Chapter 3

The clinic was on the top floor.

A normal wolf might break a few bones from that height.

But they’d heal in seconds.

My healing abilities were long gone.

I was sure the impact with the ground would be enough to finally set me free.

But the fatal crash I expected never came.

A giant redwood tree caught my fall.

The moment the pack guards pulled me from the branches, a pale-faced Julian slapped me hard across the face.

“Have you had enough, Aurora!”

Ronan looked just as furious.

He radiated a violent Alpha aura.

“What the hell do you want, Aurora?”

I crashed to the floor.

The heavy antidotes still burned in my veins.

The disgusting taste of blood filled my mouth.

I spat out a mouthful of blood.

I collapsed onto my knees before the two men.

“Alpha Ronan, Healer Julian, I’m begging you. Just let me go. I just want to die.”

Julian and Ronan both froze.

Ronan frowned. “Is this a new trick? Trying to guilt-trip us with your own life?”

“No,” I answered. My eyes were empty. “I saw my mother’s Nyx. She told me I can be with my mother if I die. Please. I’m begging you. Let me die.”

“You won’t have to worry about me competing with Bianca anymore. You won’t have to keep me here just to watch over me.”

After the incident with Bianca, Rhys, the General of our armies, had taken over my “punishment.”

He locked me in a sealed interrogation cell lined with silver spikes for five straight days.

Rhys shone high-intensity beams into my eyes.

He didn't let me sleep.

Whenever I was about to pass out, he injected me with a drug to stimulate a wolf’s nerves.

The first thing I did when they let me out was beg my fathers to let me go.

But they made it clear I wasn't going anywhere.

“You planned something like that right under our noses. Don’t expect to just walk away. Who knows what else you’ll do to Bianca.”

“That’s right. We swore to your mother we’d raise you. You can’t just leave.”

Maybe it was the mention of Lyanna.

The hard lines on Ronan and Julian’s faces softened.

A trace of the love they once had for me flickered in their eyes.

“Aurora, are you sure you saw your mother’s Nyx? When?” Ronan asked. He pulled me to my feet.

I told him everything.

How Nyx appeared this morning when I was about to starve to death.

The two men exchanged a look.

Julian said, “Aurora, you might not know this. Before your mother left, she said Nyx would fade when she returned to her realm. You were probably hallucinating.”

I shook my head. “No. I really spoke with her Nyx. Healer Julian, please, just leave me alone. I want to die.”

The word “die” made Julian’s face tighten.

He tried to suppress his rising anger but couldn't. “It’s not for you to decide if it was a hallucination! We’re taking you to the Pack Seer to see if your mind is broken!”

Just like old times, Julian ruffled my hair.

But his expression was strange. “It’s been three years. Honestly, we’ve talked about this. As long as you promise to never appear in front of Bianca again, we won’t—”

Suddenly, hurried footsteps cut him off.

Jaxon, our Head of Intelligence, and Rhys strode into the medical wing’s courtyard.

Their faces were dark.

“Ronan, Julian, have you seen Bianca?”

Ronan and Julian froze.

“Isn’t Bianca with you? She just sent a voice message about cutting the cake.”

Jaxon was furious. “She got an anonymous call ten minutes ago. She walked out of the hall and vanished. She just told the guards a friend was dropping off a gift. Don’t tell me…”

All four of my fathers’ faces went pale.

Their minds flashed back to the incident on Bianca’s birthday three years ago.

A friend had called her out. And she had walked right into the hands of a rival pack.

Ronan, Julian, Jaxon, and Rhys all whipped their heads around to stare at me.

I trembled under their gaze.

No one said a word.

But I knew what they were thinking.

“No. It wasn’t me,” I said.

“Who else could it be?” Ronan roared. He grabbed a fistful of my hair. “So this whole suicide bullshit was just a distraction, wasn't it, Aurora? Where did you take Bianca?”

I just shook my head. “No, it wasn't me.”

Ronan was completely lost to his rage. He wasn’t listening.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Aurora. You want to die? Fine. I’ll grant your wish.”

He raised his fist to strike me down.

Jaxon intervened. He grabbed Ronan’s arm. “Not here, Ronan. This is near the human neutral zone border. Don’t cause unnecessary trouble.”

Ronan yanked his arm back. He glared at me and growled, “Take her to the Enforcer Dungeons.”

The tension in the car was suffocating.

Ronan, Julian, Rhys, and Jaxon were frantically using their pack link and trackers to find Bianca.

I huddled in the corner, shaking uncontrollably.

I knew my own personal hell was about to begin.

The moment the car stopped, they dragged me from the back seat.

As my eyes landed on the Enforcer Dungeons, I almost felt a sense of relief.

If they hit me hard enough, this would be the final step to my freedom.

This was where I once trained my fighting skills.

I collapsed to the ground.

“I really don’t know where Bianca is. If you don’t believe me, then just kill me.”

Julian grabbed my hair. His voice was ice-cold. “You wanted to die, didn’t you? We were your fathers for so many years. It’s only right that we send you off.”

My body trembled with a primal fear of pain.

But my heart soared with anticipation.

It was true I wanted to die.

But I couldn’t stand the torture.

Even now, they wouldn’t just let me go.

They dragged me into the training hall.

Inside, a dozen of the Alliance’s most brutal Enforcers stood waiting.

Rhys threw me to the floor.

His face twisted in disgust.

He spat out: "Make her talk."

Heavy hands grabbed me, pinning my limbs to the floor.

A fresh wave of agony shot through me, and every inch of my skin screamed in pain.

I thrashed and sobbed, desperately begging them to stop. “Dad! Please!”

The word tore from my throat before I could stop it.

Hearing that, Julian finally broke.

He called a halt just before the Enforcers could land another brutal blow.

Julian stepped forward, his jaw tight.

“Aurora, just tell us where Bianca is. For your mother’s sake, we can let this go.”

“I don't know,” I cried, tears streaming down my face. “That’s the truth. I swear I didn't do anything to her.”

Before Julian could say another word, Rhys grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.

“Haven’t you learned your lesson, Julian? She won’t talk unless we make her. Think about all the things she’s done to Bianca—has she ever admitted to a single one of them?”

Julian hesitated.

A complicated, pained look flashed in his eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally waved his hand. “Continue.”

In that moment, I knew. I was almost there.

Even as the pain intensified, I never begged again.

Through the haze, I thought I saw Lyanna’s face.

Keep hitting me.

Just aim for me.

I’m about to be with my mother.

Ronan, Julian, Rhys, and Jaxon were still frantically making calls.

Finally, a familiar number called Ronan’s phone.

“Where are you, Bianca?”

Bianca’s voice echoed through the room. “Dad Ronan, I just had a quick dinner with a friend in the neutral zone. I’m at the manor gate now. Why so many missed calls?”

The four men were stunned.

“You weren’t kidnapped?”

Bianca giggled. “What are you talking about? How could I get kidnapped? I have to go, the butler is here to get me. I’ll see you in the hall soon.”

At the same time, the manor’s butler called. He reported that he had met Bianca at the gate. She was perfectly fine.

Ronan, Julian, Rhys, and Jaxon let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness. Bianca’s okay,” Julian said excitedly. Then his eyes widened in horror. “Aurora!”

They had finally remembered me.

They scrambled to stop the assault.

My four fathers rushed to my side, calling my name.

They were met with dead silence.

“Stop playing dead, Aurora. We found Bianca.”

“Looks like we were wrong about you this time.”

Ronan knelt beside me and gave me a little push.

My body rolled limply to the side.

That’s when he realized it.

The faint scent that was uniquely mine had completely vanished from the air.

He was the Supreme Alpha. He could hear a heartbeat miles away in a roaring storm.

But now?

Nothing. Just deafening silence.

The girl at his feet had no pulse.

The daughter they treated like trash was gone.