Neo POVThe walls felt like they were closing in. I was on the cold bathroom floor, shirt clinging to my sweat-drenched skin, underwear soaked in shame, curled on my side as a fresh wave of cramps gripped my gut like a vice. My stomach roared, gurgling, twisting. Each spasm was like lightning through my core—sharp, unforgiving. I dragged myself forward, fingers trembling against the smooth tile, knuckles scraped raw from earlier attempts to haul myself up.And then it hit again."F-fuck!" I snarled, curling in on myself as my body betrayed me for the millionth goddamn time. I barely made it to the toilet in time. Again. My legs shook beneath me, weak and useless, as if my bones were being hollowed from the inside out. Every time I thought it was over—every time I dared to hope—I was slammed back into agony—a savage cycle of pain and humiliation.The stench was unbearable. The air was thick with it. My own sickness clung to every surface, every breath. My vision blurred, the edges of t
Sky POV It was petty.It was dangerous.And it was fucking glorious.The thought of Neo writhing in pain from my little "seasoned" breakfast had me practically glowing as I stood in front of the two warriors who'd dared snort at me."Repeat that?" I asked sweetly, lacing my voice with mock concern. "You said he's in pain?" I put my hand to my chest, my face the picture of sibling loyalty and love."It's not your concern." The taller of the two crossed his arms, a scowl tugging at the corners of his mouth. They were new to the pack. That much was clear—I didn't recognise them from our teen years. And given they seemed the same age as Neo and Zeke, I would have, especially since I used to follow those boys around like a shadow with attitude."Excuse me?" My smile faded, my back stiffened and my temper shortened."He's the Alpha," the second doofus muttered with all the confidence of a man who'd never been bitch-slapped by karma. "You're not cleared—"I didn't think. I didn't raise my v
ZEKEThe sun was starting to sink lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the gravel driveway as I loaded the last basket into the back of the truck. The air had cooled, a light breeze rustling through the trees just outside the pack boundary.I paused, resting my hands on the tailgate, my heart pounding harder than it should've been.This wasn't just a picnic.It was freedom—a few stolen hours where it was just her and me, no watchful eyes, no whispered threats, no power games.Just us.Sky had asked for answers. About what I'd been working on, what I'd really been doing behind Neo's back. I hadn't told her much, only that I couldn't say anything within these walls. And I meant it.Every room had ears. Every hallway, a tail.So I arranged this instead. A drive out of pack territory. To a quiet stretch of beach that curved around the cliffs, hidden and wild. The only place left untouched by Neo's corruption.The perfect place to remind her who we used to be.I slammed the tailga
Zeke POVI didn't say a word when I pulled her into the hallway, her mouth still warm under my palm, her eyes fire and betrayal and all the things I hated seeing aimed at me."Stop shouting at me," I told her, my voice more pain than command. "And fucking listen."But she wasn't done. Not even close."It's NOT what it seems... you have to believe me." I sighed, looking at her with the kind of weariness that comes from years of pretending not to care."Then what is it, Z?" she snapped, stepping back, seething. "Because to me, it looks like you have all thrown the women under the bus to save your hides. That you've allowed this pack to go centuries back in time. You've allowed it to become a fucking prison for women while men thrive."Her eyes burned into me, and all I could see was every bit of fury she had every right to feel. Every ounce of pain I hadn't stopped."I need air," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "Come with me."I didn't give her time to argue. I just started
Sky POVI didn't remember leaving Neo's office. Not really.All I remembered was the sound of blood pounding in my ears, the phantom sting of his twisted words wrapping around my throat like a noose, and the violent ache behind my ribs that refused to fade.I stormed through the halls, shoulders tense, jaw tight, rage lighting up every inch of me like wildfire.I needed to find Zeke. Now.He would know the truth—had to know the truth. And if he did, if he knew what Neo was doing to the women of this pack and said nothing...I didn't know if I could forgive that."Sky!" someone called out.I didn't stop. Another voice, different this time, whistled through the corridor."Hey, hell of a show out there today!"I froze. Slowly, I turned to face them. Three warriors—mid-rank, Delta-tier—stood clustered near the hallway arch, sweat-stained from their own training but wearing smirks that made my skin crawl."It's been a long time since we saw a female fight like that," one laughed, nodding w
Neo POVSomething wasn't right.It amazed me, really, how quickly Zeke had started crumbling. All it took was Sky walking back through the gates, flipping her hair, whispering his name like he still mattered. I'd spent years moulding him into the Beta I needed, and she'd undone it with one fucking look.He had forgotten who made him. Who owned him.And now?Now, he looked at her like she was salvation.Idiot.Then there was Sky.The moment Sky used that Alpha-bred command to dismiss my men from the room, I felt it—like a shift in the air. Something primal stirred beneath her voice. It shouldn't have been there. She shouldn't have that power.And yet, they'd obeyed her. Not me.That command had weight. The kind only a born Alpha had the right to wield.How?I hadn't stopped thinking about it. Hadn't stopped wondering if Father had buried more secrets in her than even he realized.I'd ignored her existence for years, content to let her rot on the outside, thinking she was a broken little
Neo POVSomething shifted in the room—and I didn't like it. I felt it the second the words left her mouth. "Out."The command was not loud, but it landed like a pulse of raw energy, rippling across the space with invisible force. It didn't come from her lungs—it came from somewhere deeper. Deeper than it should have.The enforcer flinched. The advisors froze, eyes darting toward me for confirmation. But it wasn't me they moved for.It was her. They obeyed her.I watched in silence as they dropped everything and left without a word, the door clicking shut behind them like the final note of a song I didn't write.My fingers tightened around the armrest.That tone—the weight behind it—I recognized it. I'd used it. Father had, too. But Sky? She wasn't supposed to have it. The Alpha Command didn't run through just any blood. It was rare. Inherited. Born.Not earned.And definitely not hers.I studied her more closely now, my expression calm, but something cold slithered down my spine.How?
The sting in my muscles was sharp and constant, but I welcomed it.Pain meant progress.I moved through the drills like a woman possessed—duck, punch, twist, block—my body moving on instinct now. My bruises had faded to soft yellow and green patches, and though my ribs still ached when I pushed too hard, I didn't slow down. Couldn't.Zeke stood across the field, watching. He didn't come near me. Not once.Not like before. He gave orders to the others, sparred with Kade, checked stances, but when it came to me? He kept his distance. He didn't correct my posture. Didn't spar with me. Didn't even brush past.I wasn't upset by it.Or jealous.I got it.This was him playing it smart—keeping up appearances. Playing good Beta to a tyrant Alpha. Neo was always watching, and Zeke knew the cost if he stepped too close, lingered too long. We both knew.So I trained harder.Every move, every breath, every slam of my body into the dirt was a middle finger to Neo's idea of who I was supposed to be.
Sky POV"You sure you wanna go alone?" Zeke asked as I followed Neo's lapdog.His expression was carved from stone, but his eyes—those mismatched eyes I'd always loved more than I should—betrayed him. They were stormy. Uneasy. His jaw ticked with restraint, his hand flexing like he was stopping himself from reaching out."I'll be fine," I said.He didn't reply; he just stared at me, breathing hard through his nose like he hated every second of this. His chest rose and fell in slow, controlled movements—but I could feel the tension rolling off him like heat. Protective. Frustrated. Scared.Scared of Neo.When the hell did that happen?Zeke used to snarl at thunder and bite down on fear. But now? He looked like every other wolf in this place—cautious. Controlled. Tame."Unlike everyone else, he doesn't scare me." I offered him a wink and a smirk. And that was the truth. Neo might've been Alpha, but he bled red like the rest of us. He was a bully with a title, not a god. I hadn't even se