The pull of the mate bond dragged my heavy body away, down the spiral stairs, deep into the earth.
The dungeon.
The iron gate stood dead quiet. Not a single guard manned the entrance. Kael had cleared the entire block.
"Why are there no guards?" I whispered to the empty stone corridor.
"Because he ordered them away," my wolf whimpered in my mind. "He wants privacy."
"No," I argued, my voice shaking in the damp air. "He does not know what he is doing."
I hesitated in front of the heavy metal bars. My hand hovered over the cold iron. Terror paralyzed my fingers. Did I really want to go in there? I feared the scene waiting in the dark would completely destroy my mind.
Happy memories flashed behind my eyes, fighting the dread.
"I will always protect you, Elena," Kael had told me on our wedding night, tracing my jawline. "You are my only Luna. My forever."
"You swore it," I muttered, gripping the rusted bars. "My Alpha does not lie."
If he was caught in Vivienne's dark magic, trapped in some twisted conspiracy, I needed to stand by him. I had to drag him out of this nightmare and bring him back to our home.
I gathered every ounce of my shattered courage and yanked the iron gate open.
The hinges groaned, a loud squeal that vanished under the sounds echoing from the depths of the corridor.
I heard flesh slapping violently against flesh. Wet, vulgar noises.
"Fuck, Kael, yes!" Vivienne's voice bounced off the damp stone walls. "Ram that massive cock deeper. Tear my fucking pussy apart."
"You like that, you dirty witch?" Kael growled. The deep, guttural vibration belonged to my mate, but the words sounded like a stranger. "Take my fucking knot."
The words sliced through my chest like a hunting knife.
"Stop," I gasped, clapping a hand over my mouth.
"Mark me, Alpha!" Vivienne screamed, her voice shrill and desperate. "Bite my neck! Claim me right now!"
"You want my teeth in you?" Kael snarled. "You want me to ruin you?"
"Fuck yes! Make me yours. Make me your Luna!"
I spun around. My shoes scraped the stone floor. I needed to run. I needed to flee back to the nursery, lock the door, and pretend none of this was happening.
But my feet froze.
I wrapped both arms around my swollen belly, shielding my unborn son.
"We are not running," I told the baby, my voice dropping to a fierce, trembling whisper. "He is your father. We fight for him."
I forced myself to turn back around. I crept down the long, dark, damp path. Water dripped from the cracked ceiling, splashing onto the cobblestones. The air grew thicker, heavier.
"Keep going," I ordered myself.
"Elena, go back," my wolf begged. "We will die of a broken heart."
"We will not die," I argued, dragging my hand along the wet wall. "We are stronger than a stray orphan."
"Listen to them. He is choosing her."
"He is under a spell!" I shouted at the empty air, my voice bouncing off the stones.
A rat scurried across my path, squeaking into the darkness.
"Even the rats are fleeing," I muttered, my stomach churning.
The innermost cell glowed with harsh, flickering torchlight.
The sounds grew deafening. The smells hit me like a physical blow. Kael's scent—pine and rain, the exact smell that usually calmed my anxiety—mashed together with Vivienne's sickeningly sweet rosewater stench. One scent I desperately wanted to bury my face in, the other I absolutely loathed.
"Spread your fucking legs wider, Vivienne," Kael ordered, his voice thick with raw lust.
"I am spreading them, Alpha. Look at me. Look at my tits. Touch them."
"I am going to fuck you until you scream my name for the entire pack to hear."
My stomach violently cramped.
Inside my womb, the baby suddenly woke up. He delivered a sharp, frantic kick against my ribs.
"Shh, shh," I hushed, pressing my palms hard against the sides of my abdomen. "I am right here, little warrior. Mommy is right here."
He kicked again, harder this time, rolling uneasily in the tight space. He felt the distress. He felt the severing of our family bond.
"I refuse to retreat," I whispered to the dark corridor. "If I turn back now, she wins. The witch takes my husband."
"Tell me who you belong to," Kael demanded, the sound of skin slapping skin echoing loudly.
"I belong to you, Alpha Kael," Vivienne answered.
"Say it again."
"I am yours. Only yours. Fuck my pussy harder!"
"That is right. You take every inch of this cock."
"Look at my eyes, Vivienne," Kael commanded.
"I am looking, Alpha."
"What color are they?"
"Gold. They are completely gold. Your wolf wants me."
"My wolf claims you. You are my mate."
Hearing those words—you are my mate—shattered a rib inside my chest.
"I am your mate," I whispered to the dark. "Me."
