Mag-log inREIGN'S POVI tense, darting a look at Landon and Phoebe like they might tell me not to answer.I do it anyway, putting it on speaker. "Yes? Who's this?”"Alpha Reign." Selene's voice comes through, and she sounds exhausted but urgent. "It's Selene. Don't hang up.""Where are you?" I demand. "You should be at the estate, resting, recovering...""I couldn't just sit there." Her voice cracks slightly. "My daughter is with that monster, Reign. The same monster who kept me bound for twenty-two years. I couldn't just... wait. Do nothing. Hope someone else saves her.""So where are you?""Reconnecting with old contacts. People I knew before I gave myself to Melvanie. Friends from the network of collectors and dealers who... who might have information." She takes a shaky breath. "I've been working the underground markets for the past three days. Calling in old favors. And I found something."My pulse quickens. "What did you find?"“Melvanie's sending Sonya to Prague. There's a black market a
REIGN'S POVIt's been three days.I stare at the wall in my office, at the map pinned there with locations marked in red. Possible facilities. Dead ends. False leads.Three days since Sonya was taken.Three days of searching, planning, calling in every favor I'm owed, threatening people who might have information.Three days of feeling her through the incomplete mate bond. Her fear. Her numbness. Her stubborn belief that somehow I'll find a way to get to her."Reign." Landon's voice cuts through my thoughts. He's sitting across from my desk, fully healed but still moving carefully. "You need to sleep. You can't help her if you collapse from exhaustion.""I'm fine.""You're not fine. You haven't slept in seventy-two hours. You're running on coffee and rage." He leans forward, eyes locked on mine. "Take a break. Just a few hours. Let me and the team keep searching.""I can't." I turn to face him, and I know what he sees. Dark circles under my eyes, several days' worth of stubble, clothe
SONYA'S POV"What's the difference?" I press."Cooperative employees get comfortable accommodations, Sonya. Regular meals, reasonable work assignments, and a degree of autonomy within the facility." She picks up a remote and clicks it. A screen on the wall lights up, showing a room with an actual bed, private bathroom, even books. "This could be yours. Once you've proven trustworthy, you'll have better accommodations""How generous." I scoff."I'm not a monster, Sonya. I simply collect things of value. And you, my dear, are extremely valuable.""And difficult employees?" I ask quietly.Another click. The screen changes to show a cell worse than mine. Barely big enough to lie down in, no window, no furniture. Just stone and darkness."Isolation. Minimal food and water. And if you're particularly difficult..." She clicks again. The screen shows one of those blank-faced people from the cells. "I take your will entirely. You become a puppet. Useful, obedient, and completely empty."My blo
SONYA'S POVThe sound of boots outside my cell wakes me instantly. Multiple sets of feet, moving with purpose.I open my eyes to pale gray light filtering through the barred window above my head.Morning in Melvanie's prison feels exactly the same as night.I scramble to my feet, my heart pounding. Is Melvanie coming back? Is it time for the "training" she mentioned yesterday?The door opens, and two guards enter. Both men, both wearing black uniforms. They're armed with what look like cattle prods, spitting sparks of electricity."Come with us," the first one says. His voice is flat, emotionless. Just like the woman who brought me food yesterday."Where are we going?""Melvanie wants to see you.""And if I refuse?"The second guard raises his cattle prod, and I see the threat clearly. Comply or get shocked.I weigh my options. Fighting would be satisfying but pointless. These guards are just tools. The real enemy is Melvanie."Fine," I say, putting my hands up. "Lead the way."They e
SONYA'S POVThe transition through the portal feels like drowning.Dark magic presses against me from all sides, thick and suffocating. It tastes like copper and ash, coating my tongue until I want to gag. The world spins violently, up becoming down, left becoming right, my stomach lurching as reality twists around me.Then suddenly, it stops.I stumble forward, my knees hitting cold stone. The impact sends shockwaves of pain up my legs but I barely notice. I'm too busy trying not to vomit from the portal sickness."First time is always rough," Melvanie says from somewhere above me, her voice weird and distorted. "Your body isn't used to dimensional travel. The nausea will pass in a few minutes."I don't respond. I can't. My stomach is still heaving, threatening to throw up everything I've eaten in the past day."Take your time, dear. We have all the time in the world now." Her footsteps tap away, heels on stone. "I'll be back shortly. Do try not to vomit on the floor. It's terribly
REIGN'S POVMy claws punch through my palms before I even realize I've fisted my hands."What kind of clause?" But I already know. I can feel it in my gut, that sick certainty that this is about to get so much worse."It… it says I relinquish all personal choice, Reign,” Each word seems to cost her something. “The mate bond... it’s a choice. My choice. And the penalty for breaking it… is death.”Death.The word hits me like a physical blow, worse than Melvanie's magic, worse than any wound I've ever taken."What?" I can barely get the word out."If we complete our mate bond… if we seal it… I’m choosing you over her." Sonya's voice breaks completely, dissolving into sobs. "The contract will activate a kill spell. You'll die instantly. Because you’d be the one trying to claim what’s hers. And there's nothing anyone can do to prevent it. That's why I signed it. Because at least this way, you get to live.""You sacrificed our bond… to save me?" The realization settles over me like a shrou
SONYA'S POVReign and I are on our way back from the lake when his phone suddenly rings through the car’s speakers."Alpha," Landon's voice fills the car, tense. "We have a situation."Reign's entire demeanor hardens. "What kind of situation?""The kind with blonde hair and a restraining order she'
VANESSA'S POVThe front door of Reign’s estate opens easily as I walk past. No one stops me. Why would they? I’ve been here hundreds of times.But as I step into the grand foyer, my heels clicking against the hard floor, Landon appears from the west wing. His expression twists from surprised to war
VANESSA'S POVMy wolf's paws hit the ground in a steady rhythm as I race through the forest toward Reign's estate. Trees blur past me, branches whipping at my fur, but I don't slow down. I can't slow down. Not when I'm this close to finally making him see what he's throwing away.'Good,' my wolf p
SONYA'S POVReign's hand moves from my ass to my thigh, then slowly, torturously, between my legs. Even through my panties, the pressure of his fingers makes me moan."So responsive," he praises, circling my clit through the fabric. "So fucking perfect.""Please," I whimper, rocking against his han







