Claimed by the Lycan King 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 61 - 챕터 70

Vera's POVI pulled away from Elena's embrace, wiping at my tears quickly. "It's nothing. Really. I'm just being emotional. Probably hormones or something."Elena gave me a look that said she didn't believe a single word."Vera," she said gently. "I've known you long enough now to know when you're lying. This isn't hormones. Something happened.""I'm fine," I insisted, trying to smile. "Really, Elena. You don't need to worry about me.""But I do worry." She took my hands in hers. "I've been watching you all day. You haven't left this room. You jump at every sound. You look terrified." She paused. "And I saw those marks on your neck at breakfast."My hand flew to my throat instinctively. I'd tried to cover the bruises with makeup, but they were still visible if you looked close enough."I fell," I said weakly. "Hit my neck on the edge of a table.""Vera." Elena's voice was firm now. "Those are fingerprints. Someone choked you."I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn't come.

Vera's POVBefore I could say anything more, Dante picked me up in his arms. I let out a small gasp of surprise, instinctively wrapping my arms around his neck."Dante, your hands –""I'm fine," he said shortly, carrying me toward the house."But your knuckles are bleeding –""I said I'm fine."His tone left no room for argument. I fell silent, letting him carry me. I could feel the tension radiating from his body. I could feel his barely controlled anger. We reached our room and he set me down gently. Then he locked the door with a sharp click that seemed too loud in the quiet space.Silence fell over us like a heavy blanket. Neither of us spoke or moved. I stood near the bed, my hands twisting together nervously. Dante stood by the door, his back to me, his shoulders rigid with tension.The suffocating silence stretched on. "I'm sorry," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.Dante didn't respond. He didn't turn around either. He just stood there, silent and still.I mo

Vera's POVI stood at the door, my hand on the handle, waiting and hoping that Dante would somehow sense my need and return before I had to leave.But minutes passed and nothing happened. No vehicles approached. No familiar presence touched my mind through the bond."Vera?" Elena's voice behind me was tight with anxiety. "If you're not going, then I have to. Right now. Sofia is running out of time."I turned to look at her. Elena's face was pale but determined. She would go after Sofia no matter what I said. She would walk right into whatever danger waited out there and I couldn't let that happen."I'm going," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "Just give me a minute to prepare."Elena hurried to Sofia's old room and returned with one of Sofia's shirts. "Here. Use this to track her scent."I took the fabric and pressed it to my nose, breathing in deeply. Sofia's scent filled my senses immediately.I focused on that scent, letting my wolf rise close to the surface. She was better a

Vera's POVDaemon.My ex-mate. The man who'd rejected me. The man who'd watched his pack chase me away like a diseased animal.He looked the same as I remembered – tall, handsome in a cold sort of way, with dark hair and eyes that held cruelty rather than warmth."Hello, Vera," he said, his lips curling into a smile that made my skin crawl. "It's been a while."I couldn't speak or even process what I was seeing. Of all the people who could have walked into this room, Daemon was the last person I'd expected.He moved closer, studying me with obvious interest. His eyes traveled over my face, down my body, taking in every detail."You've changed," he observed, reaching out to trace his fingers along my cheek. "You've lost weight. You're actually quite beautiful now."I jerked my head away from his touch, disgust flooding through me. "Don't touch me."Daemon laughed. "Still have that fire, I see. Though I remember you being much more timid before. Much more willing to accept whatever trea

Dante's POVI knew I shouldn't leave. Vera had begged me not to, had told me she had a bad feeling about it. But I'd convinced myself it would be fine. A quick trip to the old compound, grab the documents from the fireproof study, and return before she even noticed I was gone.I'd been wrong.The moment I arrived at the burnt mansion, I knew something was off. The place was too quiet. The kind of silence that came before an ambush.I shifted to human form and approached the study carefully. The window was broken, as expected from the fire damage, so I climbed through.Empty.The study was completely empty. The fireproof safe I'd installed stood open, its contents gone. The shelves that should have held important documents were bare, even the backup files I'd hidden in a false panel had been removed.Someone had cleared out everything of value before I'd arrived."Looking for something?"I spun around to find three rogues climbing through the same window I'd used. Their eyes glowed amb