Lila’s POVI stood up, dragging the bloodied iron rod across the dungeon floor. The weight of it scraped and screeched against stone, echoing like some dark anthem to my triumph. Behind me, she lay still…my mother. My puppet. My prey. My mistake that loved me too much. Loved me to death. Literally.Her body sprawled awkwardly, hair fanned out in a tangle, face frozen in the moment of betrayal. Her eyes, once soft and pleading, were wide open, staring straight into me as if to ask why. A tear had slid from the corner of her eye just before the light drained from it, cutting a thin trail down her cheek.Finally, they all will taste my beautiful judgment.I couldn’t stop myself from replaying the moment. Her cries, her pleas, the desperate way she begged me to stop as I brought the rod down again and again.“Lila, please… you’re my daughter… please.”I remembered every crack in her voice, the sharp little gasps between sobs, the way her arms never rose to defend herself even though she
Lila’s POVI’ve lost count of the days I’ve been locked inside this cage like some rabid animal. Time is a cruel trickster here…hours stretch into eternities, and nights dissolve into an endless loop of hunger, pain, and silence.Without my wolf’s full power to heal me, I became more or less human. Fragile. Weak. My right hand…gone. A stump throbbing with a sore ache that mocked me with every heartbeat. She was always there, at the back of my mind, seething, groaning, snarling to be free. But I could never get to her. She could never come to me. Whatever cursed spell that witch cast was strong…so strong it left me hollow.I needed out. I need out. And when I do, I’ll make them all pay.Every last one.From beyond the dungeon walls, muffled sounds bled in…cheering, laughter, the brazen blare of a horn echoing three times. My stomach twisted. My nails scraped against the rusted bars. Three blows. I knew what it meant.The Alpha had crowned his mate as Luna.Once upon a time, that was
Connor’s POVHer mark still burned against my skin, the scent of her blood and bond seared into me like fire that wouldn’t fade. My wolf prowled beneath the surface, restless, victorious, growling one word over and over in my head.Mate.I wasted no time introducing myself. The moment I had her still and listening, I told Rachel everything…about my kind, about the bond, about what she meant to me. That she was my second chance mate. That I wasn’t willing to let her slip away like I had before.“Come back with me,” I said, my voice steady but edged with desperation. “Come back to my pack. Be my Luna. Be my woman. I can give you more than survival. I can give you a home.”Her gray eyes searched mine, stormy, cautious. She didn’t speak right away, and every second dragged like a blade against my ribs. Then, finally, she whispered, “I don’t have anything here anyway. No one will miss me if I’m gone.”Her voice broke, softer. “I don’t have a family. I was an only child. My parents died in
Connor’s POVI can’t lose another.With that thought in mind, I shoved through the crowd, my chest heaving, my wolf thrashing inside me like a beast rattling its cage.Her scent still lingered…sharp, sweet, intoxicating…but it was fading. Every step she took, every heartbeat of distance, the bond pulled tighter, like a hook tearing deeper into my chest.“Find her,” my wolf roared, his voice deep, feral. “Before someone else does. Before we lose her too.”I sprinted down the street, ignoring the startled cries of humans I shoved aside. My eyes scanned everything…faces, hair, shadows darting between bodies. But she was quick. Too quick.The…faint but clear…her scent drifted left, carried on the wind like a cruel tease. I followed, my pulse pounding.The alley.I slipped into it, my boots grinding against grit. My wolf’s growl built, low and vibrating through my ribs. The scent was stronger here, clinging to the damp brick and shadows.“She’s close,” he whispered, manic with hunger.Then
Connor’s POVThe woman…Monica, I later heard her name shrieked…lunged for my mate’s arm, nails curved like claws, but instinct snapped inside me.My wolf ripped free with a feral snarl.I yanked my mate back to me, crushing her against my chest, the pull of her body into mine so natural it was like breathing.The moment our skin met again…barely a graze of her wrist against my hand…electricity detonated. It wasn’t subtle. It was a violent current, a lightning strike straight to my spine, shooting into every nerve ending until my lungs locked and my heart threatened to beat itself out of my chest.She stiffened, a sharp gasp escaping her parted lips. She felt it too.The bond. The undeniable tether of mate.Her trembling body pressed against me, tiny compared to my frame, but gods, she fit. My wolf was near feral now, chanting, Mine. Ours. Protect her. Never let go.I bent low, my breath hot against her ear, unable to stop the deep words from tearing free. “Touch her again, and I will
Connor’s POVI exchanged my goodbyes, each word heavy with meaning I couldn’t fully voice. I hugged Ivy one last time, feeling the warmth of her in my arms, committing it to memory. Then I stepped back, letting my gaze on her for one final time.She stood by the window, the tablet pressed loosely to her chest. A faint, almost wistful smile curved her lips, quiet and knowing, as if some part of her…deep down, buried beneath layers of memory and pain…remembered. Her brown eyes met mine for a brief moment, a silent acknowledgment that spoke louder than words ever could.And for the first time in years, my chest didn’t feel like it was caving in under the weight of guilt. The tension, the shame, the unrelenting ache of failure…it was gone.I exhaled slowly, letting the air out like it carried the remnants of every regret I’d ever held. My wolf was quiet too, curling inside me, satisfied. No growls, no claws, no ache of loss. Only calm. Only peace.I turned away from the estate, shoulders