Nyx

Kori didn't even let me breathe before she pounced.

"You fucking creep, I'll never accept this."

I blinked. "...What?"

"You being Dante's mate," she snapped, venom dripping off every syllable. "You think you can glare at me like that? You think you can belong here? You filthy, ragged little nothing! Do you even know your place anymore?"

She's delusional.

"What place is that?" I asked, voice dead calm.

If only she knew we were blood. That we were two branches from the same rotting tree. But ignorance was her birthright, I guess.

Her mouth curled into a cruel smile. "Remember what I did to you when you were ten?"

Oh, I remembered. The dark storage room. Three days without water. The delirium. And—my favorite part—the punishment after they found me because clearly it was my fault for being "dramatic." Back then I still wanted to be loved. Idiot child.

"STOP LOOKING AT ME!!!" Kori shrieked.

She kicked me before I could even exhale. My body flew back, the world tilting hard—

My skull cracked against the wall—

Darkness swallowed everything.

***

When I woke, I was on cold soil with pine needles digging into my cheek.

Night. Forest. Alone.

That bitch dumped me out here? For real? She levels up her shit like her life depends on it.

This was quite the escalation. I predict it'll only get worse from here.

Wind sliced through my thin clothes, forcing my body to tremble. If I didn't move now, I'd freeze. I tried to stand—and instantly collapsed. My feet were numb blocks of pain, wobbling uselessly beneath me. Even my vision stuttered.

But dying? Nah. Not on today's menu.

I pushed up, forced my legs to obey, and limped toward the distant glow of pack lights. Each step hurt like being stabbed with icicles, but I pushed through. Cold, starving, half-conscious—that was Tuesday for me.

If I could just make it through the marketplace, the path to the attic was short. Leviathan... maybe he was gone by now. Maybe he heard the commotion. Maybe he took the chance and ran. Good. He needed to.

Shame I couldn't heal myself without turning into a paralyzed pancake.

I walked into the pack market, chin high despite looking like the corpse of a raccoon someone slapped around for sport. Vendor lamps flickered, faces turned, and the whispers sharpened like knives.

Then came the screech.

"Whoa! How disgusting!" A hand slammed into me, sending me down on my knees.

"What's that thing? The pack doesn't even have a slum!"

"Oh my god, it's that dirty lone wolf! Who knew she could even look like a human?"

"It's so creepy!"

"No wonder the alpha wanted to get rid of her!"

"Too bad the beta is too warm-hearted to chase her away for good!"

Warm‑hearted. That made me laugh internally.

I stood. Brushed off the dirt with dignity I absolutely did not feel. And walked right past them with silent, ice‑cold precision. If I stopped for every barking dog, I'd never get home.

Ten more minutes of limping through the cold, and finally—I made it. The yard. The house. Hell's foyer, but at least it had a roof.

As I approached the back entrance, voices drifted through the cracked kitchen window.

"I don't know what to do," Father said, sounding more inconvenienced than concerned. "That kid literally has nowhere else to go, but I honestly don't know what to do with her."

"This doesn't make much sense anyway," Kori's mom muttered.

"Kori is way brighter and more suitable for the pack. I can't believe Dante wants that dirty rag. I seriously can't understand why the moon goddess cursed him like that," Father said.

"Let's not talk about it too much. He's already chosen Kori over this bond, so everything should be fine. Luckily she's out of the house for now," Kori's mom soothed.

"But she'll return soon. We couldn't dump her off the territory," Father sighed.

Oh. So that was the plan. Dump me in the woods like trash and hope I magically disappeared.

My fingers curled into fists.

Perfect.

They wanted war?

I'd give them hellfire.

***

"Are you alright?" Leviathan asked, eyes sharp as blades, scanning me like he already knew half the answers.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said quickly, tugging my frozen feet under me like a shield. "I just fell."

"You must've been freezing out in that cold weather," he said, and I could see it in his face—he'd heard everything. Thankfully, he wasn't about to speak on it. Yet.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he grabbed my hands, warm air blowing across them. "What the fuck? Just stop and—"

"I was supposed to have an escort out of here tonight," he said, ignoring my indignation. "But I think that should wait until your feet aren't blue."

"Are you sticking to the story that you fell?" he added.

"If you know I'm lying, there's no need to point it out or continue asking questions, is there?" I said, tone flat.

"You've got a weird tone," he remarked.

"Maybe the floor and I have a complicated relationship," I scoffed, tugging my hands free.

"You deflect well too," he said, leaning back slightly.

"You don't need to figure me out," I replied.

He didn't let go. "You live in this attic and cook for them while you often go hungry. They insult you while you do everything for them and pretend you don't exist. You've been a well kept secret the way they talk about you. Is it safe to assume you're an affair baby?"

I said nothing. Silence is power. It forces people to fill in the gaps themselves, and Leviathan was practically painting the picture for me. He was right—but he wasn't going to know how much.

"That's why they treat you like dirt."

"You're good at this," I said, voice casual.

"I didn't say it to mock you."

"I didn't say you did."

"So I'm right?"

"You said it, not me," I countered, keeping my tone even.

We paused. For a moment, the only sound was my own shallow breath and the faint rustle of the attic boards. I could feel his gears turning. Let him think he was clever. Let him feel connected. Let him sympathize. All part of the plan.

"You don't deserve this," he said softly, leaning a little closer.

"That's a funny word. No one deserves shit," I chuckled, a hollow, bitter sound. "In reality, life sucks like this. I just learned my place early."

"That's prison, not—"

"Don't look at me like I need saving or something," I cut him off firmly, eyes cold. "I know how to fend for myself. You don't know what I have coming."

"Okay, but everyone deserves a way out. Surely what's coming is good," he said, and I could hear the hope in his voice.

"I doubt it. Besides, maybe I already have a way out, and you just haven't seen it at all," I taunted, letting the words hang in the air. He squinted, trying to read me, but I gave nothing more.

I learned something crucial about Leviathan tonight. Observant, careful, calculating. Too observant. Too careful. Which means I have to be even more careful from now on.