Chapter 3

I watched Ana walk up to my bed. Pure hatred made my body shake uncontrollably.

She thought I was shaking out of guilt and fear. She looked even more smug.

"Lord Julian told me to tell you: enough is enough. Stop embarrassing yourself."

Ana crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in disgust.

"If you think faking some pain and squeezing out a few tears will make him come back, you're dead wrong. He only cares about Miss Lilah right now. He doesn't even want to hear your name."

Then, Ana's eyes landed on Lucius, standing in the corner of the room.

The Progenitor looked a mess. His white shirt was completely soaked in my blood and coated in black silver ash from the explosion. His clothes were torn.

The heavy, stinging scent of silver ash temporarily masked his pureblood aura.

And a lowly servant like Ana had never seen the Original before.

She pointed at Lucius and laughed like a maniac.

"Wow, Elena, your taste is getting worse!" She cracked up, thinking she had me all figured out. "You actually brought some filthy rogue into your room?"

"If Lord Julian finds out you're heavily pregnant and still hooking up with some trashy stray..."

Ana's eyes turned vicious. She spat out a threat.

"He will throw you in the Sunlight Cell and burn you alive!"

Lucius didn't say a word.

He didn't even look at her. He just let out a bone-chilling scoff.

The room temperature dropped to freezing instantly.

Two elite guards materialized out of nowhere and slammed her to the floor.

A cold silver blade pressed against her throat.

Ana's eyes went wide with terror.

Only then did she realize she messed with the wrong guy.

Lucius stepped out of the shadows. His voice was pure frost.

"Break her legs. Throw her in the dungeon."

Two sickening cracks echoed in the room. Ana let out a muffled, agonizing shriek and passed out cold.

"Take a picture and send it to Julian."

Lucius's eyes were totally dead. "Tell him to get his ass over here."

The guards dragged Ana out like a sack of garbage.

Lucius turned to me.

"Get some rest, Ms. Vance."

Ms. Vance.

I immediately noticed his choice of words.

I was no longer "Julian Thorne's mate". I was "Ms. Vance".

This was exactly what I wanted.

In the Progenitor's eyes, the line was drawn. I was his savior, and Julian was just a traitor waiting for his execution.

The nurse carefully dressed my wounds.

"Ms. Vance, the attack on the Progenitor has alerted the entire High Council. He went back to the Council to handle it," she whispered.

"Before he left, he ordered you to rest easy here. He said he'd visit you personally once things are sorted."

I nodded.

From what I remembered, the ambush caused a massive earthquake in the underworld. Every hunter faction involved was entirely wiped out.

Julian only got promoted to Councilor after the dust settled.

Given how much the Progenitor had on his plate, it was rare he even thought of me.

All I had to do now was wait.

But just as I settled down, dark mist swirled in the room.

Julian was here.

His face was pale with fury. But when he saw my ghostly face and smelled the heavy blood in the air, a flash of undeniable panic crossed his eyes.

But that panic was quickly replaced by sick possessiveness and rage.

He smashed the blood bags next to my bed.

The precious blood replenishers spilled everywhere.

"You vicious, crazy bitch," he roared, chest heaving. "Just because Lilah went to the ball, you pull this dirty trick to mess with me? You’d actually hurt yourself just to force me back?"

"Lilah saw the photo of Ana’s broken legs and hasn’t stopped crying. Are you happy now?"

Looking at the bloody mess on the floor, I didn't hysterically defend myself like I did in my past life.

I didn't tell him what I just went through. I didn't tell him our baby was dead inside me.

The brutal death from my past life and the humiliation of this one weighed so heavy on my chest I could barely breathe.

Yet right now, I couldn't shed a single tear.

I just slowly wiped the blood off my face, looked up, and stared into his furious eyes like he was a total stranger.

"Is that so," I said. My voice was hoarse but perfectly calm. Dead. "Then let's break the mate bond."

Julian froze stiff.

He stared at me, a brief look of raw devastation crossing his face.

Right in that dead silence, Lilah showed up.

"Julian... please don't..."

Lilah leaned weakly against the doorframe.

As she sobbed, her collar slipped down just a bit.

I saw them clearly. Two rows of fresh, venom-sealed bite marks right on her collarbone.

Only fated mates are allowed to drink from each other.

And my mate had just drank someone else's blood.

"Elena, it's all my fault." Lilah fake-cried, playing the ultimate victim. "I can leave the Syndicate. I just want you two to be happy. Please stop fighting over me..."

Watching her act, I just felt violently sick to my stomach.

"Shut up, Lilah. You're not going anywhere."

Julian turned around immediately and pulled Lilah gently into his arms.

Massive insecurity and the fear of watching me slip away made Julian totally lose his mind.

He looked back at me, his eyes overly defensive.

"Break the bond? Are you planning to steal my child and run off with some rogue?"

He condemned me through gritted teeth, his eyes red.

"A cold, vicious woman like you doesn't deserve to be a mother. The second the baby is born, I'm stripping you of custody!"

He kissed Lilah's hair, trying to use it to stab me where it hurts.

"I only trust Lilah to raise my child."