เข้าสู่ระบบAvery’s POV Lilith's fingers remained locked around my arm as she dragged me down the remaining steps. The deeper we descended, the more panicked everyone became. No one spared me a second glance. Every pair of eyes was fixed on the growing disaster beyond the walls. When we reached the passageway leading to the courtyard, I let my steps falter again, allowing my knees to buckle just enough that nearly all of my weight sagged against her. Lilith stumbled with a strangled curse, barely managing to keep us both upright. "For Goddess's sake," she hissed, yanking me forward so violently my shoulder nearly tore from its socket. "Walk!” I swallowed hard and deliberately let my feet drag across the uneven stone. "I'm trying," I whispered, my voice trembling convincingly. "Everything hurts.” The words had barely left my mouth before she spun around so abruptly that I nearly walked straight into her. "No!" she shrieked, her voice echoing violently through the corridor. "You're doing
Avery’s POV Don't thank me yet, Avery. Seth's words lingered in my mind like smoke after a fire. What did he even mean by that? Crossing the room slowly, I pretended to look at my reflection again while my eyes searched the room instead. There. The small pair of scissors Seth had used a moment ago to trim the bandages still lay on the washstand. I stared at the scissors, my mind racing. Had he forgotten them? Or had he left them there? I glanced towards the door, listening for footsteps in the corridor before reaching for them. The cold metal disappeared into my palm. Whether it was a mistake or a message, it didn't matter. *** The sudden uproar ripped me from a deep sleep. I jolted awake in a cold sweat, disoriented and confused. Shouts echoed through the corridors outside my door, followed by the unmistakable pounding of heavy boots against the floorboards. My breathing quickened as my heart pounded against my ribs. Before I could even swing my legs over the edge of the
Avery’s POV. Yes, Moon Goddess. Let me die here. Now. I stared at my reflection, hardly recognizing the person staring back at me. Dark circles lined my eyes, and my hair fell over my face in tangled strands. I squeezed my eyes shut and ran a hand through my hair, trying to push the tangled mess away from my face. The movement sent fresh pain shooting through my ribs, but I sucked my lower lip between my teeth and forced myself to breathe through it. When was the last time I smiled? The day before Mia died. Then my life was ripped away from me. I didn't know if I was capable of smiling anymore. I forced the corners of my mouth upward. The woman in the mirror didn't smile back. Her eyes stayed hollow. The expression crumbled almost as soon as it formed. The anniversary of her death was only a few days away, and I was trapped here with a rapist bent on taking revenge for things I knew nothing about. No. I refused to die here. If I wanted to leave this place alive, I couldn't ke
Lucian’s POV “Raith,” I repeated, the name tasting like ash and blood on my tongue. The rogue on the floor laughed, choking on his own blood. His severed arm still twitched a few feet away, fingers curling uselessly. The second one whimpered, cradling his shattered knee. “Where is Raith?” I asked, standing over the rogue whose arm now lay severed on the floor in a spreading pool of red. He tried crawling away from me, nails scraping desperately against the concrete. I heard the drag of his body, the panicked hitch in his breathing. I stepped forward and grabbed his leg, dragging him back face-first across the floor. There was a particular stink to men faced with the consequences of their actions. They reek of fear because they know they are going to die. “Where is Raith?” I asked again, my voice cold and devoid of emotion. I heard his breath hitch, the way his throat bobbed as he worked to swallow. “F-fuck you, Nightfall. You think Raith’s just going to hand her over?” I smi
Lucian’s POV “Vance,” I called out, my voice low and rough. My cane struck the ground once, steadying me. “Has the location been confirmed?” Vance stiffened somewhere to my right. I heard the shift in his boots, the slight catch in his breathing. “Yes, Alpha. Two rogues are in the old storehouse.” The three workers, the ones who had begged and pissed themselves while claiming they were “just cleaning the cells,” were already dead. The last one's body still swayed gently from the ceiling, like a broken puppet dripping slowly onto the stone floor. But before I ended him, he had talked. He had spilled everything in broken, sobbing words. The rogues who had kidnapped and sold Avery at the auction were operating from an old storehouse three miles west of the black river near the abandoned mill. He had given me names, routes, and even a rough description of the place. It sounded real. Detailed enough to chase. I had listened to every desperate syllable while the bond screamed in
Avery’s POV “Get in and wash yourself. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.” Lilith paused at the doorway and pointed at me. “Don’t do anything stupid, or you’ll regret it.” She left, locking the door behind her. For a moment, I just stood there, stunned she was actually giving me privacy. I stripped off the filthy gown with trembling fingers and lowered myself into the hot water. I scrubbed as quickly as I could, hissing when the soap hit the wounds on my back. Tears mixed with the bathwater, but I wiped them away angrily. I had just finished drying myself with the towel when the door unlocked. Lilith returned with an armful of dresses, laying them across the bed one by one like she had all the time in the world. “Stand up,” she said, crossing her arms. I didn't move. Her smile thinned. “I said stand.” Something in her tone made it clear she wasn’t asking anymore. Slowly, I rose. Lilith lifted a red dress and held it against me, tilting her head as she assessed me like an o
Avery's POV I shoved up from the chair, rushed towards him, and my hand found the blade at his hip before my mind caught up with what my body was doing. I yanked it free. His hand grabbed my wrist before I could raise it. Twisting my arm behind my back so fast, the blade dropped, and my knees ne
Avery's POV Father's answer hung in the air like smoke. "She is my youngest, Alpha Lucian. I swear it on my life and that of my daughter. I swear—" "Stop it!" The word tore out of me before I could contain it. "Stop it, Father. You swear on me? Because of this man, to sell me? What is wrong
Avery's POV I screamed when the cuffs clamped around my wrists. Not just from the pain. From humiliation. "Zara." My voice broke completely. "You are my sister. Why are you doing this? What have I done to you?" She crouched in front of me. Her wolf flickered behind her eyes. Cold and satisfied
Avery's POV"Father! I will NOT accept the bond! I don't care what you owe him — I am not a payment or a political sacrifice!”Zara's voice carried easily through the floor from the sitting room below. I sat with my back against the wall and listened. “He’s blind, Father!” she continued. “His wolf







