Chapter 9

LEAH

We were at the hospital and for some reason I felt very nervous, but I really wanted to know what's going on with my wolf. If I really did have a wolf, then why haven't I shifted since I was born.

The door flew open, and the doctor walked in with a look on his face that sent chills down my spine, he kept on rereading the paper over and over again that was very obvious, but I didn't question what he was doing

“What does the reply say?” Dante asked, and the doctor finally stopped looking at the papers and smiled sadly.

“She was poisoned with blood werewolf, but she'll be fine after taking this” He gave Dante the bottle, but he was shivering in fear and his eyes held worry, but I couldn't place it

He wasn't telling us something and from the way Dante was looking at me, he knew that as well

“Thank you” I got out of the bed and held on to Dante. Even if I want to know what's going on I fear it's news that's I'll break me and that's something I was not ready to hear or let Dante hear as well.

I took a deep breath, my hands clenched into fists as I sat beside Dante in the sleek black SUV. The ride to Darren’s pack felt too long, yet not long enough. My heart pounded against my ribs, an erratic drumbeat that refused to settle. I was about to officially sever ties with the man who had destroyed me, but instead of feeling triumphant, a nagging anxiety filled at my insides.

Dante must have sensed my unease because he reached over and rested his large, warm hand over mine.

“We’re almost there. Just breathe, Leah. Once this is done, he’ll never be able to touch you again.”

I swallowed hard and nodded. I wanted to believe him. I really did. But the past had a way of haunting me, of reminding me that things were never that easy.

When we arrived at Darren’s pack house, the tension in the air was suffocating. The guards at the gate hesitated before letting us in, their wary eyes flicking to Dante, whose presence alone exuded power and authority. No one dared to stop him.

Darren was waiting for us in his office, sprawled behind his desk like a king on his throne. A smug grin stretched across his face as he leaned back in his chair. “Well, well. To what do I owe the honor?” His gaze flicked to me, lingering in a way that made my skin crawl.

Dante’s grip on my waist tightened, a silent warning. “You know why we’re here. Sign the divorce papers. Now.”

Darren chuckled, reaching for the document Dante slid across the desk and that's when realization hit me, Darren doesn't know who Dante is. He had only met Gareth but not Dante.

“You seem eager, Leah. Can’t wait to be rid of me?” His tone dripped with mockery, but I ignored him. I had nothing left to say to this man.

He didn’t even bother reading the papers before grabbing a pen and scrawling his signature at the bottom. “There. Happy now?” He smirked as he pushed the documents back toward Dante.

The moment his hand left the papers, something inside me snapped.

A sudden, invisible force coiled around my soul like a noose, pulling tight until I could barely breathe. My body went rigid, and an overwhelming wave of nausea hit me. I gasped, clutching my chest as a deep, unfamiliar sensation surged through me, like a thread binding me to something, someone.

Darren’s expression shifted from smug satisfaction to pure horror. His hand shot to his chest, his face paling as he stumbled back. His breathing came in ragged pants, eyes wide with disbelief.

“What, what the hell is this?!” he choked out.

Dante was beside me instantly, his strong hands gripping my shoulders. “Leah? What’s wrong?” His voice was sharp, urgent, but I could barely process his words over the roaring in my ears.

I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that something had changed. Something had twisted inside me, anchoring me to Darren in a way that made my stomach churn with disgust.

Darren’s eyes snapped to me, realization dawning in their depths. “The bond, it’s back.” His voice was barely above a whisper, laced with horror and something else I couldn’t quite place.

Dante’s expression darkened, his muscles tensing like a predator ready to strike. “That’s impossible. The bond should’ve broken the moment you signed the divorce papers.”

Darren shook his head violently. “No. No, this, this wasn’t supposed to happen!” His hands clenched into fists, and a look of panic flickered across his face before being masked by anger.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as I realized the truth. The mate bond, the one I thought was severed had somehow reattached itself the moment Darren signed those papers. But how? And why?

I looked at Dante, desperate for answers, but his face was a mask of barely contained rage. His golden eyes darkened, glowing with the barely suppressed fury of his lycan. “Someone tampered with this bond. This isn’t natural.”

Darren’s face twisted with fury. “I didn’t do this!”

Dante growled low in his throat, the sound sending a shiver through the room. “You expect me to believe that?” He took a menacing step forward, but Darren quickly raised his hands in surrender.

“I swear! I wanted her gone as much as she wanted to leave!” Darren’s voice cracked, panic bleeding into his words. “This, it’s like someone forced it back into place!”

The room fell into an eerie silence as the weight of his words settled over us.

“Who could do that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. My hands trembled at my sides.

Dante exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Only someone powerful.”

Darren cursed under his breath, pacing like a caged animal. “This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.”

“No,” Dante agreed, his voice low and lethal. “It’s not.”

My breathing was uneven as I tried to process everything. Just when I thought I was finally free, fate twisted the knife deeper. Whoever had done this had planned it perfectly, had ensured that my ties to Darren weren’t just legal but something much worse.

The mate bond was back. And now, I had no idea how to break it.

The air in the room crackled with tension. I felt like I was suffocating. I needed to get out, to breathe, to think.

But before I could take a step, the door burst open with a deafening crash.

A warrior from Darren’s pack stumbled inside, his face bloody, his eyes wild with terror. “Alpha! We’re under attack!”

Everything happened at once. The walls trembled with the force of explosions outside. The scent of fire and blood filled the air. Darren swore and rushed past the warrior, barking orders at his men.

Dante’s grip on me tightened as he turned me to face him. “Stay close to me. Don’t leave my side.”

I barely had time to nod before the chaos erupted into the room. Rogue wolves stormed inside, their eyes filled with madness and bloodlust. Darren’s warriors clashed with them, the sounds of snarls, growls, and flesh tearing filling the air.

Dante moved like a shadow, a blur of lethal grace as he tore through the rogues with terrifying efficiency. Blood splattered across the walls, the scent of death thickening by the second.

I pressed myself against the desk, my heart racing as I tried to stay out of the way. But then, I saw him.

A rogue, larger than the others, his eyes glowing red with rage. He locked onto me and charged, his claws gleaming in the dim light.

I barely had time to react before he was on me, knocking me to the ground. A sharp pain exploded through my shoulder as his claws tore through my flesh.

I screamed, struggling against his crushing weight. He bared his fangs, ready to sink them into my throat.

But before he could, a snarl ripped through the air.

Dante.

He moved so fast I could barely see him. One second, the rogue was on top of me, and the next, his head was rolling across the floor, his body collapsing in a heap beside me.

Dante stood over me, his chest heaving, his golden eyes glowing with raw fury. “Are you hurt?”

I nodded shakily, pressing a hand to my bleeding shoulder. “I… I’m fine.”

He exhaled sharply before pulling me to my feet. The battle raged around us, but I barely heard it.

All I could focus on was the way Dante held me, the way his fingers trembled slightly as he checked me over.

And the way my heart ached with something far more dangerous than fear.

The bond with Darren had returned.

And I had no idea what that meant for me and Dante. Will he cancel the contract?