Chapter 3

Anya choked, collapsing to the ground and struggling for air as he released her.

Chloe suddenly clutched Damon's wrist, her eyes wide with feigned pain. "Alpha... there's something I haven't dared to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

Chloe bit her lip, as if making a difficult decision. "Tonight's Rogue attack," she began, her voice trembling. "It might not have been a coincidence."

The air instantly froze.

Leo's head snapped up. "What do you mean?"

"I... I'm not sure, but..." Chloe's voice grew smaller. "a few days ago, my sister was asking about the pack's patrol routes. I thought she just wanted to be more involved in pack affairs, so I told her."

My spirit nearly dissipated from the shock.

She was implying that I had leaked the patrol routes!

"Are you saying," Damon's voice was a low growl, a final judgment, "that Elena deliberately led the Rogues to us?"

For a second, Chloe's eyes widened in panic, as if she'd gone too far. Then she quickly masked it with a frightened look.

"Maybe I'm just confused from my injuries... I might be remembering things wrong. After all, she's my sister. How could she do something like that?"

"Perhaps someone deliberately took advantage of her... toward me."

She trailed off, but everyone understood her implication.

Leo's wolf eyes instantly turned gold. "Jealousy? Elena led the Rogues here because she was jealous of you?"

"I have no proof, and I don't want to believe it..." Chloe sobbed even harder. "But my sister has been very unhappy since I awakened my Beta blood."

"That damned bitch!" Leo shot up, his wolf nature nearly out of control. "She dared to endanger everyone for her own selfish reasons!"

"But my sister surely didn't expect to get caught in it herself," Chloe continued, adding fuel to the fire. "She probably thought that with her mate bond, the Alpha would have to save her. Then she could play the hero."

"Enough." The word was a low growl from Damon's chest. Leo and Chloe fell silent, stunned.

Chloe whispered, her voice trembling, "Damon…?"

"I said, be quiet," Damon snarled, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

He didn't understand his own reaction. He was trying to force the familiar narrative back into place—that Elena was the one to blame.

And yet, a primal, possessive instinct roared to the surface. He would not permit an outsider to revile her.

She was his to punish, his to control. His problem to handle.

I wanted to scream, to defend myself, to tell them the truth.

But as a fading spirit, I could do nothing but watch them tear me apart with their lies.

Anya, still on the ground, finally managed to speak. "What are you all talking about? Elena was protecting the Alpha! If it weren't for her, the Alpha would be the one injured right now!"

"Silence!" Damon's roar made the entire forest tremble. "It seems Elena didn't just buy you off, she fed you your lines too!"

Leo sneered and walked toward my body. "An Omega who would betray her pack out of jealousy deserves to die."

Just then, Chloe struggled to her feet, staggering toward my body.

She knelt, gently stroking my mangled face, her voice choked. "Sister, I know you were never happy that I was stronger than you, but why did you have to do it this way?"

"Even if you were truly jealous of me, I would never blame you. We're sisters. I would give you anything I have, even Damon..."

"Don't be ridiculous, my sweet girl," Damon said, his tone softening at her words. "I was going to reject Elena sooner or later. She is not worthy of the Luna position."

A flicker of triumph crossed Chloe's eyes, but on the surface, she appeared even more pained. "Damon, don't say that about my sister... she might have just been confused for a moment..."

"Confused?" Leo laughed mockingly. "Nearly getting the Alpha killed and getting you hurt, that's being confused? That's just being malicious!"

I watched it all, watched them, the people I had protected with my life, trample on my sacrifice with the most vicious words.

Suddenly, I thought that maybe it was better for me to die.

Maybe my death would finally give them all what they wanted.

Then, a violent pulling sensation struck me.

To my horror, I realized my spirit was being dragged by a powerful force, moving uncontrollably toward Damon.

"No..." I tried to resist, but it was futile.

The shattered mate bond held my spirit like a chain, tethering me to Damon. I couldn't even let out a cry of despair.

From now on, I would be tethered to Damon's spirit, a prisoner in his mind, forced to endure this endless, silent torment.

"My sweet girl," Damon murmured, his voice softening. "You need to rest."