I followed her, clutching the small bag she thrust into my hands. “Maria, this doesn’t make any sense. Elias—”
“Elias isn’t here,” she snapped. “He’s busy playing Alpha for his bonding ceremony. He won’t notice you’re gone until it’s too late.”
As we moved out the door, bodies of guards laid on the hallway unconscious with bowls of stew beside them.
“Poison,” she explained. “Not lethal, just enough to knock out the guards for a few hours. It would soon be out of their systems.”
I gaped at her. “You poisoned them?”
Maria gave me a look. “I had no other choice, My Queen.”
I swallowed hard and nodded.
“Where are we going?” I whispered.
“To the border of Bright Dawn,” she replied curtly. “There’s a passage that leads out of the pack territory. There, we’ll meet Venice.”
Bright Dawn. My sanctuary.
As we fled the gates, my mind began to replay everything I had endured in this cursed place. Elias’s favoritism toward Talia and the other women who constantly vied for his attention. The countless nights I spent alone, waiting for him to come home, only to find out he’d already eaten, laughed, and shared his time with someone else.
I thought about the mornings when I woke up to an empty bed, and the excuses he gave when I asked him why he was so distant. The promises he made but never kept.
The betrayal burned hotter with every step.
“My Queen,” Maria called out, her voice breaking through my thoughts. “We’re almost there.”
I nodded, wiping at my eyes. I didn’t even realize I had been crying.
I stopped and turned back toward the direction of Elias’s pack, his palace barely visible in the distance.
And then it hit me.
Everything I had endured. Seven years of pain, humiliation, and neglect. Seven years of hoping that things would change, that Elias would see me as more than an obligation. Seven years of watching him take and take while giving nothing in return.
The thought crushed me, and I sank to my knees, letting the tears flow freely.
Maria knelt beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder, but she said nothing.
I cried for the sad, lonely woman Elias had turned me into. I cried for the years I wasted on a man who never saw my worth. A loveless mate.
The sobs racked my body, releasing years of pent-up pain and frustration.
And then, a voice broke through the night.
“You won’t have to cry again. Ever.”
I froze, my breath hitching. Slowly, I turned toward the voice, and there she was.
“Venice!” I scrambled to my feet and rushed to her.
She opened her arms, and I threw myself into her embrace.
Venice held me tightly, one hand cradling the back of my head. “You’re safe now, Selene,” she whispered.
She took my hand and led us down the path to her pack.
When we emerged into the heart of the Bright Dawn pack, it was like stepping into another world. Warm lights and pack members moved about, all welcoming.
“You’re home now.” Venice glanced at me, smiling softly.
She turned to one of the nearby pack members. “Prepare a bath for her and have the kitchen make something warm. She needs to eat.”
The pack member nodded and hurried off. Moments later, I was relaxing in a tub filled with steaming water, and fragrant oils floated on the surface.
After my bath, I dressed in the clean, soft clothes Maria had packed for me and made my way to the dining room. Venice was already seated with a few other pack members, including Maria.
I smiled at her as I took my seat. “Thank you, Maria. I don’t even know how to begin repaying you for what you’ve done.”
Maria shook her head, her cheeks flushing. “You don’t need to thank me, my Queen. It was the right thing to do.”
The meal was lively, laughter and stories going round the table. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering back to Elias.
What was happening at the bonding ceremony? Had he noticed my absence? Were his guards already searching for me?
Venice seemed to notice my distraction. “Stop,” she said, gently placing a hand over mine.
I blinked at her. “What?”
“You’re thinking about him,” she said.
I swallowed hard, “But what if—”
“No,” Venice said firmly. “You’re not going back to him. That’s not an option. Not anymore.”
I nodded, her conviction giving me strength.
That night, I slept better than I had in years and when I woke up, Venice greeted me alongside the morning light.
She had been sitting beside my bed with a tense look and her lips pressed into a thin line.
“Venice?” I sat up. “What’s wrong?”
She hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Elias is here.”
The blood drained from my face. “What?”
“He’s outside,” she said. “With a group of his strongest pack warriors. He’s demanding to see you.”
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, anger replacing the fear in my chest. “He has no right. Right?”
“I know,” Venice said, standing as I did. “But he’s here, and he’s not leaving without a fight. I need to know, Selene. If it comes to war, will you stand by me? I don't want your feelings to meddle.”
Her words hit me like a slap. But there was no hesitation in my answer. “Yes,” I said firmly.
Venice nodded, her expression softening. “Good. Then let’s show him what happens when he tries to control you.”
I followed her outside immediately, repeating to myself the words I'll use to reject him in the presence of everyone.
Then, the moment my eyes fell on him, my speech filtered to the wind. His piercing gaze locked onto me the moment he saw me and he cleared his throat to speak.
But before he could speak, another voice rang out from among the men gathered, loud and clear.
“I challenge you, Elias, Alpha of the Crescent Pack!”
Gasps rippled through the crowd as a man stepped forward, tall, broad shouldered with blazing hazel eyes.
“A fight to the death. Winner takes the damsel as mate.” the stranger announced, pointing a finger at me.
The words registered in seconds, leaving me in shock.
It was a challenge.
A fight to the death.
For me.
