“Just tell me, what do you want from me if I ask for my freedom?” I forced myself to be brave.
This man hasn’t touched me since bringing me here. He just sits, drinking, staring—like I’m his entertainment. No talking. No moving. Just a statue he controls, something he owns.
At my question, he clicks his tongue and shakes his head.
“You’re feisty—just like someone I know,” he commented.
“I don’t care who they are—I’m not them.” I stood. “I’ve been hurt, enough to crave revenge. Living like this gives me that chance. Tell me what you want—power, money? I’ll get it for you.”
He arched a brow, amused by my offer. With a short laugh, he shook his head.
“And what could a lowly human like you possibly offer me? Power? You have none. Wealth? If you had it, you wouldn’t have been cast aside.”
“I have wealth. My fortune still funds my former pack, even after my family abandoned me. They’re likely feasting on it now, but if you help me take it back, it’s yours—I won’t keep a single coin.”
He gave me a grim smile. “And why should I believe you? You’re human now. I never trusted my own kind—why would I trust you? The Moon Goddess lied to me, fooled me, and you expect me to believe you’re any different?”
I frowned, unsure of what had made this alpha so ruthless. The women who tended to me spoke of his merciless killings, his lack of conscience. He was vengeful. Cunning.
“How about this—I give you my wealth and that pack,” I offered. “Just let me end the alpha and the man who dragged me into this mess.”
He stood and walked toward me, pressing a finger to my shoulder with a laugh. But his eyes darkened, as if recalling something terrible.
“Let me guess—your mate betrayed you? The one meant to give you strength, power, and support only brought you misery and pain. Am I right?”
Every word came through gritted teeth—he wasn’t just describing my fate but his own. This alpha sought revenge too. His pain was tied to his mate, just like mine.
“Are we on the same page?” I taunted.
His jaw clenched, like I’d hit a nerve.
I stepped closer, reaching out to touch his jaw, a wicked smile curling on my lips.
“If that’s the case, why not join forces with me? I hate humans. My mate betrayed me. I hate my kind—they killed my family, did unspeakable things to me.” My eyes burned with anger, mirroring his. “And I hate the Moon Goddess for allowing it when all I ever did was devote myself to her.”
His golden eyes flickered with hunger—for vengeance, for destruction. The same hunger I had.
“You’re wrong. I want something far greater than that. Once you accept, the deal is sealed,” he said.
“What is it, then? If it’s my life…” I shivered. “I’ll accept death—as long as I make them suffer first.”
The ruthless alpha lowered his head, as if my words had bewitched him. Then, he seized my lips in a claiming kiss, sealing our deal.
“Then perform an unbreakable vow with me,” he murmured between kisses.
When he pulled away, his hand tightened around my neck, fingers pressing against a dangerous spot. I felt his sharp nails dig in—followed by his canines.
“Make a vow,” he ordered.
“I…”
“I…” I repeated.
“Laura Lane, you will vanish into the moon, taking the place of the Moon Goddess.”
“Laura Lane, I will vanish into the moon… take the place of the Moon Goddess…”
“As she is bound to be with Cameron, you will take her place.”
I froze. What did he mean? He wanted me to strip the Moon Goddess of her power?
“B-but why?” I asked, fear creeping into my voice. This was more serious than I had imagined.
He chuckled darkly in my ear.
“Because the Moon Goddess is my mate. She chose power over me,” he spat. “She chose to be ethereal—over me. So you will strip her of the power she was willing to die for, leave her helpless, and make her need no one… but me again.”
His teeth sank in. Pain ripped through me—blinding, unbearable. My body trembled, vision blurred, and tears burned my eyes.
“Say it!” he commanded.
The thought of being trapped inside the moon, forced to watch over the very kinds who ruined me, made me feel sick—made me feel insane. But if I wanted revenge… if I wanted freedom from this alpha… then I had no choice.
“Vow to me—once you become the Moon Goddess, you will make the woman I love, my mate, love no one but me.”
I shut my eyes, remembering what Rowan and Tanya had done to me, what the Alpha of my pack had done to my parents.
I nodded. Silent. Defeated.
Embracing the start of my vengeance.
“I vow to you… to make all of this possible in the very end. My life… in exchange for hers.”
He laughed against my ear.
“Then take half of my power for now. Wreak havoc,” he commanded.
Scorching heat tore through my veins, like fire consuming my soul. My body trembled, knees buckling, but his grip kept me in place. Shadows thickened around us, suffocating, as something unseen forced its way into me.
But then, I heard it. A whisper, filled with warning.
“You should have never made that vow.”
