I followed her, clutching the small bag she thrust into my hands. “Maria, this doesn’t make any sense. Elias—”

“Elias isn’t here,” she snapped. “He’s busy playing Alpha for his bonding ceremony. He won’t notice you’re gone until it’s too late.”

As we moved out the door, bodies of guards laid on the hallway unconscious with bowls of stew beside them.

“Poison,” she explained. “Not lethal, just enough to knock out the guards for a few hours. It would soon be out of their systems.”

I gaped at her. “You poisoned them?”

Maria gave me a look. “I had no other choice, My Queen.”

I swallowed hard and nodded.

“Where are we going?” I whispered.

“To the border of Bright Dawn,” she replied curtly. “There’s a passage that leads out of the pack territory. There, we’ll meet Venice.”

Bright Dawn. My sanctuary.

As we fled the gates, my mind began to replay everything I had endured in this cursed place. Elias’s favoritism toward Talia and the other women who constantly vied for his attention. The countless nights I spent alone, waiting for him to come home, only to find out he’d already eaten, laughed, and shared his time with someone else.

I thought about the mornings when I woke up to an empty bed, and the excuses he gave when I asked him why he was so distant. The promises he made but never kept.

The betrayal burned hotter with every step.

“My Queen,” Maria called out, her voice breaking through my thoughts. “We’re almost there.”

I nodded, wiping at my eyes. I didn’t even realize I had been crying.

I stopped and turned back toward the direction of Elias’s pack, his palace barely visible in the distance.

And then it hit me.

Everything I had endured. Seven years of pain, humiliation, and neglect. Seven years of hoping that things would change, that Elias would see me as more than an obligation. Seven years of watching him take and take while giving nothing in return.

The thought crushed me, and I sank to my knees, letting the tears flow freely.

Maria knelt beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder, but she said nothing.

I cried for the sad, lonely woman Elias had turned me into. I cried for the years I wasted on a man who never saw my worth. A loveless mate.

The sobs racked my body, releasing years of pent-up pain and frustration.

And then, a voice broke through the night.

“You won’t have to cry again. Ever.”

I froze, my breath hitching. Slowly, I turned toward the voice, and there she was.

“Venice!” I scrambled to my feet and rushed to her.

She opened her arms, and I threw myself into her embrace.

Venice held me tightly, one hand cradling the back of my head. “You’re safe now, Selene,” she whispered.

She took my hand and led us down the path to her pack.

When we emerged into the heart of the Bright Dawn pack, it was like stepping into another world. Warm lights and pack members moved about, all welcoming.

“You’re home now.” Venice glanced at me, smiling softly.

She turned to one of the nearby pack members. “Prepare a bath for her and have the kitchen make something warm. She needs to eat.”

The pack member nodded and hurried off. Moments later, I was relaxing in a tub filled with steaming water, and fragrant oils floated on the surface.

After my bath, I dressed in the clean, soft clothes Maria had packed for me and made my way to the dining room. Venice was already seated with a few other pack members, including Maria.

I smiled at her as I took my seat. “Thank you, Maria. I don’t even know how to begin repaying you for what you’ve done.”

Maria shook her head, her cheeks flushing. “You don’t need to thank me, my Queen. It was the right thing to do.”

The meal was lively, laughter and stories going round the table. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering back to Elias.

What was happening at the bonding ceremony? Had he noticed my absence? Were his guards already searching for me?

Venice seemed to notice my distraction. “Stop,” she said, gently placing a hand over mine.

I blinked at her. “What?”

“You’re thinking about him,” she said.

I swallowed hard, “But what if—”

“No,” Venice said firmly. “You’re not going back to him. That’s not an option. Not anymore.”

I nodded, her conviction giving me strength.

That night, I slept better than I had in years and when I woke up, Venice greeted me alongside the morning light.

She had been sitting beside my bed with a tense look and her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Venice?” I sat up. “What’s wrong?”

She hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Elias is here.”

The blood drained from my face. “What?”

“He’s outside,” she said. “With a group of his strongest pack warriors. He’s demanding to see you.”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, anger replacing the fear in my chest. “He has no right. Right?”

“I know,” Venice said, standing as I did. “But he’s here, and he’s not leaving without a fight. I need to know, Selene. If it comes to war, will you stand by me? I don't want your feelings to meddle.”

Her words hit me like a slap. But there was no hesitation in my answer. “Yes,” I said firmly.

Venice nodded, her expression softening. “Good. Then let’s show him what happens when he tries to control you.”

I followed her outside immediately, repeating to myself the words I'll use to reject him in the presence of everyone.

Then, the moment my eyes fell on him, my speech filtered to the wind. His piercing gaze locked onto me the moment he saw me and he cleared his throat to speak.

But before he could speak, another voice rang out from among the men gathered, loud and clear.

“I challenge you, Elias, Alpha of the Crescent Pack!”

Gasps rippled through the crowd as a man stepped forward, tall, broad shouldered with blazing hazel eyes.

“A fight to the death. Winner takes the damsel as mate.” the stranger announced, pointing a finger at me.

The words registered in seconds, leaving me in shock.

It was a challenge.

A fight to the death.

For me.

Elias sneered. "And who the hell are you to challenge me?"

The man smirked. "Raul. That’s all you need to know."

Before Elias could respond, Raul lunged, and the fight began.

Claws slashed through the air, the sounds of growls and heavy impact filling the space. Raul was fast—faster than I expected. He dodged Elias’s strikes effortlessly, moving with a predatory grace that made it clear he was no ordinary wolf.

Elias, fueled by rage, attacked relentlessly, but he was sloppy. His movements were reckless, driven by arrogance rather than skill. Raul, on the other hand, was calculating, his every move precise. Blow after blow, he wore Elias down, until finally—

With a sharp twist, Raul used Elias’s momentum against him, sending him crashing to the ground. A collective gasp rose from the onlookers. Elias growled, trying to get up, but Raul was already on him, pressing his knee against Elias’s chest, claws at his throat.

One move, and it would all be over.

I should have felt relieved. I should have wanted this. Elias had treated me like nothing, discarded me as if I were unworthy of love. And yet—

"Stop!" My voice rang out before I could think.

Raul froze. The entire world seemed to hold its breath as I stepped forward. My eyes met Elias’s, and for the first time, I saw fear in them. Not for his life—but for his pride.

"I'll go back with him," I announced, my voice firm. “Let him go.”

A stunned silence followed.

Raul looked at me, his golden eyes searching mine, but I didn’t waver. I had made my decision.

For now.

The moment the words left my lips, a heavy silence settled over the clearing. I could feel every eye on me, watching, waiting, trying to understand why I had just thrown myself back into the hands of the man who had broken me.

Venice’s face was blank when I finally got the courage to face her, but I knew I had wounded her. I had betrayed the sanctuary she had given me, the protection she had sworn.

I turned to her and, without hesitation, fell to my knees. "Venice," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I am so sorry."

She didn’t move.

Tears burned at the back of my eyes as I bowed my head. "I know this is foolish, I know I shouldn’t, but I have to do this. Please, let me go."

Still, she remained silent.

I clenched my fists against the dirt beneath me, forcing the words out. "I have no right to ask for your blessing after everything you’ve done for me. But if I leave here with your resentment, I don’t think I’ll be able to bear it."

A long pause stretched between us, suffocating in its weight.

Finally, Venice took a deep breath. When she spoke, her voice was cold. "If you wish to throw yourself back into the fire, I won’t stop you."

I lifted my head, desperate for even a small sign of forgiveness, but she had already turned away.

"Let them go," she ordered her guards.

The warriors beside her looked as if they wanted to protest, but they obeyed.

Behind me, Elias scoffed, shaking off the dirt as he stood. "Took you long enough to come to your senses," he sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance. He stepped forward, gripping my wrist roughly. "Get in the cart."

I barely registered his words. My gaze had found Raul again.

He was staring at me, his golden eyes fixed on me like a lost puppy. He hadn’t moved since I stopped him from killing Elias. He had no words for me, no arguments, no accusations.

That silence cut deeper than anything Elias could ever say.

I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat and whispered, "Thank you."

Raul said nothing.

I turned, stepping into the wooden cart Elias had brought. The moment I sat down, the wheels lurched forward, the Crescent Pack warriors guiding the horses away from the Bright Dawn territory.

The cart rocked unsteadily over the rough terrain, and Elias winced as he shifted in his seat. Blood smeared across his torn shirt, and his knuckles were bruised from the fight. His jaw clenched tightly, but his pride kept him from groaning in pain.

I hesitated before reaching out. "Let me see," I murmured, trying to touch his arm.

He jerked away from me instantly. "Don’t," he snapped, his voice sharp and bitter.

I swallowed, my chest tightening. "Elias, you’re hurt—"

His glare cut through me like ice. "If you hadn’t run away like a coward, none of this would have happened."

The words stung, but I refused to back down. "I ran because you treated me like I was nothing. You paraded Talia around while I was still your mate. You never touched me, never looked at me the way you did her. Do you really expect me to stay after that?"

His expression darkened. "Shut up, Selene."

I pressed on, my voice growing desperate. "You humiliated me, Elias. For years, I—"

His hand slammed against the wooden side of the cart, the sound loud in the silence. "I said shut up!"

My breath caught in my throat.

I stared at him, seeing the anger, the frustration—but beneath it, there was something else. Something raw.

But he wouldn’t let me see it.

So I turned away, pressing myself against the cart’s edge, and let the silence swallow us both.

As the distance grew, I felt the walls closing in around me.

I had done the right thing. I had stopped a war. I had prevented unnecessary bloodshed.

Then why did it feel like I had just made the worst mistake of my life?