MasukAvery’s POV. The stocky rogue grabbed the chains connecting my wrists, pulling me upward. My legs were stiff, and my steps were heavy as he led me toward the main hall. The sound of a large, restless crowd grew louder with every step, a low rumble of voices, and the clinking of glasses. We passed through a heavy curtain, and the sudden light from dozens of torches made my eyes sting. The grand chamber was filled with hooded figures and travelers from the outlands, all gathered around a central platform. The rogue shoved me onto the wooden stage. I caught my balance, scanning the sea of greedy eyes. I expected to see Raith’s hungry smirk in the front row, the murdered wife’s family waiting, ready to tear me apart for what Lucian had done. That was what I had overheard in the wagon. Raith wants her warm and obedient in his bed. The family wants her broken on the stones as revenge. They were supposed to be here. But as my gaze swept across the front rows of the bidding pit, I rea
Lucian’s POV.I stood in the center of my chambers, gripping my cane very tightly. The fire crackled in the hearth, but its warmth did nothing to chase away the cold void where Avery should have been. Her scent of vanilla still lingered faintly in the air, a cruel, mocking reminder of what had been ripped away from me.I had let her go.I had permitted her to walk into the lower sectors, knowing full well the dangers that lurked beyond my walls. Fool.My fist flew into the mirror, nearly shattering it with one hit. Tiny shards rained down, slicing into my knuckles as they hit the floor. It imitated exactly what my soul felt like. Completely shattered.Snarling, I pulled back and drove my fist into the remaining pieces again. Over and over. The mirror cracked and splintered under my blind fury until only jagged edges remained, the sound of breaking glass feeding the storm inside me.I dropped to my knees, fingers sweeping across the floor, cutting deeper into my palms as I searched f
Avery’s POV. How am I going to die? The thought looped in my head like a sick chant as the rogues dragged me down the narrow corridor. Would it be quick? A knife to the throat or slowly. Would the suffering Raith or the wife’s family melt out on me to watch Lucian’s second-fated mate break in front of them be worse than what I have had to endure? I had seen death in Lucian’s manor. I had felt its breath on my neck more times than I could count. But this felt different. This was greed—men who saw me as nothing but a tool to hurt the monster who owned me. My bare feet scraped against the rough stone, the thin gown clinging to my still-damp skin. The stocky rogue’s grip on my arm was bruising, his fingers digging into the fresh marks he’d left earlier. They shoved me through a heavy wooden door into a dimly lit holding room. I stumbled forward, chains rattling, my knees giving out entirely as I hit the ground. I expected the cold embrace of concrete, but instead, my hands sank int
Avery’s POV I tried to stand, but he lunged again, his fingers locking into my shirt and dragging me back down. I rolled onto my back and wrapped my legs around his waist, yanking him down with me. My arm hooked around his neck in a desperate chokehold from the bottom.I squeezed with everything I had left, burying my elbow under his chin, trying to crush his trachea. He thrashed like a wild animal, his fist slamming blindly into my ribs, cracking the bone. I gasped, but I didn’t let go. I held on, staring into his maddened, bloodshot eyes as his breathing turned into a desperate wheeze.Suddenly, a heavy, metallic thud cut through the sound of our grunting, and something flooded over my face, pouring into my eyes.Then he went completely rigid. His eyes rolled back, the life draining out of them in an instant as his jaw slumped open. He toppled sideways off me, slumping onto the concrete floor like a sack of wet flour. I scrambled backward against the cold wall, chest heaving as I
Avery’s POV. A rough hand shook my shoulder, sending fresh spikes of pain all through my body. “Wake up, girl. I can get you out of here.” My body felt like it was floating in nothing as the hand gripped my arm, jostling me again and again until my teeth rattled. A fissure of light cracked through the never- ending darkness. I focused entirely on that light as the person continued to jolt my broken body. “ There's no time. Wake up if you want to live.” He shook me once more, the harsh movement finally jerking me fully awake. My eyes snapped open, my heart beating completely out of my chest, pounding against my ribs. A scarred, filthy face with brown eyes stared at me, only a few inches away from my face. The reek of sweat and cheap ale hit me. I shrank back against the thin mattress, staring at him in pain and confusion. Within seconds, reality came crashing down. I was choked out and kidnapped by three hooded rogues. And the man currently in my face, staring at me with a despe
Lucian’s POV We pushed deeper into the woods. The trees grew thicker with every mile, their branches weaving together overhead until they swallowed most of the moonlight. Leaves rustled above us as a cold wind howled through the forest, carrying the distant rumble of thunder. It took everything in me not to throw my head back and roar my fury into the night. To let my wolf tear through my skin and rip this forest apart tree by tree until she was back in my arms. One of the trackers called out. “Alpha! The wagon… It’s abandoned up ahead!” I moved faster, cane striking the ground sharply. The wagon sat crooked in the mud, one wheel broken, doors hanging open. I stepped up to the wreckage and ran my fingers along the rough, splintered wood, inhaling deeply, forcing her scent into my lungs. "She was here.” Vance approached cautiously. “The tracks continue north, but they split in three different directions. They’re trying to confuse us.” I slammed my cane against the wagon side,
Avery's POV For a moment, I thought he would. The wolf inside him surged like a dark storm. The room shook with the force of it. Then suddenly, his fangs dropped. “Careful what you wish for.” His claws dragged slowly down the stone beside my head, carving deep gouges into the wall. Stone cr
Avery's POV I dropped my forehead against the door, tears already streaking down my cheeks. “...Please…” But he was gone. And I was alone again. I sat in the corner, hugging my knees, shivering. My dress was damp with sweat and tears. My back ached from the hard floor. My throat burned from
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
Lucian’s POV. The sound of her body striking the stone floor was sharp enough to echo through the kitchen before the room fell completely silent. She slid across the polished surface, the faint scrape of fabric and skin against stone telling me exactly where she stopped — somewhere near the cab







