Chapter 6

RORY’S POV

After everything that had happened inside this room, hearing Darius admit what he had done, and seeing the evidence of his crimes with my own eyes, Lucian stood without saying a single word, but his expression turned dark and unreadable

Then a soft whimper came from behind him.

His attention immediately shifted toward Trixie. She stood frozen, staring at her brother with tears covering her face. One hand was pressed against her chest while her entire body trembled. The shock on her expression looked genuine as she looked at Darius, who was still on the ground beneath me.

“Darius…” she whispered. “What have you done?” Her voice broke as she looked between him and me. Then her eyes moved toward Lucian.

“I only found out now,” she said while clasping both of her hands together tightly. “I did not know my brother was responsible for the attack on the Luna.”

Tears continued falling from her eyes as she shook her head. “Rory, I am sorry. I truly did not know. Please, I am begging you, let him go.”

She wiped the tears from her face, but her voice continued trembling. “If you want the truth to be known, I will tell everyone myself. I’ll publicly admit what he did and make sure everyone knows that my brother was the one who attacked you.”

I watched every expression on her face. The sadness, fear and desperation. But none of it changed what happened.

My eyes lowered to Darius.

He was lying beneath me, injured and bleeding. His breathing was uneven, and his face had lost the confidence he carried earlier. My hand remained wrapped around his throat, holding him in place.

Trixie stepped closer, her face filled with worry. “Rory, you are the Luna of this pack,” she said softly. “You cannot destroy yourself because of hatred.”

My anger immediately returned.

Destroy myself?

“If I had not fought back that day, I would already be dead.” My voice came out quieter than I expected.

I looked at Darius while remembering every moment of that attack. “I would not have survived if I had not protected myself.”

My grip tightened around Darius’s throat. A painful sound escaped him as his fingers grabbed my wrist. For a moment, I almost let everything consume me.

I wanted him to feel the fear he had forced me to experience and understand what he had done. But I still did not release him. Seeing that I refused to move, Trixie’s expression changed.

She struggled to step forward and lower herself. She was trying to kneel. Before she could reach the ground, Lucian immediately moved toward her.

His hand caught her arm, and he supported her before she could fall. That single action caused something inside me to ache. Even after seeing what I had endured. His first instinct was still to protect her.

“Enough, Rory.”

Lucian’s voice was cold. My eyes slowly moved toward him.

“Let him go.”

I stared at him while waiting for him to say something else. I waited for him to acknowledge what Darius had done. But he only looked at me with the same expression he always wore when he wanted me to obey.

My heart broke quietly.

Slowly, my fingers loosened and I released Darius. The moment I moved away, Lucian’s men rushed forward and helped him stand.

Darius struggled at first, but once he was supported, the arrogance returned to his face. “Do you actually think this changes anything?” he said, wiping blood from his mouth.

His eyes narrowed at me. “You are still the woman Lucian never wanted.”

My expression hardened. “You should be grateful you are still alive.”

Darius laughed. “You will regret this. I will kill you one day.”

The anger inside me rose again. I stepped forward before anyone could react and punched him.

A painful sound escaped him as he stumbled backward. But once again, Lucian stopped me.

His hand caught my arm. I turned around and looked directly into his eyes. I did not look away. I wanted him to see my anger and understand exactly what his choice had done. But he didn’t say anything, just shook his head.

Then I calmly pulled my arm away from his hold. I adjusted my clothes, straightened my posture, and looked at him one last time.

Without saying another word, I turned around and walked out of the club without looking back.

The moment I returned to the pack, I removed the blood-covered clothes from my body and threw them into the fire.

I watched silently as the flames consumed the fabric that carried the evidence of everything I had endured that night. My hands remained still at my sides while I stared, remembering the pain, anger, and helplessness I had felt when I realized Lucian had chosen to protect Darius.

After that, I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

The hot water fell over my body, washing away the dirt and blood that remained on my skin. I stood there for a long time, allowing the warmth to cover me while my mind continued replaying every moment.

Slowly, I lifted my hands.

My palms were still stained with faint traces of blood. I looked at them quietly, remembering how those same hands had fought to survive. They had protected me when no one else came.

But no matter how long I stayed under the water, I could not remove the cold feeling that remained inside my chest. The pain and disappointment was still there.

The realization that Lucian had arrived, but not for me, continued hurting more than I wanted to admit.

My eyes got filled with tears.

I covered my mouth as a broken sound escaped me, trying to keep myself quiet even though there was no one else around. For the first time in a long time, I thought I could finally allow myself to fall apart. That I could cry without anyone seeing me. Then a soft sound reached my ears.

The bathroom door moved.

My body immediately became tense, and I turned around quickly.

Lucian stood outside.

His expression remained stern and unreadable. But when his eyes fell on the wounds covering my body. His usual coldness was gone.