but not out of confusion. There is a calmness to her expression.
It is the face that is telling me it isn’t my ti
Being forced backward by these emotions happens too quickly, and as the light shrinks and the darkness consumes me again, my entire body buzzes. A shockwave rolls through my system, then a pause before another one seizes me.
After the third, I’m staring at a light again, except this light is closer and way too bright. Multiple eyes stare down at me instead of my mother’s blue ones. My chest starts moving, and that’s when I realize that I’m breathing.
I’m alive.
CHAPTER 2
Leo
I jolt awake, blinking rapidly as the panic sets in. Four pairs of eyes stare at me with curiosity, and I feel like an insect being inspected under a microscope. It makes me feel small, vulnerable, and scared because I have no idea who these people are.
My chest moves quickly as I attempt to catch my breath from the abruptness of my waking up, but something on my face provides me with the oxygen that I wasn’t able to breathe on my own a few seconds ago.
My hand lifts, a pain shooting up my side, but I power through the throbbing and push the contraption away, making one of the pair of eyes that are staring at me fall from my face to the mask I hold.
“Where am I?”
“You are at the hospital, Mr. Madden,” someone says to my right. The lights in the room make it hard to see the features of the person speaking. From the voice, I can assume it is an older man. “You suffered from a stab wound.”
“I know,” I mumble quietly under my breath. “I thought it killed me.”
The same doctor says, “Let’s wait until you are more stable before discussing everything.”
“Tell me now,” I insist.
The doctor and nurse surrounding me become clearer, making the hesitation obvious on their faces. Neither one of them wants to speak, but eventually, someone does.
“Well, when you were brought in here, you were rushed into surgery. It was a pretty bad stab wound. Once we took the knife out and controlled the bleeding, we realized you had some internal bleeding. The knife had nicked an organ, but luckily, it did not puncture it.”
Lucky me.
“We were able to stop the internal bleeding as well, but then you flatlined. A nurse had to use a defibrillator on you to bring you back.”
“You should have just let me die,” I whisper as my eyes squeeze shut, blocking out the memory of the knife impaling my body. I go to swallow but find it difficult. My throat hurts. It’s scratchy and raw. “Can I get some water?”
The woman standing next to the doctor walks away to fetch me a drink—unfortunately, not the kind of drink I really needed after having a near-death experience.
“You’ve been in and out for a few days. Your body needed to rest after what you have been through.”
The nurse returns with water, carefully handing me the styrofoam cup so nothing spills out. I take greedy gulps, and my throat instantly feels ten times better.
As I continue to chug the water, I hear the muffled sound of someone talking through a walkie-talkie. Narrowing my eyes, I peek around the nurse and out of the semi-opened door to see a police officer standing by the nurse’s station.
Please just be hospital security.
The doctor follows my line of vision to see the officer chatting with another nurse in the hall. He inhales a deep breath before returning his attention to me.
“Your boss, Henry Bennett, will be here to discuss things with you, as the news is not supposed to come from us. We will leave you to rest. If you need anything, there is a call button on the remote attached to your bed.”
I slightly nod in response, the water cup still in my hand. Water threatens to splash out as my hands become unsteady, shaking with the uneasiness of seeing Henry.
Seeing the cop in the hall, I’m not sure I can drink the water anymore. It might all come back up with how these nerves have infiltrated my body.
Knowing there is no way I will be able to hold down any more water, I try to reach over to the table next to the bed to set the cup down, but I stop when I feel the discomfort from being stabbed shooting through my body like a firework, making me hiss.
The doctor must hear me as he’s about to walk out of the room because he comes back and grabs the cup from my shaky hand, placing it on the table, and making sure not to leave without giving me a smile full of an expression I know all too well.
Pity.
As he walks away, I try to slow my breathing as I settle back into the inclined bed.
The machines next to me hold a dull beeping sound that happens every five seconds. There is another machine beside it humming, which makes me want to reach over and either press a button to turn it off or unplug the damn thing.
How in the world am I supposed to rest with all this noise?
As I lay my head back against the uncomfortable mattress, the mixture of the machines beeping, the rushed footsteps of the doctors and nurses in the hall, and the cop speaking to another officer who has just shown up is becoming too much for me to handle.
It’s all starting to blend together, creating a loud noise that penetrates my ears and causes my heart to race. The beeping on the monitor picks up and overpowers the rest of the noise as the pounding in my chest accelerates.
It’s too hot in here. My head twitches to the side, a new thing that has accompanied my anxiety as I attempt to calm myself.
I glance down at the hospital gown they put me in, and although it is a thin piece of fabric, I’m sweating. I have to get out of this hospital before I lose my damn mind.
I drop my eyes from the gown to the needle sticking into my arm. An IV is placed on my inner arm, and I follow the tube to the bag of what I am assuming is either electrolytes or vitamins.
All I know is that it can’t be medicine, seeing how I can still feel the burning from my wound. I look back down where the IV is sticking in my arm and immediately want it out. I'm not too fond of how it feels as it sits under my skin, and it quickly adds to the irritation of everything else that has attacked my senses.
I go to lift my right arm to rip the IV out, but I don’t get far. My arm jolts to a stop before being yanked back to the position it was in. Creasing my brows, I dip my head to the right and find they have me handcuffed to the bed.
Do they think I was going to run? It’s not like I was a danger to anyone else in this hospital.
Rolling my eyes, I return my stare to the IV until I spot the remote attached to my bed, and the red call button stares back at me. I’m itching to press it so that a nurse can come in and tell me when I’m being discharged.
My hand wraps around the remote, and as my thumb hovers over the button, the door to my hospital room slowly opens. I flick my eyes up, not to see a nurse or the doctor, but to see Henry Bennett.
His eyes scan over my body as he tries to reassure himself that I am fine. When he enters the room, he doesn’t shut the door to give us privacy. No, he left it open halfway so I could still see the police officers.
“Henry—” I want to apologize and beg for his forgiveness, but from the disappointed expression on his face, I know he won’t forgive me for what I’ve done.
I’ve only seen him look at another person this way. And that person is why I’m in this situation.
“Did Veronica threaten you?” I don’t look directly into his eyes, not after seeing the full-blown disappointment sitting in them. Instead, I stare at the top button of his dress shirt. “Did she say something to you that made you help her escape?”
I could lie to him. Seeing how she betrayed me, I could blame it all on Veronica, but lying would get me nowhere. “No, sir. It uh—it was a mutual agreement.”
A long sigh leaves the man, and he pinches the bridge of his nose. “We haven’t found her yet. Did she mention where she would go when she got out?”
“No, sir.” It’s the truth. She and I never discussed where we would end up once we escaped. We were going to run for the hills and never look back.
“I had high hopes for you, Leo.” He uses my full name. Not Dr. Madden anymore because I’m sure, in his eyes, I’m no longer a doctor. Am I even a doctor anymore? With all that has happened, I haven’t even given the fact that I could be done with helping people in need. “I thought that you were a great asset to our team.”
