Lysera’s POV
“He’s stable, Luna,” One of pack healer, Lucen, said again in calm. “The cleansing ritual worked. Now we wait for him to wake. But…”
“But the world outside will not wait,” I finished for him.
I could see it through the shutters. Carriages, reporters, spies gathering at the healer’s den like hungry crows. My crystal kept buzzing without rest.
Calder Wyndclaw. Monster? Addict? Abuser?
The false memory was flawless. Too flawless. It ruined ten years of his rise in a single night.
I touched Calder’s cold hand with my wrapped fingers. “I will fix this,” I whispered. “I swear.”
I didn’t know how. I was a healer who could no longer use her gift. But I knew one man who could bend the world if he wished. So I returned home.
I walked through the grand hall, the silence heavy around me.
I went straight to his study. The thick wooden doors were slightly open. I raised my hand to push them, ready to beg him to use his power, to silence the rumors, to do anything.
Then I heard his voice.
“It’s done, Thara. Stop crying.”
I froze. My hand stopped in the air.
“Yes, the memory is everywhere,” Ronan said, his tone cold and distant. “No, it cannot be traced back to me. I used an offshore network. Calder is finished. His name is ruined.”
The ground felt unsteady beneath me.
“I had no choice,” Ronan continued, his voice dark. “Lysera went behind me and sought Alistair Rydell. She thought she could defy me. She thought she could bring a case against your brother after I told her to stop. This is her lesson. She needs to understand that every action has a price.”
I could not breathe.
I pushed the door open. It slammed hard against the wall.
Ronan turned in his chair, the crystal still in his hand. His eyes widened for a moment, then turned calm. Not guilty. Just annoyed.
“I will call you later,” he said before ending the call.
“You,” I forced out, my voice breaking. “You did this? You destroyed Calder?”
Ronan stood, smoothing his robes. “I did what was needed.”
“He’s innocent!” I shouted, stepping toward him. “He’s my brother! He tried to end his life, Ronan! He’s lying unconscious because of you! For what? For Thorian? For a drunk who attacked your own mate?”
“For order!” Ronan slammed his hand on the desk. “You disobeyed me, Lysera. I told you to let it go. I told you to stop. But you went to Rydell. You pushed this further. You forced me to act.”
“I forced you to frame him as a drug user?” I let out a broken laugh. “You are a monster. Truly sick.”
“I am protecting my people!”
“I am your people!” I cried. “I am your mate!”
“Thara is my people!” he roared. “I have known her all my life. Her pain is mine. And you… you are acting out of spite. That case would have dragged her name through mud. It would have damaged mine as well. I saved you from making a fool of yourself.”
“By destroying my brother?” I said through clenched teeth. “By pushing him to death?”
I rushed at him. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to tear that calm look from his face with my useless, wrapped hands.
A sharp sound filled the room.
My head snapped to the side. Pain burned across my cheek. I stumbled, grabbing the desk to stay upright.
Silence filled the space.
I touched my cheek slowly. He had struck me.
Ronan… the man who once promised to protect me, had hit me.
Ronan said, his voice low and cold, “That’s what happens when you defy me.”
He walked closer, standing over me. There was no regret in his eyes. Only control.
“I told you to stop. So will you stop now? Or must I destroy something else you care about?”
I looked up at him through tears. And I finally saw the truth.
There was never love here. I was only something he owned. And now, I was broken.
But Calder… Calder was still lying in that bed. If this continued, he would wake up to nothing.
“Fix it,” I whispered.
“What was that?” Ronan asked, pretending not to hear.
“Fix it,” I said again, my voice shaking. “Clear his name. Show the truth. Please. I will do anything.”
Ronan smiled. It was slow and cruel. He leaned back against the desk, folding his arms.
“Then beg.”
I stared at him. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said softly. “Beg. Show me that you understand who holds the power. Show me you will not fight anymore.”
My pride burned inside me. Every part of me wanted to refuse. But Calder’s pale face filled my mind.
Slowly, painfully, I lowered my head.
“Please,” I whispered. “Please, Alpha Ronan Nightreaver. Save my brother. I am begging you.”
Ronan watched me for a long moment, enjoying every second. Then his expression softened, hiding the monster beneath.
“Good,” he said quietly.
He reached out and touched the cheek he had struck. I flinched, but I stayed still.
“I am sorry it came to this,” he said, his voice full of false care. “I will handle it. By tomorrow, the memory will be exposed as false. Calder will be seen as a victim. His name will rise again.”
I nodded, staring at the floor.
“Now,” Ronan said, clapping his hands lightly. “Let’s move on. How about we go out together? Just the two of us. To fix things. To start again. Agree?”
He looked at me, waiting.
“Yes,” I said quietly.
“Go change,” he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Wear something red. You look best in red.”
I left the study. I climbed the stairs. I entered our chamber.
I didn’t cry. I had no tears left.
I went to the wardrobe and took out a red dress. But before putting it on, I sat on the floor and took out a hidden crystal.
I called Alistair.
“Delay the case,” I said, my voice empty. I looked at my reflection. The mark on my cheek was already darkening. “Prepare something else for me. At once.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“My bond severance,” I said. “Write it. No reconciliation. Betrayal. Infidelity. Violence.”
“I like the sound of that,” Alistair replied.
“And Alistair?”
“Yes?”
I took a slow breath. “If you truly want to bring Ronan Nightreaver down,” I said, my voice cold, “then take me as your mate.”
