Breaking His Hold

Freya’s POV

Killian’s lips curved into a cold smile.

"That's not happening. Not now or ever," he said smoothly.

My heart sank. The person he loved was his childhood sweetheart Vivian. So why was he refusing when I wanted to set him free?

“Well, it will. You just have to accept it..."

I frowned, taking up the sheets and getting off the bed to avoid his scent.

Thump. Thump.

Killian's foot padded against the floor, each step heavier than the last, tailing after me.

"Wh... what are you doing?" My throat dipped as I inched back.

My fist clenched beside me.

In my past life, it took Killian ten years to get rid of me. Now I might not even live to see those ten years.

My back grazed the wall, as the sheets slipped through my fingers leaving me bare before him again.

The cold sipped through my skin,feeling my nipples grow hard.

Every instinct screamed at me to run, yet my body froze, trapped between fear and fury.

Killian’s hazel eyes brimmed with darkness as he placed his hands a few inches from my face.

I held my breath when he lowered himself.

Trying to look anywhere but his face, my gaze slid down to his carefully sculpted muscles.

Every layer of his abs was defined and somehow perfect, inviting if I was being honest.

But Killian was heartless.

"Freya..." His voice dipped low.

I didn’t answer.

His hand suddenly wrapped around the back of my neck, thumb rubbing the sensitive spot that made my nerves jolt. Then he lifted me effortlessly, as though my resistance weighed nothing.

“Stop it!” I hissed.

“Are you sober now?” he said tightly. “Or have you actually lost your mind?”

Suffocating to death in that cold rotten coffin would definitely drive anyone insane.

"Neither."

"Then why are you asking for a divorce? You were promised to me by your father, which makes you...mine."

His eyes flashed with a feral glint, sharp and unreadable.

With this twisted mentality, no wonder he claimed me, even in death.

For Alpha Killian, it was all about control.

"You want the reason? Fine." My heart banged against my ears as I forced a smile.

"I'm a wolfless omega. I won't be able to bear the child of an Alpha. Surely you must have seen how everyone thinks less of me in your pack?"

Killian's lips pressed together in a tight frown. "Who dares? Give me names and I'll bring their heads."

What?

My eyes shot up to Killian, and his were hard and unflinching.

"Are you going to kill your entire pack for me?" I scoffed.

He ignored my sarcasm, running a hand through his hair. "Stop overthinking. We have only been married for three months. What's the rush? Getting my pup takes time."

Bitterness washed through me.

Moon Goddess… why bring me back here of all times?

He didn’t know that even after ten years, I’d still be barren. Still despised. Still alone.

Killian stepped closer, his scent curling around me—dark, dangerous, Alpha potent.

“Or…” his voice dropped, “did you wake me not because of a nightmare, but because you were… unsatisfied?”

His nose brushed my neck. His hand slid over my shoulder.

My body went rigid, blood icing over.

“You’re already my mate,” he whispered. “Be my Luna. I’ll be good to you, Freya.”

Good to me?

If you didn't betray our bond by having an affair or wanting me buried alive with you, maybe I would have believed it.

But I had tasted death once...

Killian’s lips brushed against my neck, and my chest exploded with fury.

I summoned all my strength, latching my teeth against the crook of his neck until I tasted the metallic tang of his blood.

Killian pulled back, his hand shot up to his neck, eyes widened as he frowned.

Yet something else played in his eyes when his lips parted.

"You bit me?" His voice was calm and for a split second, I saw something flicker in his eyes—confusion, or maybe something worse.

Hurt? Shock? I couldn’t tell.

The side of his lips curled. He reached forward and swiped the blood from my lips before I could move.

"If you want to run away from me, it will take more than a bite." He took the blood on his thumb and sucked on it.

"You're insane," I spat.

Killian didn't respond as he shot me one cold glance.

The walls vibrated against my back when he left.

Slowly, I let out a deep breath, falling to my knees.

"Moon goddess, please give me strength," I whispered, shutting my eyes.

Now that I've chosen this path, I'll have to see it to the end.

Leaving a mate was already taboo. Leaving an Alpha? Nearly impossible. The council wouldn’t approve without solid evidence—and even then, the penalty f*e was enormous.

If only Killian agreed, it would be easier.

But he just didn’t.

Why couldn’t I have been reborn before the marriage? I rubbed my hair in frustration.

This union was meant to unite Greenville and my father’s Oakcreek Pack after a tragic accident claimed the lives of my parents.

On second thought. If we were only three months in… did that mean I still had time to fix things?

If I left now, I’d be rogue unless I reclaimed Oakcreek. That required one thing: money. A lot of it.

Crash!

I sprang to my feet.

"Who's there?"

Closing the distance, I turned the door open.

Maids were outside, trying to move a few pieces of equipment that seemed too big for them to handle.

"What's going on here?"

The maids whimpered, falling to their knees, their heads fixed on the floor.

"Luna, please forgive us. We didn't mean to wake you."

Stepping out, I crouched over the equipment. My gaze sharpened, noticing the tubes filled with herbs.

"Where are you taking all this?"

"L-Luna, don't you remember? Lady Maeve asked you to dismantle your lab," one of the maids answered shakily.

Instinctively, my hand clutched the glass vial and squeezed.

Of course, how could I forget? Just three months into marriage, and my mother-in-law was pressing endlessly about producing an heir.

She convinced me that my inability to have a child was the result of constant exposure to herbs and chemicals. To please her, I abandoned my life’s work.

A month later, Moonfire struck.

A plague that burned wolves alive from the inside, after weeks of agonizing illness, until their bodies crumbled to dust.

My skin tingled as I recalled how many wolves we lost to that tragedy until I found a cure.

That’s right I did, but I had found the cure, but far too slowly… because Lady Maeve had banned me from touching equipment.

I had to work in secret. Wear masks. Deliver medicine by hand. Watch wolves die anyway.

Wait, Medicine!

My heartbeat quickened.

Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner?

Medicine required trade. Early access meant leverage.

I could remake the cure. Improve it. Stockpile it. Sell it quietly to neighboring packs.

I could earn money—and favor. Enough to pay the penalty. Enough to reclaim Oakcreek!

“Take them back.” I let out a heartfelt smile as I stood up.

"L-Luna, are you sure about this? What about Lady Maeve?" the maids whispered, glancing at one another. "She clearly said..."

“Tessa,” I said, smiling softly, “I know omegas have been under a lot of pressure these days. It’s fine. Lady Maeve only cares about my health. And since she sent you to me… you don’t need to report every detail to her, right?”

Her eyes widened. “Luna… you remember my name?”

“Of course I do.”

I ruffled her hair gently. In my past life, she had been one of the few who stayed, even when I had nothing.

Her cheeks flushed red. “Understood. We’ll restore the lab immediately.”

As they left, a long breath slipped from my lungs.

Relief. Maybe for the first time since waking.

But when I thought of Killian again, that brief comfort curdled.

Whatever game he was playing, I wanted no part of it.

I wanted to live. I wanted freedom.

I wanted my father’s pack back.

I clenched my hand over my heart.

“This time,” I whispered, “things will be different.”