(Diane)
I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms to keep from lunging at Savannah. I wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of seeing me lose control. Instead, I straightened my spine, forcing myself to meet Victor’s gaze.
“So this is who you are,” I said coldly, my voice steadier than I thought it would be. “A liar. A cheat. A coward.”
Victor just stares at me, his expression unreadable, his silence louder than any excuse or justification he could have mustered.
My chest burns, anger and betrayal clawing at me, but before I can say another word, a familiar, sharp tug pulls at my mind.
The mind-link.
My father.
“What is it, Dad?” I respond, forcing my voice to sound light, chipper even.
I can’t let him hear the strain in my tone. He’s been under so much pressure lately, dealing with setbacks in the pack’s business dealings.
Victor, has been helping him, but the weight of it all has been wearing him down. The last thing I want is to add to his burden with… whatever this is.
For a moment, the link is silent, heavy with something I can’t quite place. Then his voice comes through, quiet, strained, almost like a whisper carried in the wind.
“I’m sorry,” he says, the words hitting me like a blow.
“Take care of your mother for me.”
And then—nothing.
The link cuts off, leaving behind a suffocating void where his presence had been.
My heart drops, my breath catching in my throat.
“Dad? Dad!” Panic rises in my chest, my voice trembling as I try to reconnect, to reach him through the link. “What’s wrong? Answer me!”
Nothing.
The silence is deafening, and a cold dread seeps into my bones. Nina whimpers, pacing anxiously within me.
“Something’s wrong,” she growls, her usual sharpness now tinged with fear.
I stumble back from the room, the scene before me forgotten as my mind races. My father’s words replay over and over, each time tightening the knot in my chest.
Victor's lips twisted into a smirk, one so infuriatingly calm it made my blood boil.
He leaned back casually, the dim light catching the sharp angles of his jaw as if he were posing for a magazine cover.
His emerald-green eyes gleamed with amusement, the corner of his mouth quirking upward in a way that made Nina snarl.
With deliberate slowness, he raised his right hand, shaping it into a mock gun, his index and middle fingers forming the barrel while his thumb cocked back as the hammer.
Then, without breaking eye contact, he brought the "gun" to his mouth and pulled the "trigger."
“Bang,” he mouthed, the sound soft yet deliberate.
Savannah erupted into laughter, a shrill, grating sound that echoed off the walls like nails on a chalkboard.
She tossed her head back dramatically, her blonde hair shimmering under the warm light as though she were in a performance.
The laugh wasn’t just mocking—it was theatrical, high-pitched, and far too long. She clutched at her stomach as if she couldn’t contain the hilarity, leaning into Victor as if he’d just delivered the punchline of the century.
“Oh, my goddess!” she managed to gasp between giggles, wiping a nonexistent tear from her eye. “That’s *so* good, babe. The timing? *Perfect!*”
Her laughter crescendoed again, now verging on hysterical, the sound so forced and exaggerated it grated against my already fraying nerves.
My fists clenched at my sides, my nails digging into my palms as I stared at them.
The air between us crackled with tension, their mockery hanging heavy in the room.
Nina growled furiously, pacing with renewed energy, demanding I unleash her wrath.
But I didn’t move. I couldn’t.
My mind was spinning, torn between my father’s cryptic message and the burning betrayal searing through my chest. Victor’s smugness, Savannah’s shrieking laugh—it all blurred together, fading into the background as my father’s last words echoed in my mind.
The knot in my stomach tightened as dread clawed its way up my spine.
The sound of my mother’s scream pierces through the walls of the pack house as I burst through the door.
It’s raw, guttural, like the cry of a wounded animal—so unlike her usual composed demeanor that it sends a chill straight to my bones.
My legs move on instinct, rushing toward the sound even as dread coils tighter around my heart with every step.
When I find her, the scene before me is worse than anything I could have imagined. She’s on the floor, cradling my father in her arms. Blood is everywhere—on her clothes, her hands, even streaked across her face as if she’d wiped away tears with crimson-stained fingers.
“NO! No, no, no!” she wails, rocking him back and forth. Her voice cracks with every syllable, the sound shredding whatever composure I had left.
Her usually sharp green eyes are wild, unfocused, rimmed with red as tears stream down her face.
My father’s head lolls limply against her shoulder, his skin pale, his chest unmoving.
The pungent tang of blood fills the air, thick and suffocating. The floor beneath them is slick with it, a dark, spreading pool that stains the wooden planks. My father’s shirt is soaked through, and a gaping wound on his side glares at me like a silent accusation.
I take a shaky step forward, my voice trembling. “Mom…”
Her head snaps up at the sound of my voice, but there’s no recognition in her eyes—only raw, unfiltered rage. She bares her teeth at me, a low, animalistic snarl rumbling from her throat as she clutches my father tighter. Her bloodied hands grip him as though she can shield him from me, her entire body trembling with adrenaline and grief.
I freeze, my outstretched hand faltering. “Mom, it’s me,” I say softly, trying to keep my voice steady despite the panic rising in my chest. “It’s okay. Let me help.”
But she sneers at me, her lips curling back to reveal her teeth. Her eyes flicker with something feral, something unhinged, and the snarl grows louder.
“She doesn’t know who you are right now,” Nina says quietly, her voice heavy with sorrow. “She’s too far gone.”
(Diane)My heart twists painfully at the words. My mother—my strong, unshakable mother—had never looked so broken, so utterly lost. Her grief has consumed her, leaving no room for reason or recognition. I take a cautious step closer, keeping my hands visible and my movements slow. “Mom, please,” I pleaded. “Her snarl turns into a growl, her whole body trembling as though she’s on the verge of shifting. She looks at me like I’m an enemy, and Nina growls softly in the back of my mind, urging caution. I stop moving, swallowing hard as I look down at my father’s lifeless form. My chest tightens painfully, and a lump forms in my throat. This can’t be happening.Tears blur my vision as I try to think, try to figure out how to reach her, how to bring her back from this. But her eyes… they’re filled with too much pain, too much loss. And I know—this moment has broken something in her that can never be fixed.I swallow my sobs, forcing the lump in my throat down as I turn away from my m
(Diane)The room tilted for a moment, my head swimming with rage and disbelief. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to focus on his face, to memorize every line and curve of the man who had just declared war on everything I held dear. “You won’t get away with this,” I said, my voice low and venomous. He laughed—a short, mocking sound that grated against my frayed nerves. “Oh, sweet girl,” he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk. “I already have.”Tears sting my eyes, hot and relentless, but I refuse to let them fall. My gaze locks on Victor's face, cold and unyielding, unwilling to show him even a shred of weakness. My father’s voice echoes faintly in my mind, urging me to be strong. He leans back in the chair, his smug expression twisting into something darker, something vile. “Listen carefully to what will happen now, my dear fiancée.” The word drips with mockery, as though he relishes twisting the knife deeper into my heart. “You and your mother…” He pau
(Diane)With a violent shove, he threw me to the ground, my back slamming against the cold, hard floor. Pain radiated through me, but I barely had time to register it before Victor was on me, pinning me down with his weight. His hands clamped around my wrists, forcing them above my head as I thrashed beneath him.I tried to fight back, but he was too strong. Nina howled in fury, her energy surging through me, but Victor was relentless, his strength far beyond anything I could match.“Stop struggling,” he hissed, his face inches from mine, his breath hot and sharp. “You think you’re the victim here? You have no idea what it feels like to be cast aside, to be nothing while someone else gets to live your life.”I glared up at him, tears of frustration burning my eyes. “That’s not my fault!” I choked out. “Whatever happened between your mother and my father—that has nothing to do with me!”Victor’s expression twisted with hatred, his lips curling into a snarl. “It has everything to do wi
(Diane)The day of my release dawns cold and bleak, but the chill outside is nothing compared to the ice in my veins. Five years—that’s how long I’ve been locked away for taking out my ex-fiancé’s left eye. Or, more accurately, my half-brother’s eye. The memory of that moment still burns in my mind. The shock on his face. The rush of rage that overtook me. The sickening clarity of realizing the man I once loved—over my fated mate, no less—was my sibling.Every time I think back to that moment, it feels like my chest is being crushed. Was it worth it? Yes. But it cost me everything—my freedom, my family, and even my wolf.The first day in prison, they poisoned me with wolfsbane—brutal, unrelenting doses that stripped away my connection to Nina. I screamed for hours, begged her to stay, but the bond broke. Losing her was worse than the bars, worse than the jeers and stares of the other inmates. It was like losing a limb, a part of my soul.For the first few years, life was a nightma
(Diane)Lucian remained motionless, his piercing gaze boring into me with a cold detachment that sent shivers down my spine. He leaned back against the leather couch, the casualness of the gesture at odds with the intensity in his eyes. His arms rested lazily on the backrest, but there was nothing relaxed about him. His body was coiled tight, like a predator ready to pounce, and the air between us crackled with tension.I, however, swayed on my feet, clutching the doorframe for support as the drug continued its relentless assault on my body. “You are my one last chance. My life is in your hands.” My voice was barely audible, cracked and trembling. My vision wavered, and my breaths came shallow and quick, desperation clinging to every word.Five years have passed, but the bond between mates is impossible to forget. His gaze flickers over me, and I see a mix of emotions—anger, betrayal, and something deeper, something he tries to hide.I try to speak, but my throat feels dry. The drug’s
(Diane)I sank into the steaming tub, the water swallowing me up like a long-lost lover. For a moment, I just lay there, letting the warmth seep into my bones and chase away five years’ worth of grime, regret, and bad decisions. A proper bath. God, how I’d missed this.Prison didn’t exactly cater to princesses. The closest I’d come to a bath in the past five years was standing under a showerhead that trickled lukewarm water—when it worked—and tried to dodge the occasional cockroach drop-in. Soap was a luxury item traded like currency, and privacy? Ha! That was for people who hadn’t stabbed someone with a sharpened toothbrush.I slid deeper into the tub, my knees poking out like pale little islands. The bubbles shimmered in the dim light, and I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous this moment felt. A spoiled princess, scrubbing away her sins in a stranger’s fancy tub. The irony wasn’t lost on me.Reaching for the soap, I paused to marvel at it. Real soap. Not the slimy governmen
(Diane)When I kissed him on the lips, it wasn’t gentle. There was no room for hesitation anymore. His mouth claimed mine in return, a clash of heat and need that left me breathless. I could feel my wolf Nina stirring deep within me, waking from the dormant state she’d been trapped in for so long.Lucian pulled back just enough to murmur against my lips, “If you want to make sounds, I prefer my name.” His husky voice was like a growl, low and intimate, sending a spark of something wild through me.“Lucian,” I whispered, his name rolling off my tongue like a prayer I didn’t know I’d been holding onto.He seemed satisfied with that, capturing my lips again with even more intensity. The bond between us buzzed like an electric current, making my skin tingle and my heart race. This was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.So this is what it feels like to be with your mate, I thought to myself, my whole body alive with sensations I couldn’t name. But even as I sank deeper into the moment,
(Diane)As agreed last night, Lucian and I would keep the mate bond a secret. At least until Nina fully awakened. Until then, the rest of the world would believe I was nothing more than his latest mistress—a fleeting figure in his shadowy world of power and secrecy.Lucian’s Beta, a towering man with a sharp, angular face and piercing eyes, was waiting for me beside a sleek black SUV. He gave me a quick, formal nod “Eric”, before opening the door for me. Once I slid into the leather seat, he handed me a slim phone with a single number saved in the contacts.The engine purred to life, and the car began moving smoothly through the city streets. Without preamble, Eric turned slightly in his seat to address me, his voice clipped and efficient. “I’ve been looking into your pack.”I tensed, waiting.“Victor,” he said, the venom in his tone unmistakable, “visits your mother regularly. He feeds her lies—tells her he’s her son, her only child. She has no idea who you are now.”The air left my
(Diane)Freeing my mum was almost too easy—almost as if there were no restrictions, no defiant forces left to stand in our way. As we drove back, the cool night air pressed in on me, and memories began to surge like a long-forgotten tide. I couldn’t help but remember those days when I was 16 or 17, when everything was raw and unfiltered. Back then, life had been simpler, even if it was filled with its own share of heartache. I recalled the laughter and the closeness we once shared, the innocent promises made under starlit skies. It was during that time that I realized I’d known Lucian longer than I ever truly admitted—even if we weren’t as close as we are now, there was a bond there, pure and unadulterated.I leaned back in the driver’s seat, my eyes tracing the dark outlines of the trees passing by. Memories of our younger days flooded my mind—the way Lucian used to tease me relentlessly about my quiet nature, the moments we shared when nothing else seemed to matter. We were diff
(Lucian)I waited. Arms crossed, patience wearing thin, watching the darkness beyond the clearing. The unity charm—an old, unbreakable ward—hummed softly around me, its ancient magic holding strong. Victor and Savannah were coming, and they’d be pissed. Good. Let them rage.I smirked as I imagined Victor’s face when he realized he couldn’t step a single foot inside this place. That alone was going to be worth the wait.And then, finally, they arrived.Victor stormed into view first, looking like an angry CEO who just found out his assistant accidentally deleted his entire empire. His expression? A mix of frustration, rage, and just a dash of arrogance—because of course he still thought he could win.Savannah followed closely behind, though something was different. Her usual confidence was still there, but there was a tension in her movements, a hesitation that hadn’t been there before. I filed that observation away for later.Victor glared at the unseen barrier keeping him out. He ra
(Diane)I scrambled backward as he closed in. His movements were lightning-fast—like he’d been trained in every form of combat. I ducked just in time as his fist grazed where Lucian had been standing. Lucian recovered quickly, his eyes burning with fierce determination as he pulled me to safety behind a large, ornate pillar.“Diane, run!” he shouted, but I knew I couldn’t just leave him to fight alone.He attacked again, launching a series of precise strikes. I could hear the smack of flesh and the grunts of exertion as Lucian met his blows. My heart pounded like a drum as I tried to find my footing in the dimly lit hallway. I caught sight of a heavy, metal lamp lying on a side table—if I could reach it, I might have a chance to defend myself.The attacker moved with the grace and lethality of a predator, his eyes never leaving mine as he advanced. I raised the lamp, swinging it with all the strength I had. The lamp connected with a dull thud against his forearm, sending a jolt of pai
(Diane)I barely had time to catch my breath after my long, tearful call with Selene when my phone buzzed again. It was Lucian. I hesitated for a moment, then answered.“Diane,” his voice was softer this time—almost apologetic. “I’m sorry about earlier. I never meant to hurt you.”I closed my eyes, feeling the raw ache of our last encounter resurface. “I know,” I whispered, though a part of me still throbbed with betrayal. “You really need to explain what happened, Lucian.”There was a pause, and then he continued, “Can I come to your place? I… I want to explain everything face-to-face. It’s important.”I glanced around my quiet apartment, the remnants of last night’s turmoil still echoing in the silence. As much as I dreaded reopening that wound, I also knew I needed answers. “Yes,” I replied, voice tentative. “Come over.”Within minutes, his familiar car pulled up outside, and I opened the door to find him standing there—his eyes searching mine with a mixture of regret and urgency.
(Diane)I stared at Lucian, shock and fury colliding in my mind. It was as if the ground had shifted beneath my feet—everything I thought I knew about us, about our past, came crashing down. Before I could react properly, my emotions exploded.“You don’t get to decide what I can handle!” I shouted, my voice raw with anger and hurt. My words were a mix of frustration and betrayal, a plea for him to understand that I wasn’t just some fragile doll to be saved at his whim.The tension between us was electric, charged with every unspoken word we’d held back for too long—anger, longing, and a deep-seated pain that neither of us could fully articulate. For a long, agonizing moment, neither of us moved. I felt a storm building within, a mix of regret and defiance, as though every secret, every whispered lie, was finally boiling over.But then, as if unable to bear the intensity any longer, I turned on my heel and stormed away. I didn’t care if Savannah had caught us or if Lucian was left stan
(Diane)When we reached Lucian’s house, the weight of the night’s secrets pressed down on me. Inside his modest but secure home, I sank onto an overstuffed sofa while Lucian spread out a digital layout of Savannah’s sprawling estate on a cluttered dining table. The room was littered with maps, security diagrams, and scribbled notes—our own little war room where every detail mattered.“Diane,” Lucian said, his voice steady yet urgent, “we know Savannah’s locked up her fated mate. That rumor—if it’s true—could be the key to unraveling everything. We need to find out who she’s hiding and why.”I listened, trying to set aside the nagging memories of lost time and the chaos that haunted me. “So what’s our move?” I asked, forcing a smile despite the storm inside me.Lucian pointed to a marked spot on the digital map. “Savannah’s main house is heavily guarded, but there’s a little-used service entrance at the back. My tech friend can disable the alarms for about five minutes. That should giv
(Lucian)I’d been watching Diane all night—from the club’s neon chaos to the quiet street outside where she finally slipped away. I stood in the darkness, hidden in the lingering glow of a streetlamp, feeling a cocktail of relief and irritation churn inside me. It wasn’t that I didn’t care; I cared more than anything—but I couldn’t help but think, she should have carried me along. Now she was leaving me behind, and it felt like she was putting all the blame on me for not being there for her.I mean, really, isn’t it my job to be by her side? I was always there, silently watching her navigate this mess, protecting her from all the chaos—even when she pretended not to need me. But tonight, as I emerged from the shadows and watched her disappear into the cool night air, I couldn’t shake the thought that this wasn’t how things were supposed to work.I shook my head, trying to clear the swirl of thoughts. It wasn’t the time for sulking. I’d made a decision long ago that we’d do everythin
(Diane)I wasn’t surprised when, a few days later, I found myself dragged back into the party scene—an old habit I’d never really managed to shake. Despite everything, I’d learned to mask my pain with distractions. And tonight, I was at yet another club event in which Victor happened to be there as well. I pretended to be fine, laughing along with the crowd, letting the music and neon lights drown out the restless questions that kept gnawing at me.Inside the club, everything was pulsating with energy. Basslines thumped so hard that I could feel them in my bones, and the strobe lights made everyone’s features blur into an indistinguishable sea of glitter and smoke. I sat close to Victor, who was in his element—charming, arrogant, and entirely oblivious to the internal war raging in me.I forced a smile and sipped my drink, letting my eyes wander around the club as if I were just another face in the crowd. But beneath the surface, I had a mission: I needed to know more about Victor’s
(Diane)The ride home had been mostly silent, except for the occasional sound of the engine humming beneath us. I sat stiffly in the passenger seat, my arms crossed, still gripping that damn paper like it was the only thing keeping me grounded. The weight of what I’d read pressed down on me, but the real weight—the one I couldn’t shake—was the presence of Lucian beside me.He hadn’t said much, and I wasn’t sure if that was better or worse. His hands gripped the wheel firmly, his jaw tight, eyes fixed on the road ahead like he was avoiding looking at me altogether. He hadn’t denied what I’d accused him of. He hadn’t even tried to explain.Typical Lucian. Always keeping his cards so damn close to his chest.The city lights blurred past us, casting long shadows inside the car. The streets were quieter at this hour, and yet, my mind was anything but. I wanted to push him, to force him to talk, but something about the way he sat, rigid and unreadable, made me pause. He wasn’t just hiding