Chapter 4

Lys’s POV

“What the fuck is your problem?” I screamed, hitting his chest as my hands dug into his shirt—still in disbelief that he could have done this.

Every hit felt like it could finally push him back, like it could make him feel just a fraction of what I had gone through.

Every fiber of my body trembled with rage—hot, consuming me from head to toe. My heartbeat was deafening in my ears.

He raised an eyebrow, pretending innocence, and smirked just slightly.

“My problem?” he asked, voice smooth and practiced, like he was mocking me.

I shoved him harder, and this time, I didn’t hold back. I pushed with all my strength, even though I could feel the pain spiraling through my body.

“You think I am blind? You think I just forgot? Do you know what you did? Do you know what it cost me? Everything I lost, you stole it! Everything!”

“It is just a house. Besides, this should make you come stay with me. Don’t you think so?” His voice was calm but mocking.

I froze for half a second, but my hands fell against his chest, trembling as my stomach twisted with a mix of anger and disbelief. The sheer arrogance… he had sold my father’s house, my home, everything that had once belonged to my family, and now he expected me to just… bend?

“You’re insane,” I hissed. “You think you can destroy the only place I had left and expect me to run to you? I don’t belong to you anymore, Laurent. You don’t get to decide where I live. You don’t get to own me!”

He laughed then, scraping against my ears and igniting a fire inside me I hadn’t felt since I had escaped that cell, since I had clawed my way back to life.

“I own you,” he said. Each word was slow and deliberate, like he was savoring the taste of it. “You might not understand it now, but you are mine. Always have been. You cannot escape me, Lys.”

I shook my head violently, tears of rage burning at my eyes. “Mine?” I spat. “You have Amaya! You already have a Luna! You cannot claim me. I am not your possession anymore!”

“Amaya is nothing!” he blurted, his voice dangerous and deadly. “She is a shadow and nothing more than a replacement. You—” He stepped closer, and every muscle in my body screamed, “You have the fire that I need… You are the only one I want.”

“You are a monster! You are a cruel, selfish bastard!” I screamed as I backed away from him.

He stopped, and for a moment, the mask of controlled calm slipped.

“Do not speak to me that way,” he warned, voice low, sharp. “I am Alpha, and you will do as I say. You will come back with me.”

“Come back with you?” I laughed then, bitter and hollow, letting the sound shake out all the fury inside me. “As what? I certainly know I cannot be your Luna anymore…”

“Then be my mistress,” he shot out, way too fast and too cold.

I could hear Hayes let out a soft chuckle, and I wished I could bury myself underneath and hide from all the shame. This was all he had ever thought of me?

“That is a good position, seeing you couldn’t have kids…” Laurent added, voice slick, venom dripping from every word.

I could not believe the man I had once loved and thought would be by my side until I grew old would be this venomous and evil.

Had he always been this cruel? Had he always hated me? How the fuck did I end up with somebody like him?

The Moon Goddess wouldn’t give me someone as wicked as Laurent. For the first time since I had come back, I was grateful the bond had died. If only Lia had been here to see it… she’d have torn his head off—she had always been skeptical about him, but this just proved she had been right.

My hand moved before my mind caught up. The crack of my palm against his face echoed through the room.

“I hate you,” I whispered, voice trembling. It felt like poison leaving my mouth. My entire body shook—rage, grief, and disgust all tangled together.

My palm stung, the sharp pain running up my arm, but I didn’t care. The sound of the slap still rang in my ears, and for a split second, his face froze in shock.

Then his head snapped back toward me as his jaw tightened, his eyes darkening until there was nothing left but rage.

“You dare…” he hissed, voice so low it felt like it was crawling across my skin. “You dare raise your hand at me?”

My chest moved up and down faster as I glared up at him. “I will do more than that if you don’t stay the hell away from me.”

He moved fast, too fast, his hand grabbing my wrist with a grip that made my bones scream. I winced, trying to pull back, but his fingers only tightened.

“You think you have a choice?” His face was so close I could feel his breath against my cheek, hot and suffocating. “You think you can hate me and just walk away? You are mine. Whether as Luna, or mistress, or broken on the floor… you are mine.”

My stomach twisted violently, my voice shook, but I forced the words out. “You disgust me. I would rather sleep in the streets than go back to you.”

He bared his teeth, fury flashing in his eyes. “Oh, Lys. You have nowhere else to go or where to run to. Only me.” He rubbed his jaw in a very proud way.

I yanked at his grip, my voice rising until it was raw.

“I would rather beg strangers for scraps. I would rather die than crawl back to you. You are nothing but a bastard, Laurent! A selfish, cruel bastard who ruins everything he touches!”

He shook me, hard enough to rattle my teeth, and my knees buckled.

A deep voice cut through the air, steady and sharp. “The lady told you to let her go.”

Hayes.

I turned my head and saw he was already closer to where we stood, his body still but his eyes locked on Laurent with an edge I hadn’t seen before.

Laurent’s grip on me loosened slightly, though his body stiffened. He turned his head slowly, his expression curling into something ugly.

“And who the fuck are you?” Laurent sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “Some stray dog sniffing around what doesn’t belong to you? Do you know who I am?”

Hayes stepped forward, his presence filling the space—calm but dangerous. “I know exactly who you are,” he said evenly. “And I don’t care. She said no, so let her go.”

Laurent let out a sharp laugh, cruel and bitter. “You think you can tell me what to do? I am Alpha! I command respect and you— you are nothing.” He looked Hayes up and down, his lip curling. “Pathetic and weak.”

Something flickered in Hayes’ eyes, a dangerous glint. His voice was low but cutting. “Alpha? You couldn’t even protect your own wife. You let her rot, and you don’t deserve that title. Lucky for you, you are not my Alpha.”

Laurent’s body went rigid as his chest heaved once, twice, before a roar tore out of his throat. He released my wrist, shoving me aside, and lunged at Hayes.

The crash of their bodies colliding shook the air. My back hit the wall as I stumbled, wide-eyed, watching claws and fists clash.

Hayes moved with precision, dodging Laurent’s wild swings, his own strikes landing hard. Laurent was strong, furious, but his rage made him sloppy.

“Stay down,” Hayes barked after slamming him into the floor once. His voice was sharp, commanding, but Laurent only spat blood to the side and shoved himself up again.

“You think you can take her from me?” Laurent roared, eyes wild, veins standing out on his neck. “If I cannot have her, no one else will!”

“Then you’ll die trying,” Hayes shot back, tone hard.

I stood frozen, my heart in my throat, torn between terror and relief. They were fighting because of me.

For me.

And for the first time in so long, I wasn’t sure who I was supposed to fear more—the man who had destroyed me, or the one willing to fight him for me.

Before I could gather my thoughts, Hayes threw me over his shoulders and walked away.