4| Back in His Arms

LILIANA

Outside the bedroom, Sophia sat in the living room, sipping tea prepared by the servants. When I walked past her, she gave me a cold glare.

“You should know when to give up, Lili,” she said flatly, not even bothering to turn toward me.

I paused for a moment, then responded softly but firmly, “I’ve never tried to take anything from you, Sophia. But I won’t let myself be stepped on either. Oh, and I also remember how you used to mock the ‘old, crippled man’ during your tea parties with your friends.”

Sophia gave a faint smile but said nothing more. I resumed walking, leaving the villa with a storm of emotions swirling inside me. For some reason, my stepmother’s words echoed in my head once again.

“Our pack is in danger! There are children whose futures we must protect. If Alpha Darnell attacks, we’ll be destroyed, enslaved, left with nothing. Your father and I had no other choice, Lili. You have to marry Alpha Darnell.”

“I don’t know him, Mom. I don’t love him. I’ve never even seen his face. How can you ask me to marry a stranger? He’s... He’s notorious for being cruel. Why don’t you ask Raymond to take responsibility instead?”

My stepmother’s desperate expression morphed into anger as she slapped me harshly.

“Raymond is the future Alpha. You have to sacrifice for him! I don’t care if you don’t like it. All you need to do is lie with him and give him a child. That child will be the bargaining chip for our pack. If you get pregnant and give Alpha Darnell a child, I’m sure the Blackland pack won’t let us suffer.”

Thinking about my stepmother’s words made me nauseous. I left Solaris Heights feeling both liberated and furious. Ethan Darnell had wanted Sophia Lennox from the start. If Sophia wanted all of this, then why was I the one trapped and humiliated?

*

Three Years Later

My life changed drastically after leaving Solaris Heights. I returned to living as a human, blending in and hiding from everyone. I found peace in my new life, even though something always felt slightly off.

I had tried to leave the pain behind and rebuild my life, but fate seemed determined to give me no respite.

Tonight, I was forced to return to Celestia. I looked up at the towering skyscrapers and glanced at a dark, damp alley that stirred unsettling memories.

“I just need to get through this quickly,” I muttered under my breath. “The place I need to go is at the end of that alley. It’s annoying that my client chose such an unusual meeting spot, but I get it. He’s a public figure and values discretion.”

I exhaled deeply, glancing at my outfit. A short, sleeveless white dress, leather jacket, and knee-high heeled boots. My long, wavy hair flowed past my shoulders. Clutching my bag in my left arm, I steeled myself and stepped into the alley.

As the night deepened, the atmosphere around me grew heavier. I felt shadows creeping closer. My breathing quickened with every step I took.

“Stay calm, Liliana. You’re safe. No one knows you’re back in the city,” I whispered to myself. But my fears were confirmed when a large hand grabbed my arm from behind.

“Ah!” I gasped, but my scream was swallowed by the cold night air.

The man yanked me roughly against the damp alley wall. I hit the ground hard, nearly slamming my head against the moldy bricks.

“Who are you? What do you want?” I asked, my voice trembling. They were rogue wolves.

The man let out a cold laugh, his voice hoarse and mocking. “You don’t know who I am? Take a good look, you little traitor,” he sneered, grabbing my hair and forcing me to look up.

I struggled to break free, but his strength far outmatched mine. “Let me go! I don’t even know you!” I shouted, but his laugh only grew louder.

“You think you can run from us? We’ve searched every corner of this country for you, and we finally found you ‘back here.’ You owe us, and today, you’re going to pay,” he growled.

My face turned pale. Owe them?

“I don’t owe anyone anything! This has to be a misunderstanding,” I said, trying to reason with him.

The man didn’t care. “A misunderstanding? Don’t joke with me! You ran from the pack after selling us out to Ethan Darnell! He destroyed us, took our land. You’ll pay for everything you’ve done!” he snarled.

I winced, the pain shooting through my scalp. I had no idea who these people were. But hearing his accusations, I realized he must have been someone Ethan had wronged. That had nothing to do with me, right?

The man pulled a folding knife from his pocket, flipping it open and waving the sharp blade near my face.

“W-what do you want from me?” I stammered, my voice cracking.

“Give us back our land!” he hissed. “Make Ethan Darnell kneel before us and pay for what he did to our people! If you can’t, we’ll take something more valuable from you instead,” he threatened with a twisted grin.

I swallowed hard, my body trembling uncontrollably. I didn’t know how to escape this. But before the man could make his move, a firm voice echoed down the alley.

“Let her go!”

Everyone turned toward the sound. At the alley’s entrance stood a tall man in an expensive suit, his gaze as cold as ice.

“Who the hell are you?” one of the rogues barked angrily. “You’d better not play hero.”

The man didn’t respond. He stepped forward, his intimidating aura silencing everyone around him—including me. As he moved closer, the dim light from a nearby building revealed his face.

I froze in shock. “Sanders Gram? What is he doing here?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

If Sanders was here, did that mean Ethan Darnell was nearby too? Sanders Gram was Ethan’s trusted beta—the twin brother of the beta Raymond had killed.

Sanders glared at the rogues, his expression filled with hatred. “I said, let her go,” he repeated, this time with a lower, more menacing tone.

The rogue hesitated before finally releasing me. I collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

“Do you know who we are?” one of the rogues asked, trying to sound brave.

Sanders smirked coldly. “I don’t care who you are. If you don’t leave now, you’ll find out what it means to cross the Blackland pack.”

The rogue leader’s anger flared. “If Darnell’s man is here, why not kill him and take Darnell’s woman as a hostage?”

The rogues exchanged glances before shifting into wolf form. I didn’t want to get involved in this madness, so I quietly ran out of the alley.

But one of the rogues noticed me and gave chase. I sprinted as fast as I could, barely making it to the alley’s end. Bright headlights from an oncoming car blinded me, and I almost got hit.

Before I could react, someone yanked me out of harm’s way, and I fell… right into his lap.

Once my eyes adjusted, I realized whose lap I had landed in. Ethan Darnell’s hard, muscular lap.

“Hey, cripple! Hand her over to us!” shouted two of the rogues who had caught up to us.

I tried to wriggle free from Ethan’s lap, but his strong arm held my waist firmly in place.

“Stay right here. That’s an order,” he commanded, his voice deep and unyielding.