CHAPTER 4

A MOMENT EARLIER...

I had planned everything so carefully. Today was supposed to be a quiet escape. I was going to meet Licht in the city, away from the prying eyes of the pack, and get a few moments of peace—something that seemed so impossible these days. I had spent far too long in the shadow of betrayal, haunted by the faces of people I once trusted. Geoff, my ex-husband—the man who swore he would protect me—had shattered my world. And Brittany, my own cousin, had torn away any semblance of family loyalty. I didn’t know who I was anymore.

But in that fleeting moment of planning, I’d convinced myself I still had a chance. A chance to escape the suffocating grief. A chance to feel something besides the weight of the lies.

Yet, as I walked down the winding path towards the city, the reality of my situation settled around me like a thick fog. My breath caught as memories of the past days rushed back, and my chest tightened. Geoff’s rejection. The hurtful words he spoke. The utter devastation in his eyes when he looked at me like I was nothing. Like I had been nothing all along.

But what hurt most was the truth I had buried deep inside me—the realization that I had always been a pawn in a game that wasn’t mine to play.

I should have been angry. I should have been furious. But instead, I felt numb. I wasn’t even sure what I was walking towards anymore.

I was so lost in my own thoughts, so consumed by the unraveling of everything I thought I knew, that I didn’t even notice the presence behind me until it was too late.

I turned suddenly, feeling a shift in the air. My heart slammed against my ribs.

There were three of them—Gammas—closing in from the shadows, their eyes glowing faintly in the darkness of the forest. I recognized one of them, though his face was twisted with an unfamiliar malice. I had seen him around the pack, but I couldn’t remember his name.

“Cassie,” he snarled. His voice was low and threatening. “You’ve been a problem for too long. It’s time for you to pay the price.”

I tried to back away, but my legs felt like they were glued to the earth beneath me. Fear crawled up my spine like a poison, numbing my limbs. The words they spoke didn’t make sense at first—why were they after me? Didn’t they realize what had happened? Didn’t they know how lost I was?

“You should have stayed in the pack, Luna,” the second Gamma spoke with disdain, his lips curling into a cruel smile. “Now, you’ll learn what happens when you betray your own blood.”

I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears, my heart hammering against my chest as I tried to breathe, but the air felt thick, suffocating.

“What do you want?” I managed to gasp, my voice shaky, filled with the terror I couldn’t hide.

The first Gamma smirked. “We’re just following orders. You’ll learn your place soon enough.”

Orders. It hit me like a ton of bricks. This wasn’t just a random attack. Geoff had sent them. He was the one who wanted to finish what he started.

My mind raced. I had to get out. I couldn’t let them do this to me. Not again.

But I was trapped.

My body froze as one of them lunged at me, and I barely had time to react. Their strength was overwhelming. In a flash, they grabbed hold of me, their hands tight around my arms, dragging me towards the ground. The panic surged, clawing at my throat.

Then, as if the world slowed, I heard it—the low, guttural growl that seemed to ripple through the forest.

For a split second, I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me. But no—it was real.

The Gammas froze, their heads snapping towards the source of the sound. My heart skipped a beat as I saw him—the figure emerging from the trees, his body coiled with raw power and dominance.

Zero Liam Diabros.

His eyes were burning with intensity, glowing in the dim light as his gaze locked onto the Gammas. His posture was poised, ready to strike. But there was something else—something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place. A promise of protection.

“What do we have here, some assholes trying to get their way on a weakling prey huh?” Zero’s voice was like ice, calm yet threatening, carrying the weight of authority.

The Gammas laughed at first, the sound dark and mocking. “And who are you to stop us?” the second Gamma spat.

“Well, I’m very much used to be addressed as nobody. But for now, I feel like acting as someone who will end you if you don’t listen,” Zero replied, his voice low but deadly. 

“What do you want? What’s your business here?”

Zero sniffed in heavy. “That woman you have there. Her pheromones drives me crazy. I want her.”

And the two gammas laughed. “You dumbass. We can’t let you have her.”

“Oh yeah? Even if I take her by force?”

“Are you underestimating us?”

“Well, what if I am? I am being too considerate here you know. I even warn you, take another move with that woman, and I’ll make sure you regret it.”

For a moment, there was silence. And then, the tension snapped.

Without warning, the first Gamma lunged towards Zero, his eyes wild with fury. Zero moved faster than I could blink, his body a blur as he grabbed the Gamma by the throat and slammed him against the nearest tree. The sound of bones cracking filled the air, but it didn’t stop there. Zero’s claws, gleaming in the moonlight, sank deep into the Gamma’s flesh.

I couldn’t breathe.

The second Gamma hesitated, his eyes darting between me and Zero. I could see the fear beginning to set in, the realization that they had miscalculated.

And then, just as quickly as he had attacked, Zero turned to me. His eyes softened, and before I could even react, he was at my side, pulling me away from the fray.

“Stay behind me,” Zero commanded, his voice firm, but there was something tender in it, something I hadn’t expected from him.

I wanted to protest. I wanted to tell him to be careful, to stop fighting, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. I was shaking, my legs like jelly beneath me.

Zero’s eyes never left me as he moved us further into the forest, away from the chaos. I didn’t know where he was taking me, but I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered now was getting away from them.

But before we could make it far enough, the second Gamma took a step forward, his face contorted with rage.

“You think you can just walk away from this, you punk?” he sneered. “You’re not even part of this pack. You’re nothing but an outsider.”

Zero’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Then I’ll make sure you stay down, pup.”

He lunged, moving faster than I could process. The Gamma barely had time to react before Zero had him pinned to the ground. Zero’s claws sank into the Gamma’s throat, and in one swift motion, he ended the threat. The Gamma’s body went limp in Zero’s grip, lifeless.

It was over.

But it didn’t feel like it.

I was still shaking, my heart still racing as I collapsed to my knees, trying to catch my breath. The fear, the shock, the overwhelming sense of helplessness—it was all too much.

Zero knelt beside me, his gaze never leaving me. His eyes were narrowed in concern, but he didn’t speak at first. He simply reached out, gently touching my arm.

I flinched at the touch, and his face tightened in response.

“Hey miss, are you alright?” he asked, his voice softer now, more personal.

I looked at him, still trying to catch my breath. “I—I’m fine,” I managed to say, my voice weak. “Just… just get me out of here.”

He nodded, his expression hardening once more. Without another word, he lifted me into his arms, his body radiating warmth as he moved through the forest with speed and purpose.

As we left the chaos behind, I allowed myself to close my eyes for a moment. For the first time in days, I felt like I might be safe. But even as I relaxed in his arms, I knew the fight was far from over.

Geoff, and his betrayal—it was all still out there. And I had to face it, no matter the cost.

But for now, in this moment, Zero had saved me.