Chapter 14

DANTE'S POV

Leah had changed.

I watched her from the balcony, gripping the stone railing as I observed her in the clearing below. She was drenched in sweat, her muscles trembling from exhaustion, yet she refused to stop. Every day, she pushed herself harder, training relentlessly from dawn until her body betrayed her. Even then, she forced herself back up, unwilling to accept defeat.

It had been weeks since she started, and I could see the transformation not just in her body, but in her spirit. The once fragile woman I had found, broken and afraid, was gone. In her place stood someone new, someone fierce. She was rebuilding herself, piece by piece, shedding the weight of her past like a snake shedding its skin.

And damn, it was mesmerizing to watch.

But I was also concerned. Even if I knew she found out about the portrait long ago, she refused to say anything in it, each night my heart crawled knowing she was still refusing to say a single word and letting it play in her head.

I looked down at her as she made precise movements, smoothly and accurately it felt unbelievable that she was the same woman who was thrown on the ground so many times

Her desperation to prove herself burned in her eyes like an unquenchable fire. It wasn’t just determination; it was something darker, more dangerous. I had seen that fire before in warriors who had lost everything, in men who had nothing left but vengeance but seeing it in her felt definitely like an ache in the heart.

Pain had always been the greatest motivator.

I knew why she was doing this. She wanted to be strong enough never to be weak again. Never to be at someone’s mercy. Never to be that scared, helpless girl again, just like Darren made her feel.

And I understood it all too well.

The problem was, I wasn’t sure if she saw what I saw, she was already stronger than she realized.

“Again,” she mumbled while looking at the strongest warrior I had while completely ignoring her tiredness

He hesitated for a second, probably debating whether to go easy on her, but then I growled from above, letting him know there would be no mercy. Leah didn’t want kindness. She wanted a challenge. She looked at me before carefully turning towards her opponent and I watched carefully.

She lunged, dodging to the left and countering with a swift punch. He blocked, then swept her legs from under her. She hit the ground hard, gasping for air, but instead of staying down, she rolled onto her feet instantly, her stance already firm, her eyes blazing with resolve.

The warrior smirked. “Not bad.”

Leah wiped the sweat from her face, her jaw tightening. “Again.”

I exhaled slowly. She wouldn’t stop until she collapsed, and even then, she’d probably crawl.

That stubborn woman…

But I admired it.

No, that wasn’t the right word.

I was proud.

Too proud.

And that was dangerous.

I gave her one last look before shoving my hands in my pocket and walking towards the office. There were bigger things at hand than me watching Leah fight even if I wanted to stay back I couldn't.

Pushing the door open, my eyes landed on the ancient scroll lying on my desk.

My hands clenched as I approached it. The glow of her name still pulsed faintly on the parchment, as if it were alive.

Leah.

Why had she been chosen?

This was no coincidence. There was something about her that neither of us understood yet, and I couldn't place a pen on it, no matter how much I tried. But I had to find out before someone else did.

Before the wrong people got to her. That would be complete chaos, if her name appeared on the scroll, there was a reason behind it and if Darren by a chance finds out about this before me there was a problem for as much as I would rather not admit it he knows her way more than I do.

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DARREN'S P.O.V.

I couldn’t breathe.

The contract lay before me and even if it's been weeks since the divorce happened I couldn't shake the damn feeling off, the parchment crumpled under the force of my grip. My hands trembled as I read it again like I had been doing since they left, the words burning into my skull.

Dante… that bastard, but who the hell was he? How the hell did he even do it? All for that ugly woman?

He had outplayed me.

When I signed those papers, I thought I was freeing myself from Leah. I had been smug, and arrogant, thinking I had gotten rid of her without a second glance.

But now…

Now, I realized the truth.

I hadn’t just divorced her. I had severed something much deeper, something I hadn’t even known existed.

A bond that I didn't even know what there

A fucking bond and I knew it was all because of Dante, I've never seen him he gave off a deadly aura the last time and I couldn't shake it off my body

It was why my wolf had fought against me, why I had felt like something had been ripped away from me the moment I signed. Who was that man, truly, was he even real to begin with?

I still couldn't shake it off my body, but how did she meet him and why did she bring him for the divorce,

I had lost something I wasn’t even aware I had.

Panic clawed at my throat. I looked up at the mirror, at the man I had become, cold, ruthless, empty.

And for the first time, I felt fear.

Fear that I had made a mistake I couldn’t undo.

Just then, the door creaked open, and I turned sharply. My new Luna, Sierra, stood there, her face pale.

She held something in her hands—a book, old and worn, the pages yellowed with time.

“Darren…” Her voice trembled as she looked between the book and and I fought the urge to toll my eyes, but Sierra would not be trembling for absolutely no reason.

I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

She hesitated before stepping inside, placing the book on my desk. I glanced at it, frowning. “What is this?”

She swallowed hard. “I think I know why you felt a bond with Leah.”

A chill ran down my spine and I swallowed gently as she got my full attention

“What the hell are you talking about?” my voice remained subtle as I tried to keep in check, I was already off the hook since the last time she was here

She opened the book, flipping through the fragile pages until she landed on a specific passage.

Then she pointed to it.

I leaned forward, scanning the words, and my breath hitched.

No.

This couldn’t be real.

It was impossible.

I met Sierra’s eyes, and in them, I saw the same fear I felt. It couldn't possibly be. I snatched the book away from her and read the page over and over again, not wanting to believe it.

Leah… her name was imprinted on the pages of a book that existed long before she was born. The prophecy, she was the one in the prophecy and I knew too well this wasn't good in any way

She wasn’t who we thought she was but did she truly not know or did she neglect this knowledge? It was simply impossible to know, she was always keeping things to herself, but she couldn't have kept this right?

Dante… If this bastard knew about it, then we were all doomed. He had too much of a deadly aura to not want something to do with this, and Leah was always so stupid to know when she was being played.

I rose to my feet immediately and picked up the book before heading to the hospital, Sierra followed right behind me and my mind in every possible way to get to him, but I didn't have a damn clue on where they could possibly be

“We have to stop him from getting to her.”

“How will we find them?”

“Send the search to quad out, I don't care what they do but both of them must be found in two days and failure to do that will just result in their own death” Sierra looked at me as though I had ground three heads

“We don't know who this man is, and he must have manipulated the contract and yes, the search quad will be sent, but a letter needs to be sent to the King, he might be able to find him faster”

“That's right”

“Go, I'll take care of the letter and Sierra?” She turned away from the door to look at me with worried eyes and I walked to get before crashing my lips against hers.

“Thank you”