Chapter 6

Damon entered carrying bags of fruit and food, including all the things I used to love. He set them down, removed his coat, and came straight to my bedside.

“Why are you asking about a transfer?” he asked. “You’re still weak. You shouldn’t be moving around unnecessarily.”

I didn't answer. I only watched him.

He gently wiped my hands and feet before peeling some fruit and holding a piece to my lips.

“Eat something first. You haven’t had a proper meal since yesterday.”

I refused to move.

“Arianne, you need to eat if you want to recover. Don’t make me worry about you.”

He picked up the soup, blew on it until it cooled, and offered me a spoonful.

“Just a little. Please.”

He was so gentle, so patient, just as he had always been.

And that was what hurt most.

Because I knew he would treat Bianca the same way.

Maybe even better.

I had seen him give her the best portions at meals, telling her, “Have this one. It tastes better.”

I had watched him kneel beside her bed and press his ear against her stomach, his face lighting up whenever he talked about their unborn child.

“Soon, you’ll feel the pup moving,” he would tell her excitedly. “I can’t wait.”

He always came back to me after I fell asleep.

Before, I could only suspect where he went.

Now, I had seen it myself.

I saw him slipping into Bianca’s room at night, the way they looked at one another, the intimacy between them, and the marks they no longer bothered to hide.

During the day, he introduced her openly.

“This is my mate and Luna,” he would say with obvious pride. “She’s pregnant, so make sure she’s well taken care of.”

Not me.

Never me.

I simply watched and said nothing.

There was no point in asking questions when I already knew the answers.

People who have truly decided to leave don't waste their time explaining their departure.

The days passed slowly, cold and empty.

Whenever Damon was with Bianca, I quietly made the calls I needed to make.

“Hello, it’s me,” I whispered. “How much longer will it take? When can I leave?”

“Soon, Ms. Whitmore,” the agent assured me. “Everything is nearly finished. Just hold on a little longer.”

So I waited.

On the day I was discharged, the message finally arrived.

Ms. Whitmore, your documents will be ready the morning after tomorrow.

I stared at the screen for several seconds before a smile appeared on my face.

Finally.

Damon happened to be standing nearby, one arm supporting Bianca. He noticed my expression and looked surprised.

“Arianne, you’re smiling,” he said. “Did something happen?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. I just feel a little better today.”

He came closer and pulled me into his arms before I could move away.

“I’m glad,” he murmured. “You should smile more often. Don’t keep looking so sad. I’m here for you, and I always will be.”

Always.

I gently stepped away from him.

“I’m fine.”

Something uneasy flickered across his face before he bent down and kissed my forehead.

“Alright. Let’s go home.”

During the drive, he kept glancing toward me.

“Are you really okay? You’ve barely spoken. If something is troubling you, just tell me. You don’t have to keep it inside.”

I looked out the window.

“There’s nothing to say.”

He frowned and reached across the seat for my hand.

Before he could touch me, Bianca suddenly screamed.

“Watch out!”

A massive black SUV slammed into us.

The crash was deafening. The car spun violently, my body thrown against the seat as everything turned upside down.

Then darkness took me.

I dreamed of five years ago, back when I could still see.

I used to explore the pack borders alone, climbing mountains without worrying about what might happen. That was how I found Damon in a deserted mountain range, lying injured in the snow with a badly broken leg and a terrible fever.

He was an Alpha, but at that moment, he looked half-dead.

I knelt beside him, frightened.

“Can you hear me? Please don’t die. I’m not strong enough to drag a corpse down the mountain.”

He didn't respond.

So I stayed.

I gave him my food, water, and medicine and spent three days caring for him until he finally woke.

Not long afterward, exhaustion overtook me.

When I opened my eyes, Damon was holding me. His wrist was cut, and he pressed it against my lips.

“Drink,” he ordered hoarsely. “You saved me. I’m not going to let you die now.”

I tried to push him away.

“You’ll weaken yourself.”

“I’m an Alpha. I can handle it. You can’t.”

He continued feeding me his blood until help arrived.

Later, when he pursued me and refused to let me walk away, he always reminded me of those days.

“We survived that mountain together. That wasn't coincidence, Arianne. It means we're bound somehow. Call it fate or a past life, I don't care. I'm not letting you go.”

I believed him.

I truly did.

Then the dream changed.

Suddenly, Damon was standing before me with an expression I barely recognized. Instead of protecting me, he threw me toward a group of savage beasts.

He chose Bianca.

He chose her without hesitation.

I screamed and woke up.

My head throbbed. My body felt unbearably heavy, and when I tried to move, I discovered that my wrists and ankles were tied. Something rough covered my eyes.

I couldn't see anything.

“Where am I?” I whispered.

A man's laughter answered me.

“Alpha Callahan, you really have some nerve. You destroyed my pack, took our territory, and left us with nothing. Did you honestly think I’d forget?”

Damon’s voice followed, low and threatening.

“Malachi Dorian. Rogue Alpha. So you’re behind this.”

There was no fear in his voice.

“You kidnapped me, Malachi. You’ve just signed your own death warrant.”

Malachi laughed again.

“Death? I already lost everything. If I die, I’ll take you with me. But killing you immediately would be far too easy.”

Someone grabbed me and dragged me across the ground. Stones scraped painfully against my back, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

Then I heard Bianca.

“Please, let me go! I didn't do anything!”

She was dragged toward us before being thrown down beside me.

“Leave them out of this!” Damon snarled. “This is between you and me. Whatever you want, take it from me.”

Malachi ignored him.

“Why should I? I’ve prepared a few games for you, Alpha. You only need to decide who will suffer.”

My heart sank.

“No.” Damon’s answer came immediately. “Tell me what you want. Money, territory, power—I’ll give you whatever you ask. Just let them go.”

“Stop wasting my time.”

Chains rattled nearby.

Then came the sound of low, hungry growls.

Malachi's voice turned almost cheerful.

“Let’s start with blood bait. I’ll cover one of them in fresh blood and throw them into a pit with starving rogue wolves. They can chase and tear at their prey, and perhaps I’ll pull the victim out before they die.”

Damon’s breathing grew heavier.

“You’re insane.”

“Choose.”

Silence filled the room.

Then someone seized me.

I was shoved forward, and something cold and wet smeared across my skin.

The smell hit me immediately.

Blood.

“No—!”

The ground vanished beneath my feet.

I fell into darkness.