MasukLillian’s POVI blinked, staring at Aiden’s side profile in the dim light of the car dashboard."What uncle?" I asked, my voice flat and completely blank.I pulled my hands back into my lap, folding my arms across my chest as I glared at him. A sharp wave of annoyance flared up inside me despite how grateful I was to him for saving my life."You are calling him your uncle, Aiden, but you have never told me anything about your past," I called him out, my voice raspy and sharp. "You never share anything about yourself with anyone in the pack. And now that we are sitting in this car, you are dumping heavy questions on me like we are just two chatty friends hanging out on a sunny day. How am I supposed to answer you?"Aiden kept his eyes on the dark road ahead, but I saw his jaw tighten slightly. He took a long, quiet breath, letting out a heavy sigh before he spoke."I am sorry," Aiden said softly, his voice full of genuine regret. "You are completely right. I have kept my past a deep se
Lillian’s POVI sat on the cold dirt floor of the dark alleyway, holding my torn clothes tightly against my chest. My whole body was shaking with fear, cold, and pure relief.Aiden stepped closer to me, wiping his bloody knuckles on his heavy dark pants. He looked down at my wet, dirty clothes and my messy hair, and a small, soft smile touched his lips despite the scary situation we were in."Phew, Lillian," Aiden said, letting out a short, quiet laugh to cut through the heavy tension. "I am very glad to see you alive, but you really stink right now. You smell like an old sewer."I let out a shaky, wet breath that was half a laugh and half a sob."In all seriousness," Aiden added, his face going serious as he offered me his strong hand, "you did an incredible job. I cannot believe you actually managed to escape from the high fortress all by yourself. You are stronger than anyone gave you credit for."I grabbed his hand, and he gently pulled me up off the hard ground. The moment my fee
Lillian’s POVI bit my lip so hard I could taste blood in my mouth. I held myself back from crying out loud in pain, refusing to let any sound leave my throat that might bring the guards running back into the metal tomb. My left hand was throbbing violently, bleeding heavily where my fingernail had been completely ripped off.Looking down into the opened hatch, my stomach turned. The terrible smell floating up from the dark hole was completely heinous. It smelled like rotten eggs, old sewage, and dead bodies that had been left in the dark for years.Suddenly, small, fast movements made my skin crawl. Dark rats began to climb out of the hole, scampering all over my legs and my bleeding feet. Their tiny, cold feet and sharp claws scratched against my skin as they squeaked in the darkness. I wanted to scream, but I knew I had to escape right now. If I stayed in this room for another hour, the blood moon would rise, and the dark transfer would end my life forever.I looked down at the flo
Chapter 195Lillian’s POVPain shot through my fingers with every single pull, but I could not stop. I refused to stop.My fingernails were bleeding heavily now, leaving bright red streaks of fresh blood across the cold iron floor. The hidden hatch in the exact center of the room was disguised so well that nobody walking into the metal tomb would ever notice it. It looked just like another dark plate on the floor, perfectly seamless with the rest of the metal plates. But my hands had found the tiny, raised edge hidden right under the shadow of an ancient wolf drawing.I dug my sore fingers into the microscopic crack, pulling with all the strength left in my body.Suddenly, the heavy sound of metal sliding against metal echoed through the room.CLANG.My heart jumped into my throat. The lock on the invisible entrance was turning. Someone was coming inside right now.I reacted with crazy, desperate speed. I let go of the hatch, threw my body back against the wall, and tucked my bloody h
Chapter 194Dorian’s POVThe room went completely quiet. Nobody moved. Nobody said a single word.Alanna stood by the bedside with her hand covering her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. Aiden stood near the entrance, watching me with a serious face. They were both completely silent as they watched me drag my heavy feet across the floor. I took one small, painful step forward. My legs felt like giant sacks of heavy sand. My lower back burned with a sharp, terrible fire, but I kept my chin up. I forced my weak knees to stay straight. I was the Alpha of Fangshade, and I refused to look like a helpless man in front of my Beta and my doctor. I was going to walk out of this door, get into my car, and go save my wife.I dragged my feet across the cold floor until I finally reached the heavy wooden door. I let out a long, shaky breath and reached my right hand out to grab the shiny metal door knob.TOUCH.Before my fingers could even turn the knob, a sharp, sudden pressure slammed straight i
Dorian’s POVMy eyes snapped open, and a wave of pure, unadulterated agony crashed over my whole body.Every single nerve in my back was on fire. The pain was so sharp and intense that I could not even breathe properly. I let out a low, painful groan, my hands clutching the white bedsheets tightly as sweat poured down my forehead."Alpha! Please, do not move!" Alanna’s frantic voice filled the quiet medical room. She rushed over to my bedside, her hands hovering above my chest with deep worry. "You need to rest right now! Your body is in terrible shape!""Get away from me!" I growled out through my clenched teeth.I ignored her warning completely. I grabbed the edge of the bed frame and tried to shove her hands away, using all my strength to sit up. I needed to get out of this bed. I needed to find my wife right now.But the moment I tried to lift my upper body and swing my legs over the edge, a blinding bolt of lightning seemed to strike straight down my backbone. My legs went comple
Lillian’s POVMy wolf’s insistence grew stronger, and I knew I couldn’t just lie here frozen while someone lurked outside my door. I needed to confront whoever it was, to find out what they wanted and why they were watching my room in the middle of the night.I slipped out of bed as quietly as poss
Dorian’s POVMiranda stood there in her underwear, clearly expecting some kind of reaction desire, confusion, anything that would give her leverage. But my head was completely clear this time, clearer than it had been since this nightmare started.All I felt was disgust and fury.“Pick up your clot
Dorian’s POV“Lillian, please don’t be like this,” I said, moving to follow her as she walked away. “What happened with Miranda, it was a mistake. A terrible mistake that I don’t even remember making, but a mistake nonetheless.”She stopped walking, but the silence that enveloped us was cold and he
Lillian’s POVI walked away from Dorian and headed straight to Celeste’s room, my emotions too raw and overwhelming to deal with anything else right now. I needed to hold my daughter, needed to ground myself in something pure and uncomplicated before I completely fell apart.Celeste was sitting on







