Thalia's POVI seemed to have lost the ability to breathe when I heard that statement.Ronan had… returned?My mind struggled to grasp the words, to piece them together into something that made sense.I wasn't ready yet… No, I wasn't ready to face him. Not like this.Everything inside me twisted into a tangled knot of longing and fear.For the past week that I had been here, I had wrestled with the ache of missing him, the guilt of what I had done, and the desperate yearning to see him just one more time. And yet, buried beneath all of that, I knew the truth.I was terrified to face him.I remembered clearly the reception I received when I arrived here. The look of pure hatred in his cold red eyes, the way he screamed, threatening me with all the malice he could muster.As much as this was my fault, it still stung like a knife piercing my heart.However, the order he gave to get me out of the dungeon rang through my mind, and doubt crept in.Would he look at me with the same warmth as
Thalia's POVWe barged into the throne room, and almost instantly, the memory of that day hit me like a wave.The cold, unforgiving floor beneath my feet, the weight of silver shackles biting into my wrists. The burning hatred in his voice – Get her out of my sight.I swallowed hard, my throat tightening as my gaze drifted toward the throne.And there he was.Ronan stood tall, his presence commanding even in stillness. He was speaking to Aedric, his expression unreadable, his focus entirely elsewhere. Yet my eyes couldn’t leave him.His long black hair was messier than usual, wild strands falling over his forehead. Blood marred his armor, streaks of crimson standing stark against the dark metal.His red eyes, the ones I used to get lost in, were cold. Empty.I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as a sudden, crushing wave of emotions threatened to consume me.My hand clamped around my mouth, my teeth biting on the flesh in a bid to force myself not to break down right t
Thalia's POVI swallowed hard, my throat dry as sandpaper. My hands trembled at my sides, nails digging into my palms, but I couldn't feel anything beyond the suffocating weight of his stare.I felt like cornered prey, quaking in fear as the predator prowled around me, playing with its meal before finally pouncing.It was a horrible feeling."That you were a maid, huh?" Ronan’s voice dripped with mockery and hurt."Damn." I clenched my eyes shut in fear, my heart stinging at the pain in his voice.I had hoped—prayed—that he wouldn't bring this up, but it seemed my luck had already run out. It wasn’t like I wanted to lie to Hebathi. I just… I did what I had to do to survive.Now, standing under his cold, piercing gaze, I realized how flimsy that lie truly was.It was bad enough that I had been the catalyst that shattered his life. But now, he knew I had also lied about our past relationship. My odds of survival weren’t looking too good at the moment.I sighed, forcing myself to look
Ronan's POVI clenched my jaw, forcing my expression to remain impassive as I watched Thalia crumble before me. Every tear that rolled down her cheek, every tremor that wracked her body, should have satisfied me. This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? To see her broken? To see her suffer the way I had suffered?Then why did my heart ache?I shoved the feeling away, burying it beneath years of rage and betrayal. Thalia had chosen this path. She had left me for Caden. She had destroyed everything we could have been. She deserved this. She deserved every bit of disgrace and punishment I was about to mete out on her. The Moon Goddess thought she could play games with me?That she could string me along like some pathetic puppet?That reviving my wolf depended on me forgiving Thalia? That I had to fall in love with her again to restore Fenris?Fuck that.I would defy her. I would defy fate itself. Fenris was gone. I had accepted that. My bond with my wolf had withered away the moment
Ronan's POVI exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over my face. "I made a mistake, Aedric."His brows furrowed slightly. "What kind of mistake?"I looked him dead in the eye. "I killed the Priestess of the Moon Goddess."---The memory slammed into me like a storm, dragging me back to that night at the Lyravha.I had just emerged from the vision, my breath ragged, my body shaking horribly with the weight of everything that had just been revealed to me.My head throbbed like it had been hit by a carriage, my vision swimming as I tried to steady myself on the floor.The air around me felt suffocating, thick with the scent of my sweat and divine energy.I shook my head, my vision returning a bit. Lysandra was still seated a few feet away, her expression a visage of calm that served to make me even angrier.“Are you al—”“Shut the fuck up!” I roared, rage boiling inside me like a furnace, burning through every rational thought. My heart pounded, my veins thrumming with pure hatred and rage.
Ronan’s POVAedric stared at me, his mouth slightly open, his expression a mix of disbelief and fear. "Alpha, you're not seriously considering going to war with the Lyravha, are you?"I didn’t answer immediately. I just stared at the floor, trying to contain the storm brewing inside my mind. Too many things swarmed my thoughts—the pounding headache, the blood, the memory of Lysandra’s death, Thalia. Everything was a complete mess.Aedric ran a hand through his hair, his voice rising in urgency. "You can't just—Alpha, forgive my tone, but you have to listen to me! Think about this. You killed their Priestess. You’re not just dealing with any enemy now. The Lyravha’s entire foundation is built on their goddess’s influence. You think they’ll just let this slide? The truly scary part about all this is... they have the power to rally all the packs and creatures in Aelor against us. This is... a serious situation! We need... we need to appease them, negotiate..."I was silent for a mom
Thalia's POVRonan's words echoed in the depths of my mind as I walked through the dimly lit passageway of his castle.You’ll tend to the rogues. Oversee their feeding. Their filth.And serve.A sex slave. To him. To his court.No hesitation, no remorse.He passed that judgment with nothing but pure hatred and loathing in his eyes.I clenched my hands, nails digging into my palms as I forced my feet to move.My body felt heavy, like it belonged to someone else, dragging me toward a future I didn’t have the strength to fight.Maybe I deserved it. Maybe this was my punishment.I had broken Ronan. Turned him into the monster he was now. I had no right to protest the consequences.But, goddess, I was so afraid. No… that word was too mundane to accurately describe what I felt. I was utterly terrified of my future here.The wild rogues—the feral ones still somehow trapped in their wolf forms—were unpredictable. Dangerous. Deadly killing machines.Their size alone was a deterrent to anyone
Thalia's POV.Cold.Ice-cold water drenched me, shocking me awake. I gasped, sitting up in a panic, my hair sticking to my face as droplets ran down my skin. My dress clung to my body, heavy with moisture.What the—?I turned sharply, already fuming, ready to snap at whoever dared—Then I saw him.A tall, burly man stood over me, an empty bucket dangling from his fingers. His grin was wide, his eyes had that deep, unsettling red of the people of the rogue dominion, glowing like embers in the dim room.There was something about the way he stood, the way he looked at me, that made my skin crawl and my stomach clench.Behind him, Luka stood stiffly, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. But when our eyes met, he shook his head.It was clearly a warning.Don't.But I was furious. Right now, I couldn’t care less about courtesy because waking someone up from sleep with cold water clearly wasn’t normal behavior."I—""Got a problem, girl?" the man cut me off, his voice deep and gruff, f
Ronan's POVHebathi's brows furrowed. Her voice was low, almost strained. “Why would you go to her?”I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I started pacing, the way I always did when I was trying to outrun my own thoughts. Shadows dragged along the walls with every step I took, and the fire crackled behind me like it had its own heartbeat.“I felt him,” I said finally, voice clipped. “Fenris.”She stiffened.“The moment I laid eyes on Thalia… that first day she was brought here like some offering—I felt him.” I stopped pacing, staring into nothing. “He surfaced.”Hebathi’s breath hitched, barely audible. When I turned to look at her, her eyes were wide. Hurt. Accusing. “You told me you didn’t know why. You said it didn’t mean anything.”“I know,” I muttered, jaw clenching. “I lied. Everything was—overwhelming. I was still trying to piece myself together, and then… she shows up and suddenly the thing I thought was gone—wasn’t.”I resumed pacing, needing to move, needing the motion to ke
Ronan's POVHebathi’s mouth tightened. Still silent. Still listening.I clenched my fists. My knuckles cracked, and I didn’t even feel it. The emotions I tried to keep buried came pouring out before I could stop them.“Then he leaned forward, like he was sharing some big secret. And he said, ‘She doesn’t want you anymore. She’s mine now.’”I felt my voice shake with burning fury. “‘Who would choose a mutt like you over me?’ he said. *‘You live under my rule, eat my scraps, sleep in the dirt. I'm the Alpha of this pack—*of course she chose me.’”My jaw locked. I remembered that moment like it had just happened. The way the room spun. The heat rising in my chest. My wolf, Fenris clawing at my insides, ready to tear something apart.“I told him to shut up. I told him to bring her to me. Let her say it to my face.”My breath came out harsh. Wild. “I begged. I roared. I didn’t care anymore—I just needed to see her. To hear her say it. Even if it destroyed me.”Hebathi flinched slightly.
Ronan's POV“…Everything I tried not to need. Everything I tried to forget.”Hebathi didn’t move.But her silence wasn’t empty. It was waiting.Her eyes narrowed just enough, just barely. “What the hell does that mean, Ronan?”I let out a breath—slow, rough. I couldn’t pace. Couldn’t hide behind anger or silence anymore. So I stood still. Right there in front of her, stripped down to the bone, because pretending I had control was a waste of both our time.“You don’t know everything about me,” I said, voice low. “That was never an accident. I kept my past sealed away—for good reason. But you deserve the truth.”I swallowed the knot in my throat.“Before I became this—Alpha, soldier, sovereign—I was just a man. A pack member. Bloodstone-born. Nothing special. I trained. I hunted. I fought. That was my whole world. And for a while… it was enough.”My chest tightened. The memory crept in without mercy.“Because I had her.”Hebathi’s lips parted slightly. Just a breath. Nothing more.I kep
Ronan's POVWhatever war she’d fought inside herself, she’d won.But me?I was still in the trenches.I yanked my shirt over my head and stalked toward the door. My boots felt like they were dragging the entire damned mountain with them.I can’t have you. Not anymore.Her voice rang in my head like a death knell. Over and over.I didn’t say goodbye. Didn’t promise I’d come back. What was there to say?I was Alpha, yeah. But right now? I didn’t feel like I had control over anything.Not her.Not Hebathi.Not even myself.As I walked through the corridors, my fists stayed clenched at my sides. My jaw locked so tight I thought it might crack. The walls felt too close, the air too still. Every step was heavier than the last, like the storm inside me was leaking into my body, dragging me down.She said no. She told you to leave.And yet… it wasn’t even the rejection that got me. It was how soft she said it. How final. Like she’d already let me go a long time ago and I was just catching up.
Thalia's POVI stood there, frozen, clutching my chest like I could keep my heart from splitting apart. Ronan’s back was the last thing I saw before the door closed behind him. No goodbye. No look back. Just silence.And then—nothing.Except the sound of my own breathing, jagged and uneven.Why did it hurt this much?I slid my fingers over the spot just above my heart, pressing hard. As if pressure could smother the ache. It didn’t. It only made it worse.He left.Of course he did.I told him to. I meant to. I thought I could handle it.But gods, it felt like I’d just ripped out my own ribs and handed them over.I didn’t want him to go. Not really.I wanted him to fight for me. Just once. To look back. To stay.But he didn’t. He never does.I dropped my hand, trembling, and wrapped my arms around myself. The room was too quiet. Too still. It made the screaming in my chest louder.Why was I jealous? Why should I be?Hebathi was strong. Beautiful. Everything I wasn’t.And she loved him,
Ronan's POV“That’s enough,” I said, my voice low, cold, final.The growl hadn’t stopped—if anything, it rumbled deeper in my chest now, vibrating through my bones. I stared Hebathi down, jaw tight, breathing steady, even though every part of me was screaming inside.She didn't flinch. Of course she didn’t.“You don’t get to shut me down, Ronan,” she snapped, stepping forward. “I have every right to ask what the hell is going on!”“You will respect my authority as Alpha.” The words thundered out of me, sharp and absolute. “Or walk away.”Her eyes widened for a heartbeat—hurt, betrayal, something else I didn’t want to name—but then fire took its place.“The least I deserve is an explanation to this whole crap!” she barked back, voice rising to match mine. “You think you can play god with everyone’s lives and toss us aside like we’re nothing?! You owe me, Ronan!”The guilt was there. Twisting like a knife in my chest. I didn’t want to look at her—not when she was standing there with bro
Ronan's POVI stood there like a damn fool, half-dressed and breathless, watching Hebathi stare at me like I’d grown two heads.She was holding a bowl—soup, maybe. I didn’t care. What I cared about was the way her expression shifted: shock, disappointment, anger... then full-blown rage.I could feel the heat from her glare like a slap to the face.The primal, guttural pull that had been twisting in my gut moments ago—my wolf, Fenris no doubt—went deathly silent. As if even he knew we were screwed.I clenched my jaw, every muscle in my body tensing.I wanted to speak. To say something, anything.But what the hell could I say?“Sorry you had to see me groping the girl I swore to stay away from?”Yeah. That would go over real well.I didn’t move. Neither did she.Thalia stood behind me, quiet and small, like she was trying to shrink into the shadows. My body still hummed from touching her, tasting her. Her skin was warm where my hands had just been, and the memory of her soft moan still
Thalia's POVHis lips crashed into mine—hard, unrelenting, unapologetic.There was nothing gentle about it. Nothing like Luka’s soft, hesitant kiss. No slow build, no careful caress. This was fire. This was chaos. This was Ronan.His hands moved with a kind of hunger I wasn’t prepared for.One cupped the side of my neck, tilting my face up as his mouth devoured mine, while the other slid around my waist, dragging me flush against his body. My breath caught—his body was so warm, so solid, so painfully familiar.I should’ve pushed him away. I should’ve asked why. But I didn’t.I didn’t move.Of course I didn’t.Because no matter the hatred and anger he showed towards me, deep down, I missed this. I missed him.His body against mine, his scent, the way he kissed like he was claiming something that had always been his.He kissed me like a man starved—possessive, untamed. Like he was angry at himself for wanting me, and even angrier that I’d let someone else touch me.And goddess… I melted
Thalia's POVI blinked, feeling the blood drain from my face.My breath hitched in my chest, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze.The shock was overwhelming, and I couldn’t make sense of what was happening.Did he see? Did he see everything?My heart pounded in my ears as different thoughts tumbled over each other, threatening to swallow me whole.I had thought we were quick enough, that the kiss had been broken off before anything could escalate.But the way Ronan was looking at me—those eyes, dark and predatory—left me with no doubt.He'd seen everything.“I believe you aren't tongue-tied, Thalia, so answer me.” His voice was low, almost a growl, and I could hear the sharpness in it.He knows. He knows.What do I do?I felt the sweat bead on my skin, a thin sheen of panic slipping down my back.My chest felt tight, the words trapped in my throat.What could I say? What should I say?My mind raced, trying to form something that would explain this, but nothing came. Nothing made s