Liz’s POV
Every bump in the road jolted my bruised body as the van barreled forward through winding backroads. My cheek was pressed against the cold metal floor, and all I could hear was the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears and the muffled growl of the engine.
My lungs burned with every breath. Panic clawed at my throat, threatening to choke me. I had no idea where he was taking me, just that I had to get out. I had to survive.
"Please save me, Lumian," I begged through the bond, my mental voice shaking with fear. My mate, my Alpha. He would come. He had to. I closed my eyes, clinging to the connection, hoping, praying he could feel my fear.
The bond flared to life, but instead of the warmth and concern I’d hoped for, a wave of cold irritation flooded back.
“Liz, stop acting up. I’ll be home tonight.”
My heart dropped. Acting up? I was in a stranger’s van, bleeding and terrified. Why did my mate think I would lie about something like this?
My body ached. Every bruise screamed as the van hit another bump. I was so scared I could hardly breathe. My lips trembled as I tried to speak through the bond again.
“No, Lumian, listen! I’ve been kidnapped—there’s a murderer, I don’t know who he is—”
“You’ve annoyed me enough with your tricks, Liz.”
I blinked back tears. This isn’t a trick. Please, Lumian. It’s not only about me. “Please, Lumian, I truly need help—”
But it was too late. He severed the connection. He left me alone.
The hollow silence that followed was worse than the fear. My breath came out in silent gasps, and my chest tightened until it hurt. He had blocked me out. My mate had blocked me out.
Tears streamed down my face, and I lay there silent, desperate, the panic in my chest twisting tighter with every breath.
I tried again and again to connect with Lumian. But he didn’t reply. Not once.
If only he had a little worry for me. If only he had a little trust in me. He would come.
But he didn’t.
I swallowed the sob that threatened to come out and forced myself to be strong. I had to focus. I had to survive. I could depend on myself. I needed to be strong.
I began to take in my surroundings, searching for anything, any chance to escape. My eyes caught a curve in the road up ahead, trees thick and dense outside the window. I didn’t think. I acted.
I kicked out with every ounce of strength I had left, smashing at the side door until it jolted open mid-turn. The man swore and reached back, but I threw myself out of the moving van before he could get his hands on me.
Pain exploded through my body as I hit the ground, rolling hard and fast over dirt, rocks, and roots. My shoulder cracked painfully. Blood filled my mouth. My vision spun.
But I was out.
I forced myself to my feet, staggering into the woods. My legs barely worked, but I pushed forward. The forest swallowed me whole as I ran, branches slicing across my skin, my breath hitching in ragged sobs.
I could still hear the van screeching to a stop somewhere behind me. The chase had begun. "Please, Lumian… help me…"
But there was still no answer.
I could feel him, whoever he was, getting closer. I turned, trying to hide, trying to.
Too late.
A flash of movement. A blade. Pain, sharp and merciless, plunged into my chest. My knees buckled from underneath me. I dropped to the ground, breathless, gasping.
Blood soaked my shirt. My vision dimmed. “Lumian…” I whispered, reaching out one last time.
But darkness swallowed me whole.
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it seemed like only a moment had passed.
White light. Blinding. Then, sterile walls.
I blinked, disoriented. My body didn’t hurt. Was I alive? Did Lumian come and save me? Then I saw him.
Lumian.
He was by a hospital bed—not mine. No—Judy’s. The former Beta’s daughter and Lumian’s childhood sweetheart. Her golden hair shimmered against the pillow as she leaned into him, her voice soft and full of affection.
The tenderness in his eyes knocked the air out of me. He had never looked at me like that. Not once. I had spent years at his side, filling every role, quieting my own needs, hoping that one day he'd choose me not just because of the mate bond but because he wanted me. But seeing him now, the way his fingers brushed Judy’s arm, the way his gaze lingered on her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world, it shattered something inside me.
I stepped forward instinctively, desperate to feel the bond between us, reaching for his arm, but my hand passed right through him. Cold gripped me. My fingers shook.
The realisation sank in like ice. I might be dead. The thought pressed against my chest like a crushing weight, stealing the breath I no longer had. Was this what it felt like—death? This aching void, this numb silence, this cruel clarity that I was no longer part of the world I had fought so hard to stay in?
I wasn’t ready. I had fought. I had begged. I didn’t want to go like this, not alone, not hated, not misunderstood. And yet, here I was, stuck between life and whatever came next, watching the man I loved comfort someone else while I faded into nothing.
“No…”
I tried to speak to him. "Lumian, please, you have to be able to feel me,". I tried to cry. But nothing reached him. It was like acting out a one-woman show with no audience.
And somewhere deep inside, I knew I had died without ever being heard.
“Judy, how are you feeling?” Lumian asked gently. The sound of his voice held a softness I had begged for during our three years together.
“I’m getting stronger every day, thanks to you. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said, her eyes warm with adoration.
My heart felt as though, at any second, it would shatter into a million pieces.
Everything I had done to be a good Luna, to be his mate, meant nothing.
I had died calling for him. And he was here smiling, comforting another woman.
His first love.
The one he never stopped loving.
He would rather believe that this was a trick of mine than spare any energy to think about the fear and terror in my words.
“I need to head home. It’s late,” he said, though there was a trace of reluctance in his voice. My dead heart fluttered.
“Stay, please. Just a while longer,” Judy murmured.
He smiled and leaned in, brushing a kiss to her forehead. “Tomorrow. I promise.”
That kiss tore something open in me. I had begged for scraps of affection. And she received it so easily.
I stood there, invisible and broken, watching the man who was supposed to be mine. Our fated bond meant nothing to him; instead, his heart still cradled his childhood sweetheart.
A sob ripped through me, soundless, helpless.
“Why, Lumian?” I whispered into the silence, my voice drifting through the air like ash. But no one answered.
No one ever would.
Liz’s POV“Liz, I’m home,” Lumian’s voice echoed through the empty house. I followed him inside, drifting like a ghost because that’s what I was. Everything was exactly as I had left it this morning, and still, he looked annoyed."Liz?" he called again, impatience curling around his tone like smoke.The silence that followed was suffocating. He stood there for a moment, looking around the room, then scowled.“Chucking another one of her stupid tantrums,” he muttered with a shake of his head.My chest twisted. Anger surged in my veins, mixing with despair. A tantrum? Was that really what he thought of me? After everything I had done, everything I had become to be the Luna he needed?For three years, I had done everything for him. I cooked, cleaned, stood by his side during every pack gathering, fought his battles when others doubted us and carried his burdens without ever asking for anything in return. I tried to be the best mate I could possibly be.Everything he needed, I gave. Every
Liz’s POVLumian closed the door with a sigh, muttering a quiet goodbye to Robert before turning back into the house. I followed him, still calling out, still begging him to listen.“Please, Lumian,” I said, though I knew he couldn’t hear me. “He’s lying. Why can’t you see it?”He walked slowly back into the kitchen, running his hands through his hair again before sinking down into a chair. I hovered nearby, watching him, a storm of emotion raging inside me.Why would Robert lie?Why would he pretend he hadn’t seen me yesterday after what he said? The memory rushed back in full force.I had been running around the packhouse all morning, double-checking everything for Lumian’s birthday. I wanted it to be perfect even though he barely noticed me anymore, even though he hadn’t smiled at me in weeks. I still wanted to show him I cared about him.I had just stepped outside to head into town when I saw Robert walking down the path alone. I hesitated. Something about the way he looked at me
Liz’s POV“Good morning, Alpha,” Carlos said as he stood up from his seat the moment Lumian walked into Judy’s hospital room.My breath caught in my throat.“Carlos.”My brother. My blood. The one person who had promised time and time again that he’d always have my back. That no matter what happened, he would never let the world hurt me.He was here.Hope burst in my chest like a flame, wild and bright.“Carlos!” I gasped, stepping forward. “It’s me… I’m here. I need you. Please, feel me. Just feel me.”If anyone could sense me—it had to be him.I moved closer, breathless, trembling, reaching for him as though I could will our bond to come alive. He was just an arm’s length away. If I could just—My hand went right through his shoulder.Air. Empty. Cold. Nothing.“No,” I breathed, already reaching again, heart hammering in panic. “No, no, please—Carlos, please!”I tried again. And again. I waved my hands. I shouted in his ear. “Please, Carlos” I begged. But he didn’t even flinch. He co
Liz’s POV“What happened to me wasn’t Liz’s fault,” Judy said softly, glancing between Lumian and Carlos.My breath hitched.Finally… was she going to tell the truth?I stepped forward instinctively, hope flickering inside my chest like a candle fighting the wind.But Carlos just shook his head with a sigh, his arms folded tight across his chest.“You don’t have to keep covering for her, Judy,” he said. “We all know Liz was jealous. She never wanted you here, and you left because she made you feel unwelcome.”The words hit harder than I expected. Like a slap.“No,” I said, voice trembling even though no one could hear me. “That’s not what happened. I never asked her to leave…”I looked at Judy, pleading silently. But she said nothing more. She let Carlos believe it.“But honestly, I’m just glad you're back. I wish she hadn’t been hurt, but after three years of begging you to come home…” he paused, his voice growing warmer, “I’m happy you finally did.”The world seemed to tilt.I blink
Liz’s POV“Please, Lumian,” Judy called out, her voice soft—desperate. “Please don’t go to her. If you tell her I was the one who told you, it’ll only make things worse. She’ll hate me.”I froze.Hate her?I was already dead. What more damage could possibly be done?I watched Lumian’s back as he strode toward the door, my breath catching in my throat.He wouldn’t stop.Not this time.For the first time, he was choosing me.A part of me ached for it.For him to walk out that door, to come searching for me like I had always wished he would.But then… he stopped.I felt my stomach drop.No.Not again.Slowly, he turned back to Judy.I let out a breath—shaky, disbelieving, breaking.He stopped for her. He chose her.Again.Judy lowered her eyes, her fingers twisting the edge of her blanket. “I’m sorry, Lumian,” she murmured. “I thought she already told you… since everyone else knew.”A cold laugh slipped from my lips. I couldn’t help it.“Liar,” I muttered, my ghostly form trembling with
Liz’s POV“There’s something wrong with Liz,” he choked out, his breath ragged. His hand pressed harder against his chest like he was trying to keep something inside from shattering.Carlos frowned. “What do you mean?”I took a step closer, my ghostly form hovering just behind them, but suddenly…Everything felt off.The room blurred. Their voices became distant, muffled—like I was underwater. I tried to focus, to listen, but their words slipped through my grasp, fading into nothingness.Panic tightened in my chest.I couldn’t hear them.I always heard them.Something was wrong.A strange sensation crawled over my skin, like static in the air before a storm. My fingertips tingled, my body growing lighter and unsteady.I looked down.My hands were flickering.No.No, no, no—I tried to move, to speak, to do something, but my body wasn’t obeying me.I was fading.Disappearing.And I had no idea why.My vision darkened at the edges, a crushing weight pressing in on me. It was suffocating
Liz’s POVLumian was still gripping his chest, his knuckles white, each breath shallow and strained.He was panicking.“Something’s really wrong,” he rasped, his voice cracking as he looked around the hospital room like he was searching for answers in the air. “I can feel it. Something’s happened to Liz.”I stood in the corner of the room, watching him closely—watching both of them. The panic twisting through his face, the confusion darkening his eyes… It should have comforted me.But it didn’t.I wasn’t the same ghost that had been tethered to him by longing.Now, I was watching for something else.A truth.A clue.A sign that someone here had a hand in what happened to me.Lumian staggered slightly, and Carlos placed a steady hand on his shoulder.“Alpha?” Carlos said, his brow furrowing. “You’re pale. Sit down.”“No,” Lumian snapped, brushing his hand away. “I need to reach her. Something’s wrong—I can feel it through the bond.”His eyes glazed for a moment, and I knew he was tryi
Liz’s POVWe were moving.For the first time since I died, they were moving for me.Carlos drove, his jaw tight, eyes set straight ahead. Lumian sat in the passenger seat, hands clenched in his lap. I could feel his wolf just beneath the surface, restless, pacing, snapping at the confines of his skin.They didn’t speak. There was too much tension. I watched Lumian steal glances out the window, his leg bouncing restlessly as if he expected to see me walking on the side of the road.You’re too late, I wanted to whisper.But still… some broken, desperate part of me hoped he wasn’t.We pulled up outside Diana’s house. My Diana. My best friend. The only person who had ever truly seen me loved me without expectation or condition.She opened the door a few seconds after Carlos knocked. Her brows furrowed when she saw who it was.“Carlos? Lumian?” Her gaze darted between them. “What’s wrong?”Lumian’s voice was hoarse. “Is Liz here?”Diana blinked, clearly startled. “No…” Her face paled. “Wh
Liz’s POV Everything happened so fast from there. Lumian still stood frozen; his lips parted, eyes locked on Robert like he couldn’t comprehend the words. He didn't want to believe that his trust beta would say them. Arthur took a step forward, his face filled with rage, and his body tensed like a coil ready to strike. I thought he was going to grab Robert, demand answers, throw him against the wall, and do something. But he didn’t get the chance. The door slammed open behind them, and Carlos stormed in. “What the fuck did you just say?” Carlos growled, eyes wild and locked on Robert. He didn’t wait for a reply. Carlos lunged forward like a bullet, slamming into Robert so hard they both crashed to the floor. Robert didn’t even try to defend himself. He just lay there, eyes hollow, mouth slightly parted like he’d already surrendered to whatever punishment Carlos had in store. “You killed her!” Carlos screamed, his fists crashing down onto Robert’s face with bone-snapping force.
Liz’s POVI was tired of listening to the fighting, the shouting, and the way Lumian’s voice filled the room as if it still held weight as if he had the right to speak for me. As if anything he said could undo the damage.Arthur was trying. I could see that. Every word he flung was for me. He wanted the truth no one else was willing to dig deep enough to face. And for that, I was grateful in ways I didn’t know how to say out loud. If I still had a heart to give, I think it would’ve reached for him then.But Lumian?He was still trying to protect his own comfort and reputation as alpha. Still denying, hiding behind “my Beta wouldn’t lie” and “Sura confessed,” as if that was enough. One scared omega could’ve done all of this alone. He hadn't just failed me. He had failed the whole pack by being so wrapped up in Judy and letting someone come into his pack and take one of his own. I could feel it in my bones that soon, the pack would begin to question him as their alpha.I couldn’t stand
Arthur’s POVI told myself I was going to be civil. That I would walk into Lumian’s office, ask a few questions, and keep my temper buried beneath whatever scraps of control I had left.But the moment I neared his door, I felt the pressure building again tight and hot, like a dam ready to burst.I stepped inside without knocking.Lumian looked like hell. He was slouched over his desk, elbows pressed into the wood, his hands running through his hair like he’d been clawing for clarity that wouldn’t come. A cup of coffee sat untouched beside him, long gone cold.When he lifted his head, the shadows beneath his eyes were deeper than I’d ever seen them. But the tension between us crackled instantly.“Alpha King Arthur,” he said, flat and guarded.I didn’t waste time. “Did you speak with Robert?” He nodded once. “Yeah. I did.”“And?”Lumian leaned back. The chair creaked beneath him. “Same as before. He said he didn’t see Liz that day.”My jaw tightened. “That’s a lie.” “You don’t know that
Robert’s POV I left Judy’s room in silence. Her denials, her hurt expression they, echoed in my mind, but I couldn’t focus on any of it. I didn’t know if she was lying or not. At this point, I didn’t know anything. My head was spinning, my chest tight. I just needed to think to work it all out. I headed toward the edge of the compound, away from the crowd, away from the whispers and the guilt I could feel crawling under my skin. The further I walked, the heavier my legs became. I sat on a bench just outside the old training ring, elbows on my knees, palms pressed together. And then I started to go over it minute by minute. The day Liz disappeared. I had been stationed near the south gate. I remember it clearly because nothing felt unusual… until Judy linked me. She had sounded panicked. Said Liz forced her to leave. Said she was scared. Told me I had to stop her. So, I left my post. Fifteen minutes. That’s all. I found Liz. Running errands being the perfect luna tha
Robert’s POV I didn’t stop to think. I just went straight to her. Her room was as pristine as ever, with flowers in a vase by the window and a book half-open on the armrest. She looked up as I walked in, surprised but not alarmed. “Robert?” Her voice was soft, light. “What’s wrong?” I closed the door behind me. “We need to talk.” She sat up slowly, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “Of course. About what?” “You,” I said, keeping my voice low. “And Liz.” Her eyes didn’t change not right away. But I saw it. A flicker of tension beneath the calm. “I remembered something,” I continued. “The day Liz went missing… You mind-linked me. Said she forced you to leave. That you were upset and scared that she was going to do it again.” She nodded slowly. “I remember.” “I left my post,” I said. “Because of you.” She blinked at me as if waiting for the point. “I need to know the truth, Judy.” I stepped closer. “Did you lie to me? Did Liz really force you out of the pack or had
Robert’s POVThe mind-link came through.“Robert. Come to my office. Now.” Lumian’s voice was clipped, strained, barely masking the edge of something darker beneath.I hadn’t slept. Not properly. Not since they found her. Not since I saw her lying there, cold and still, and realised it was too late to fix the things I never said.I didn’t ask questions. Just shifted direction and headed straight for his office.When I stepped in, he was already pacing. His movements were restless, the way they got when something didn’t sit right.He stopped when he saw me. “Arthur seems to believe you saw Liz the day she went missing,” he said, getting straight to the point.His words knocked the wind straight out of me, and I struggled to stand there. I did.But I hadn’t told anyone that. The only other person who knew… was Liz. I stared at Lumian, my mouth suddenly dry. “Why would he think that?” Lumian narrowed his eyes. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”For a moment, I couldn’t speak. I coul
Arthur’s POVI sat at the side of the room, arms crossed tightly over my chest, as one by one, the guards and staff filtered in. Liz sat beside me, quiet, unmoving.Lumian asked most of the questions. His voice was clipped and mechanical as if he were just trying to get through the process.The guards answered everything the same way. No, they hadn’t seen her leave again after coming home from shopping. Yes, they had been on duty. No, nothing unusual. It felt rehearsed like they’d all convinced themselves there was nothing to question in the first place.My eyes drifted toward Liz. Her face was unreadable, but her hands were clenched tightly in her lap. She studied everyone, even Lumian. And every time he brushed past a detail or cut off a question, her jaw tensed.The last guard exited, and silence fell over the room. Lumian leaned back in his chair with a frustrated sigh, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.“We’ve gotten nothing,” he muttered. “All of them saying the same thing
Lumian’s POVI hadn’t moved all night.The ballroom was quiet now. The scent of her still lingered, soft and haunting beneath the sharp tang of blood and grief. I had been sitting there beside her body for hours through the silence, the dark, and the ache that wouldn’t leave my chest.Her lifeless face was the only thing I saw when I closed my eyes… and when they were open.She didn’t look angry. Or scared. She looked peaceful. And somehow, that made it worse. Because she hadn’t died peacefully, she had died scared, alone. Begging for someone to help her. Begging for me.And I hadn’t come.I’d failed her.Not just as her mate but as her Alpha.My legs ached when I finally stood. The early light of morning bled through the high windows, pale and unwelcome. A new day had started. But it didn’t feel like something new had begun. It felt like something had ended.I gave her one last glance.“I’m sorry,” I whispered, though it wasn’t nearly enough.I don’t know how I made it to the hallwa
Liz’s POVIt should’ve felt satisfying. Seeing Lumian fall apart, Carlos screams and fights like his heart has only just started beating again. I should’ve felt vindicated.But all I felt was hollow.There was a part of me that had clung to the idea that maybe they cared. That maybe somewhere deep in their souls, they’d felt me slipping away and regretted it. But what I saw in that ballroom wasn’t regret. It was a reaction. They panicked as they realised it was too late.Carlos had looked broken, his grief so raw it had cracked open the room. But I didn’t know what to do with that. He was my brother. He was supposed to protect me. He was supposed to know me better. And Lumian… he was supposed to love me.Instead, I lay in the middle of a room full of strangers who once called me their Luna, and not one of them had come looking for me.Not even him.Arthur’s hand never left mine. He held onto me like he knew that if he let go, I might vanish completely. When he pulled me from that room