Chapter 3

Chapter 2

This is it. The moment of truth. The point of no return.

I look at Daxon, at his expectant face, at the way his eyes promise punishment if I don't give him what he wants. I look at the crowd of pack members, all watching, all waiting, all believing they're witnessing something sacred.

I think about the woman I used to be, before I learned to make myself small. Before I learned that love was supposed to hurt. Before I forgot that I had a voice.

I think about my baby, who never got a chance to live because I was too weak to protect us both.

I think about the rest of my life, stretching out ahead of me like a prison sentence.

I think about the text messages from earlier: You're stronger than you know.

And I realize something. I am stronger than I know. Stronger than he's made me believe. Stronger than the fear he's used to control me.

I open my mouth, and the words come out clear and strong. "I reject you."

The silence that follows is deafening. Three hundred people staring at me in shock, their mouths open, their eyes wide. The officiant looks confused, like he's not sure he heard correctly.

Daxon's face cycles through emotions—surprise, confusion, embarrassment, rage. "What did you say?"

"I reject you, Daxon Sullivan." My voice is steadier now, powered by three years of suppressed fury. "I reject you as my mate. I reject you as my husband. I reject you as my Alpha. I reject this ceremony, this marriage, this life you've built for us on lies and fear."

The silver necklace at my throat grows warm, then hot, then burns against my skin as the magical bond between us begins to sever. Daxon staggers backward, his hand pressed to his chest as he feels it too, the tearing, the breaking, the freedom.

The reaction is immediate and explosive. Gasps echo through the hall. Someone screams. I hear chairs scraping against the floor as people jump to their feet.

Daxon takes a step toward me, his face contorting with rage. "You can't do this. You can't humiliate me like this. Not in front of everyone."

"I just did." The boldness in my voice surprises even me. I've had enough. Enough of his constant disrespect. He'd turned me into someone I couldn't even recognize in the space of three years.

He wasn't always like this. When I first came to London, I focused on studying and working. Then one day, I met Daxon at the grocery store where I was working. It took months before I could agree to go out with him. But he'd been so sweet and loving that I fell in love with him completely.

I was so stupid.

I see his hand move toward me instinctively, the backhand that's silenced me so many times before. But this time, I'm ready. This time, I don't flinch.

"Go ahead," I say quietly, my voice carrying in the shocked silence. "Hit me. In front of all these people. Show them who you really are."

He freezes, his hand halfway to my face, suddenly aware of the hundreds of eyes watching us. His carefully constructed image cracking in real time.

I reach up and grasp the silver necklace at my throat—his claim on me, his mark of ownership. With one sharp yank, I break the chain, feeling my skin underneath burn and blister where it touched me.

"I'm done," I say, dropping the necklace at his feet. "I'm done with you, with this, with all of it."

The pack erupts in chaos. Voices raised in shock, in outrage, in confusion. But I don't hear them. I'm already turning away, already walking back down the aisle, my steps steady and sure for the first time in three years.

.......

In the bridal suite, I strip off the white dress and leave it pooled on the floor like a shed skin. I pull on the jeans and sweater I'd hidden in my bag, real clothes, clothes that feel like armor after months of wearing what he wanted me to wear.

My phone is in my hand before I even realize I'm reaching for it. I scroll through my contacts until I find the number I haven't called in almost four years.

"Orion?" My voice shakes when he answers, the sound of my brother's voice almost breaking the dam I've built around my emotions.

"Athena?" He sounds shocked, confused. "Jesus, is that really you? I haven't heard from you in..."

"I need you to come get me," I interrupt, my words tumbling out in a rush. "I'm heading to Heathrow Airport. I'll text you the flight information."

"Heathrow? What are you doing in London? I thought you were in America. You haven't returned my calls in years, and now you're..."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll explain everything when I see you. I just... I need to come home. Please."

There's a pause, and I can hear the concern in his voice when he speaks again. "Of course. Of course you can come home. But I'll actually be heading to Scotland with Sarah and the kids tomorrow. We're visiting her parents for the week. I won't get back until next week, but I can call someone..."

"No." The word comes out sharper than I intended. "I don't want anyone else to know I'm coming. Not yet."

"Athena, what's wrong? You're scaring me. What happened?"

I close my eyes, pressing my fingers against my temples. How do I explain three years of hell? How do I tell him that his little sister has been dying slowly, piece by piece, while he had no idea?

"Nothing," I whisper. "I'm fine. I just can't... I can't stay here anymore."

Another pause, longer this time. "Did someone hurt you?"

The question hangs in the air between us, loaded with all the things I've never told him, all the secrets I've kept to protect him from the truth.

"I just need to get out of here," I say instead. "Please."

"Okay." His voice is gentle but firm. "Okay. I'll figure something out. Let me make some calls."

I quickly gather what matters most to me and sneak out, heading toward the airport. Twenty minutes later, my phone rings again.

"I called a friend," Orion says. "He's the only one who can get to you in time. Just call me when you get there."

"Don't worry, I can wait," I say quickly. "I can get a hotel, wait until you get back."

"Athena, you sound like you're about to fall apart. I'm not leaving you alone in an airport or a country that's now strange to you for days. You know what, I can just postpone my trip. I'll pick you up, drop you off, and then join Sarah and the kids."

I want to argue, but I'm too tired, too drained, too broken to fight anymore. "Okay," I whisper. "Okay." If he wants to help, then who am I to refuse? I really need him so badly.

.......

The flight to America is the longest seven hours of my life. I spend most of it staring out the window, watching London disappear beneath the clouds, feeling like I'm leaving behind not just a country but an entire version of myself.

The woman who boards the plane in Heathrow is not the same woman who landed there five years ago. That girl had been heartbroken but hopeful, wounded but still believing in love. This woman is something else entirely, hollowed out, hardened, marked by experiences that changed her on a molecular level.

But she's also free. For the first time in three years, she's free.

JFK Airport is a maze of noise and chaos, but I navigate it on autopilot. My single suitcase feels pathetically small, three years of life reduced to one bag of essentials. Everything else I left behind. The apartment, the furniture, the wedding dress now crumpled on the floor. All of it tainted by his touch, his presence, his violence.

I send a message to Orion telling him I just landed. He responds immediately, saying he's already on his way. I should give him a few minutes.

After ten minutes, I receive another text from Orion, telling me he's here. I scan the arrivals area when I spot the last person I ever expected to see.

My mind and body freeze for what feels like forever.