All Chapters of When I’m Gone, You Love: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Lydia’s povI'd thought I could slip away quietly or disappear into the unclaimed territories where no one knew my name, where I could start over and pretend the last three years had never happened.I was wrong."There she is!" Someone screeched, "That's the mistress! The one who killed Elena!"They descended on me like a pack of rabid wolves.Hands grabbed my hair, my clothes, my arms. Someone ripped my suitcase from my grip and threw it open, scattering my belongings across the dirty floor. I tried to run, but there were too many of them screaming the same words."Whore!""Murderer!""You deserve to die!"A fist connected with my jaw. I hit the ground hard. Kicks rained down on my ribs, my back, my stomach. I curled into a ball, trying to protect myself, but they kept coming."She stole Elena's mate!""She bought the heart that could have saved her!""Monster! She's a monster!"I don't know how long it lasted. An eternity of pain and hatred and the crushing weight of a world that ha

BlakeJacob stopped the car at the edge of a clearing where a stone building emerged from the forest like something grown rather than built looked like it had been standing there for a thousand years."This is as far as I go." Jacob's voice was flat. "The witches don't like wolves on their territory. You'll have to walk from here."I climbed out of the car without arguing.The path to the building was marked by pale stones that glowed faintly in the dim forest light. I followed them with unsteady steps, my body still weak from the hospital, my heart pounding with something that might have been hope or terror.A woman met me at the entrance.She was young or appeared young, with the ageless quality that marked all practitioners of the old magic. Her eyes were silver, reflecting the light like mirrors, and when she spoke, her voice carried an echo that seemed to come from somewhere far away."You are Blake." Not a question. "The mate.""Yes. I need to see the head witch. I need to see E

Beatrice's POVThe chains around my wrists loosened with a dull click. The sudden lightness made my arms feel wrong, unsteady."Remove your clothes."The voice was calm. Uninterested. That frightened me more than anger ever could.Blindfolded, I stood still, my heart pounding. I didn't know where I was. I didn't know who was watching. I only knew that resisting without sight or strength would be pointless.I swallowed and nodded.My fingers shook as I untied the knots. Each piece of clothing hitting the floor felt like another shield stripped away. I focused on breathing, reminding myself that survival mattered more than pride. I had been raised to endure humiliation if it protected something greater. Right now, that something was my life.When I finished, I wrapped my arms around myself. The air felt cold against my skin.Hands reached up and pulled the blindfold away.Light burned behind my eyes. I gasped, blinking hard until shapes sharpened: stone walls, iron bars, torchlight flic

Beatrice's POVCedrick caught my ankle and pinned it to the mattress. Then the other. His weight settled over me, and the fight went out of my legs but not out of my eyes. I glared up at him with every ounce of hatred I could gather, and I wanted him to see it. I wanted him to know that whatever he took from me, he would never take my willingness.My wolf had gone quieter now, not silent but watchful, pressed low inside me and waiting for an opening. She had never submitted to anyone before, and she wasn't about to start tonight.Cedrick did not hesitate.He took my stillness as permission. He moved onto the bed and pulled me toward him, his grip rough and unforgiving. I flinched as his hands found the collar of my shirt. His fingers closed around the fabric and pulled, and the sound of it tearing was loud and final in the quiet room.Cool air hit my skin. I tried to turn my face away, but his hand caught my jaw and held me there, forcing me to look at him while his other hand pushe

Beatrice’s PovI slid off the bed slowly, my legs stiff and sore as my feet touched the cold floor. The room felt different in the daylight, less monstrous but no less oppressive. Dark stone walls rose high around me, decorated with banners bearing Cedrick’s crest. Heavy furniture dominated the space, carved and imposing, each piece designed to command rather than comfort.This wasn’t a bedroom meant for rest. It was a throne disguised as a private chamber, built to remind anyone inside it who held power.As I turned, I noticed a door I hadn’t fully registered the night before. I approached it cautiously and pushed it open, only to freeze where I stood.The bathroom beyond it was enormous.It was larger than the entire bathing chamber in my family’s castle, and the sight of it stole my breathShelves lined the walls, filled with oils, soaps, and towels softer than anything I had ever touched. There was a dressing area as well, complete with mirrors framed in silver and a long counter