**Damian’s POV**I was exhausted, my legs burning as I stumbled through the dark woods, William’s heavy body slung over my shoulder. His weight was killing me, but I couldn’t stop. We were close to the Shadow Pack’s estate—too close to give up now. The early morning air was cold, biting at my skin, but I kept moving, one step at a time. William’s shallow breaths were the only thing keeping me going. He was alive, barely, and I had to get him help.When I saw the estate gates, my knees nearly gave out. I crouched down, easing William to the ground, his blood soaking into my shirt. The guards spotted us right away. “Damian!” one shouted, rushing over with two others. They saw William’s torn-up body and didn’t ask questions. They lifted him, supporting his weight, and we hurried toward the healer’s quarters.“Get him to the healer!” I barked as we passed through the gates, my voice rough from panting. “Now!” They nodded, carrying William off to Torin, the pack’s healer—an old guy who’d b
I sat there, stuck in that fancy chair, staring at the blank TV screen. My head was spinning, like the world had just flipped upside down. I kept seeing it—my mom’s body on the ground, blood everywhere, her begging for her life. And my dad, *my dad*, pulling the trigger. All these years, I thought it was my fault. I carried that guilt like a rock in my chest, hating myself for something I didn’t do. But it was him. He killed her and let me take the blame.My hands shook, and my eyes burned with tears. I couldn’t think straight. Everything I believed about my mom’s death was a lie. A big, ugly lie. My dad’s voice echoed in my head, cold and sharp: *You’re the reason she’s dead, Ava. You’re a curse.* I’d believed him. I let him and the whole pack make me feel like nothing. And now I knew the truth—he was the monster.Russell stood across the room, watching me. His green eyes didn’t blink, like he was waiting for me to say something. His men were behind him, all stiff in their black suit
CHAPTER 3I bent my head, the weight of despair pressing down on me. I guess it was my fate to suffer like this, I thought, as tears rolled down my cheeks, hot and relentless. The forest around me was silent, save for the faint rustle of leaves in the cool night air. My knees dug into the damp earth, grounding me in my misery. But just then, the soft crunch of footsteps broke the stillness. My heart lurched. As if guided by some primal instinct, I sensed someone standing before me, their presence heavy and commanding.Slowly, I raised my head, my breath catching in my throat. My eyes widened in shock. Towering over me was the same figure who had defeated William with a single, devastating blow. The figure was tall—impossibly tall—especially as I knelt on the ground, feeling small and fragile in their shadow. Their silhouette was cloaked in darkness, the moonlight barely catching the edges of their form, but their eyes gleamed with an intensity that made my skin prickle.I stared, fear
CHAPTER TWOI stared at the towering figure before me, my heart pounding as I recognized the voice that cut through the darkness. It was William, his golden eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger under the midnight moon. Tears streamed down my face as I realized my escape had been thwarted. How had they found me? Had someone seen me slip through ? The questions swirled in my mind, but there was no time for answers.Footsteps crunched behind him, deliberate and heavy. I didn’t need to look to know it was Damian, the other half of my torment. Instinctively, I pushed myself backward, my hands scraping against the rough forest floor. My swollen ankle throbbed, but the pain was nothing compared to the terror gripping my chest. I was trapped, cornered by the two monsters who had made my life a living hell.“Please,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Please, just let me go. Haven’t I suffered enough?”My plea hung in the air, fragile and futile. William’s lips curled into a cruel smirk, and D
AVA'S POVCHAPTER 001"You're nothing but a filthy slave," William growled, his hot breath crawling down my neck like a venomous snake. "You should be grateful I even touch something as vile as you."I wasn’t a stranger to his cruelty. Every day in the Shadow Pack was a waking nightmare, especially in the clutches of my stepbrothers. Since my mother, the rightful Luna, died, my life had crumbled into ash. My father, once a pillar of strength, had married another woman—a cold, calculating creature who claimed his heart and turned it against me. His new mate and her sons became his world, while I was reduced to nothing more than a stain on the pack’s honor.William and Damian, my stepbrothers, were the pack’s pride, destined for greatness. I, on the other hand, was trash in their eyes, blamed by the entire pack for my mother’s death. The accusations stung like open wounds, but the truth was buried too deep for anyone to care. My mother’s death wasn’t my fault, but no one listened to a b