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The instant the pack house door shut behind me, I ran through the hallway, ignoring the curious glances from the omegas cleaning near the stairway. I didnβt slow down. I didnβt care. Not about them, not about the fact that I was probably trembling, not even about Kaneβs Betaβs voice behind me calling my name.
I reached my room.
Slammed the door.
And collapsed against it.
My back hit the wood with a dull thud, and I slid down to the floor like every bone in my body had finally given up. My knees folded to my chest. My arms wrapped around them. And then the tears cameβfast, hot, and furious.
Gods, I had wanted to run. Iβd wanted to tear that door open and throw myself into Ianβs arms the moment the car pulled up. And I had. For a second. For that one second, I had hope.
But Kaneβs hand had caught my wrist before I could move. Tight. Unrelenting. His words still echoed in my head:
βMake one move to follow him, and your family will pay for it. You know I donβt bluff, Nevaeh.β
His grip was steel. But it was the threat behind his voice that paralyzed meβnot the physical restraint. Not even the dominance in his tone.
It was the fear.
The fear that Ian would die if I tried to run.
That my little sisterβmy baby Cherrelβwould be found in a ditch if I disobeyed.
So I stood still. Let him lead me out of the car. Let him take me back inside like I was nothing more than property. All while Ian watched, his heart breaking, thinking I had chosen this.
Another sob burst out of me, sharp and ugly. I pressed my face into my knees, trying to muffle it, but the pain was too much. The memory of Ianβs voiceβraw with desperationβhaunts me.
βYou donβt have to stay, Nevaeh. Come with me.β
But I couldnβt. Not when Kane had made it clear what the cost would be.
And what terrifies me the most isnβt that heβd hurt my family.
Itβs that I believe him. Every single word.
And nowβ¦ now Iβm alone.
I curl tighter into myself on the floor. I h@tΓ« him. I h@tΓ« Kane Ironclaw. And I h@tΓ« myself for not being strong enough to fight back.
And yetβ¦ somewhere beneath all this hatred and fear, something else flickers. Maybe itβs this stupid bond.
The way he had looked at me in the office earlier. The way he had stared, like he couldnβt decide whether to destroy me or worship me.
It shook something loose.
I donβt want his attention.
I want my freedom.
Worse than thatβdeep down in the part of me I tried to buryβis a sickening truth.
Iβm scaredβ¦ not just of him.
But of how he made me feel when he wasnβt threatening me.
And that? That is the real betrayal. The one I canβt forgive myself for.
So I cry. Quiet and broken on the floor.
Because I know this isnβt the end.
Itβs only the beginning.
ππππ
I stand outside her door, listening.
The soft, broken sobs slipping through the cracks scrape against something in my chest I donβt want to acknowledge. Sheβs crying again. Of course she is.
I h@tΓ« the sound. h@tΓ« the fact that it echoes in my ears.
I clench my jaw, leaning closer but careful not to make a sound. She probably thinks Iβm far awayβuncaring. She has no idea I hear everything. Every sigh. Every whimper. Every time she says my name.
Something flickers in meβguilt? No. I crush it before it can settle. This bond… itβs playing tricks on me. Making me feel things I shouldnβt.
I run a hand through my hair, breathing hard. I want to knock. Say something. Anything.
But what the hell do I even say?
Sorry I threatened your family to keep you here?
Sorry Iβm the reason your brother walked away thinking I own you?
No.
She doesnβt want apologies.
She wants answers. Control. A say in her own fate.
I punch the wall beside meβhard enough to feel the crack run up my knuckles. I donβt care.
If sheβs the key to breaking the curse, then so be it. Iβll keep her within my sight until she serves her purpose.
Letting her go isnβt an option. The moment I do, every other Alphaβespecially Dariusβwill come sniffing around again. And next time, they wonβt fail. Next time, she wonβt come back.
She doesnβt get it yetβthis is for me. Her pain is temporary. My curse isnβt.
I rest my hand on the door, just for a second. Her sobs are softer now, like sheβs tiring herself out. I h@tΓ« how that makes my chest tighten. Sheβs just the key. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Still, I stay longer than I should, listening until the silence returns. Then I walk away, reminding myself with every stepβ
Sheβs mine until this curse is broken.
πππ
The burn hits the back of my throat, but itβs not enough. Nothing ever is these days.
I slam the glass down and wave for another. The bartender gives me a lookβhesitant, maybe even concernedβbut I donβt care. Let him judge. Let the whole d@mn bar stare. They donβt know what itβs like to lose her.
Nevaeh.
The name alone is a blade slicing through my chest, over and over again. I lift the glass, down the burn, and welcome it. It’s the only thing that dulls the ache cracking my ribs open.
I failed her.
I was supposed to protect her. Always. That was the promise. The unspoken oath I made when she was just a baby in my arms, gripping my finger with tiny hands. And now? Now sheβs gone. Trapped. Taken by that cursed Alpha.
My hands curl into fists on the sticky bar counter. I imagine Kaneβs faceβthat smug, cold look in his eyes. If I could get just one shotβjust oneβhe wouldnβt walk away breathing.
But I didnβt get a shot. I didnβt even get a chance.
They took her. And I stood there like a d@mn fool. Powerless. What kind of brother am I?
I take another drink, let it scorch its way down. It doesnβt help. Her face keeps flashing in my headβsmiling, laughing, teasing me like she always did. Then I see her crying, scared, alone. That image guts me. I grip the edge of the bar so hard my fingers go numb.
I canβt sleep. I canβt eat. I can barely breathe knowing sheβs out there and Iβm stuck in this filthy bar like a coward.
But Iβm not done. Not yet.
I donβt care what the Alphas say. I donβt care if they threaten me or hunt me. If something happens to herβif Kane lays even a finger on herβI will rip through his pack, every d@mn wolf, until I bring her home or die trying.
So I gulp another shot. Not to forget. Not to numb.
I drink to fuel the rage.
Because if I find out something happened to her, there will be hell to pay.
ππππ
The muffled noise starts as a faint echo. By the time I lower my pen, itβs a full-blown commotion outside my study door.
I already know who it is.
βLyallβ I call, not even glancing up from the stack of files. βGet rid of her.β
He nods once and slips out. I wait. One⦠two⦠three seconds.
Then the door cracks open again.
βShe refuses to leaveβ Lyall reports, looking mildly amused. βSays she wonβt move an inch until you agree to see her. Also mentioned camping there all day if she has to.β
Of course she will.
I exhale through my nose, dragging a hand down my face. βFine. Let her in.β
The moment the doors swing open, she storms in like a hurricane on soft feetβhair a mess, cheeks flushed, eyes stormy, and fury practically radiating off her skin. She looks like a feral little thing, and for some gods-damned reason, I find myself staring too long.
βFinally, the hermit emergesβ I say, leaning back with a smirk.
Her glare could burn a hole through me. βDonβt flatter yourself, Kane.β
βWouldnβt dream of it.β I rise to my feet slowly, folding my arms. βJust surprised to see you out of your cave. Thought you were trying to make isolation a lifestyle.β
βI needed space. Something your stone castle has a lot of but still somehow manages to feel suffocating in.β
βSounds like a personal problem.β I shrug.
She takes a step forward.
βNow I want answersβ she utters authoritatively.
I arch a brow. βAnd throwing a tantrum in front of my study seemed like the most logical way to get them?β
βIt got me in here, didnβt it?β she retorts.
TouchΓ©.
Her fire both irritates and… intrigues me. The bond tugs again, that familiar ache in my chest I refuse to acknowledge.
I rise from my chair slowly, walking around the desk until Iβm standing just in front of her. She doesnβt flinch. Brave girl.
βSo?β I say, tone calm. βYou have my attention. What is it you want to ask me?β
Thereβs a pauseβlong and heavyβand I see the shift in her expression. Her eyes search mine, unsure if sheβll find the truth sheβs looking for.
βWhy are you keeping me here?β she asks.
I exhale, steady and controlled.
βI have my reasonsβ I answer. βReasons I canβt disclose.β
She nods slowly, as if that confirmed something deep inside her.
βThen youβll understand why I have my reason for making this choice.β
Thereβs another beat of silence before her gaze hardens.
βKane Ironclaw,β she says boldly, βI want you to reject me.β
