Drake walked in, carrying bags of fruits and food. Things I used to like.
He set everything down, took off his coat, and came straight to me. “Why are you talking about transferring? Don’t move around like this. You’re still weak.”
I didn’t answer. I just watched him.
He gently wiped my hands, my feet, like he always did. Then he picked up fruit, peeled it carefully, and held it to my lips. “Here. Eat something first. You haven’t eaten since yesterday, right?”
I didn’t move.
He sighed softly. “Chloe, don’t be like this. You need to eat if you want to recover. Don’t make me worry, okay?”
He scooped up some soup, blew on it until it cooled, and brought it closer. “Just one bite. Come on.”
So gentle. So patient.
Just like before.
And that was the cruelest part.
Because I knew…
He’d do the same for her. No. Even more.
He’d always give Chiara the best portion first. “This one tastes better,” I once heard him say. “You should have this.”
He’d kneel beside her bed, pressing his ear to her stomach again and again. “In a few more months, you’ll feel the pup move,” he’d say, his voice full of excitement. “I can’t wait.”
He’d leave after I fell asleep. I knew. I didn’t need to see it before. But now I could.
I saw him slip into her room at night. I saw the way they looked at each other. The way his hands touched her. The marks they didn’t bother hiding anymore.
And during the day, he’d introduce her openly.
“This is my mate and Luna,” he’d say, his tone proud and gentle. “She’s pregnant. Take good care of her.”
Not me. Never me.
I just watched. Quiet. No tears. No questions.
What was the point?
People who really want to leave… they don’t waste time saying goodbye.
...
The days passed. Cold, slow, empty.
Sometimes, when Drake was with Chiara, I’d quietly make a call.
“Hello… it’s me,” I’d whisper. “How’s the process going? When can I leave?”
“Soon, Ms. Brightman,” the agent would reply. “We’re almost done. Just a little longer.”
And I waited.
On the day I was discharged, I finally got the message.
“Ms. Brightman, your documents will be ready by the morning after tomorrow.”
I stared at the words for a long time.
Then I smiled.
For the first time in… I don’t even know how long.
Finally.
Drake paused beside me, one hand still supporting Chiara. He looked at me like something caught him off guard.
“Chloe… you’re smiling,” he said quietly. “What happened? Did something good come up?”
I shook my head lightly. “Nothing. I just… felt a little better.”
He stepped closer, pulling me into his arms before I could move away. “That’s good,” he murmured. “You should smile more. Don’t stay sad all the time. I’m here, okay? I’ll always be here for you.”
Always.
I gently pulled back, avoiding his hold. “I’m fine,” I said softly.
He looked at me for a second, something uneasy flashing in his eyes. Then he leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Alright. Let’s go home.”
On the way back, he kept glancing at me.
“Are you really okay?” he asked again. “You’ve been quiet. If something’s bothering you, just tell me. You don’t have to keep everything to yourself.”
I looked out the window. “There’s nothing to say.”
He frowned slightly, then reached out like he wanted to hold my hand.
Before he could—
“Watch out!” Chiara suddenly screamed.
Everything happened too fast. A massive black SUV came out of nowhere, crashing straight into us. A loud bang exploded in my ears. And then everything flipped.
…
I had a dream. A long one. Too real. Too painful.
I went back to five years ago… the first time I met him. I could still see back then. I used to love going out alone, exploring pack borders, climbing mountains like nothing could ever touch me.
And then I found him—lying in the middle of nowhere, deep in a dead mountain range, his leg twisted, his body burning with fever. An alpha, half-dead and alone.
I remember kneeling beside him, shaking. “Hey… can you hear me? Don’t die, okay? I’m not strong enough to drag a corpse down this mountain.”
He didn’t answer. So I stayed. I gave him everything I had—my food, my water, my medicine. I stayed awake for days, taking care of him like he was the only thing that mattered.
Three days later, he woke up.
And I… collapsed right after.
When I woke again, he was the one holding me, his wrist cut open, his blood pressed to my lips.
“Drink,” he said, hoarse but firm. “You’re not dying on me. Not after you saved me.”
I tried to push him away. “Are you crazy…? You’ll weaken yourself.”
He shook his head. “I’m an alpha. I can handle it. You can’t.”
He fed me his blood again and again until help came.
Later, when he chased me, when he refused to let me go, he would always say the same thing.
“We survived that place together. That kind of thing doesn’t happen twice. It means something, Chloe. It means we’re bound. Fate, past life, whatever you want to call it… I’m not letting you go.”
I believed him. I really did.
But then the dream twisted.
Everything blurred, and suddenly… it wasn’t me anymore.
I saw him throwing me toward a group of wild beasts, his face cold, choosing her over me without hesitation.
I screamed.
And woke up.
My head pounded. My body felt heavy. My hands and feet were tied, something rough covering my eyes. I couldn’t see anything again.
“Where… where am I?” I whispered.
Voices answered.
“Alpha Thornhill,” a man said, mocking, amused. “You really have some nerve. You crushed my pack, took our territory, left us with nothing. Did you really think I’d just let that go?”
Drake’s voice came low and dangerous. “Jakobi Corvo… rogue alpha. You kidnapped me? You’ve got guts. But you’re signing your own death warrant.”
Jakobi laughed, loud and unhinged. “Death? I already lost everything. If I die, I’ll drag you down with me. But killing you too fast… where’s the fun in that?”
Hands grabbed me, dragging me across the ground. Stones scraped my back and I bit down hard to keep from crying out.
Another voice—Chiara, crying. “Let me go! Please… please don’t do this…”
We were thrown down side by side.
Drake snapped, “Let them go. This is between you and me. Don’t drag them into it.”
Jakobi ignored him. I could hear the smile in his voice. “Let’s play a game, Alpha. You like games, right? I’ve prepared a few little punishments. You just need to choose… who takes them.”
My heart dropped.
“No,” Drake said immediately. “You want something, say it. Land, money, power—I’ll give it to you. Just let them go.”
“Stop wasting my time,” Jakobi snapped. “First game.”
Chains clinked. Low growls followed.
“The first punishment… is blood bait.”
I froze.
“We’ll smear one of them with fresh blood and throw them into a pit of starving rogue wolves,” Jakobi went on, almost cheerful. “Let them chase. Let them hunt. Don’t worry, I’ll pull them out before they die… maybe.”
Drake’s breathing turned heavy. “You’re insane.”
“Choose.”
Silence.
Then suddenly, we were shoved forward. Something cold and wet smeared across my skin. The smell hit instantly—blood.
“No—!” I gasped.
The ground beneath me dropped.
I fell.
