Chapter 109

Emily’s POV

“Bring me the body of the pup.

“No–please!” the woman screamed.

I stood frozen in the corner, unable to move as nurses pinned the pregnant Luna to the operating table. Silver

restraints dug into her wrists, and blood soaked the white sheets beneath her.

I knew now that this wasn’t my life. The trial was dragging me through the history of dead Lunas, forcing me to

witness their final moments.

“For the Moon Goddess‘ sake, stop!” the Luna sobbed. “That baby is his!”

“You lied,” a cold male voice answered from the hallway. “That pup isn’t mine.”

The woman’s heart broke completely at those words. I felt it–not just as a witness, but physically. It felt like her

soul was cracking inside my own chest.

The doctor approached her, a silver scalpel trembling in his hand. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

The woman started thrashing. “No! Alex, please! PLEASE!”

But her mate didn’t even look at her. The second the silver blade touched her stomach, I felt everything. The pain

slammed into me so hard my knees almost buckled. This time, it was real. Her agony was mine.

The room spun around me.

“No…” I whispered in horror.

The doctor kept cutting. The Luna kept screaming. And something inside me started to shake. It wasn’t fear anymore. it was rage. A pure, white–hot rage that didn’t feel human.

How could they do this? How could everyone just watch?

The woman’s scream suddenly changed. It became lower, wilder–almost animal She howled. A power I’d never elt before tore through her and my veins. It wasn’t for healing. It was for destruction.

When the Luna screamed, I screamed with her. A soundwave exploded through the room.

BOOM.

Every window shattered instantly. The doctor was thrown across the operating room, hitting the wall hard enough to crack bone. The nurses were tossed aside like dolls. Machines exploded in sparks.

It was ancient power. The Wrath Howl.

It was the collective scream of every abandoned Luna, every betrayed mother, and every woman destroyed by the

man who was supposed to protect her.

:18 pm P PTM.

The walls cracked. The door burst open. Alpha Alex stormed in with horror on his face, but another pulse of energy hit him, hurling him back into the hallway.

The Luna pushed herself up, ignoring the silver cutting into her skin. Blood covered her, and tears streamed down her face as she screamed agam. The entire hospital trembled.

I felt the power enter me too. The Wrath Howl became also part of me.

I could still hear the Luna screaming. I could still feel the empty, hollow ache of a child being ripped away.

Suddenly, everything went white. The memory shattered..

I gasped as reality slammed back into me. Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground.

*Emily!”

It was Declan’s voice. His scent. His chest pressed against mine. I blinked rapidly, struggling to catch my breath.

My entire body shook as if I had truly lived through that nightmare.

“Emily, look at me,” Declan said sharply, gripping my shoulders. “Are you hurt?”

I didn’t answer. My hands moved on their own, pressing against my stomach. I could still feel her loss. I could still

feel the phantom pain of a child that was never mine.

A burning sensation suddenly spread across my arm. I looked down and saw another rune appearing on my skin. The fourth one. White lines glowed violently beneath my flesh.

“Emily…” Declan whispered, staring at the rune with dark fascination.

Something inside me snapped. Maybe it was still the Wrath Howl, or maybe I hadn’t fully come back yet.

“Don’t touch me,” I said hoarsely. It wasn’t entirely my voice; the Nyx inside woke up.

Declan tightened his grip. “Emily, calm down-”

“GET AWAY FROM US!”

The scream exploded out of me before I could stop it. A shockwave of energy burst from my body.

BOOM.

Declan was thrown backward across and smashing into rogues.

A dangerous silence followed. Slowly, Declan pushed himself up from the floor. Blood trickled from the corner of

his mouth, but he was smiling. No it was worse. He looked amazed. Pure obsession burned in his dark eyes.

“Oh, Emily…” he breathed. “With power like this, we could bring the entire world to its knees.”

My stomach twisted. “I don’t want that.”

“You will.”

His voice turned softer, more dangerous. He slowly tightened his grip around the silver dagger in his hand–the witch’s dagger.

Immediately, pain shot through me. The energy inside my body twisted like invisible chains wrapping around my wolf again. I gasped.

And in that exact moment—the witch appeared behind me. Before I could react, cold silver snapped around my

throat.

Click.

The collar locked into place.

“No-” I choked out.

Instantly, the connection vanished. I couldn’t feel Nyx anymore. It felt like part of my soul had been torn out.

Declan stepped closer. “And when you finally stop fighting me,” he said quietly, “there won’t be a force left in this world capable of stopping us.”

The rune on my arm burned hotter.

***

They hauled me back to my room after the trial.

Cindy dropped fresh clothes on the bed, not even daring to meet my eyes. The silver collar burned against my hroat. Every move I made was a reminder that Nyx was/gone–severed from me.

I sat on the edge of the bed and pressed my shaking fingers against the new rune on my arm.

It glowed faintly beneath my skin. The fourth gift. And yet, not fully mine.

A quiet knock came from the door. Before I could even speak, Stella slipped inside and clicked it shut. She looked nore nervous than usual, her hands resting protectively over her stomach.

“How are you feeling?” she asked softly.

I almost snapped at her. I wanted to throw every horrible thing she’d done right back in her face. But then I

ooked at her stomach.

Suddenly, I saw the Luna from the memory again–covered in blood, screaming as they took her child. A sharp iche twisted in my chest. Goddess. I finally got it. Maybe I didn’t know everything, but I could see the raw fear driving her now. She wasn’t just looking out for herself. She was fighting for her baby.

“Why?” I asked.

Stella blinked. “Why what?”

“Why are you helping me?” I looked her straight in the eve. “And don’t you dare lie to me.”

The room was still for a long beat. Then Stella looked down at her belly. “I could handle losing my own life,” she whispered. “But not his.” Her hand trembled against her dress. “It’s a boy.”

A cold weight settled in my gut.

Stella looked back up. “And sooner or later, Declan will figure that out. He’ll see him as a threat. A future rival for

his throne.”

Everything felt like it was turning to ice.

“He’ll cut him out of me before he ever lets another heir exist,” she said.

I flinched. The memory of that operating room flashed through my mind again. The silver blades. The blood. The screaming. I swallowed hard. “No…”

“Yes.” Stella’s voice broke. “You don’t know Declan the way I do.”

For the first time, she wasn’t playing a role. She looked terrified. I stared at her for several long seconds before I inally let go of my anger.

“Fine,” I whispered. “We run.”

Relief flooded her face, almost making her knees buckle.

“How?” I asked. “This place is crawling with rogues.”

Stella stepped closer. “You need to ask to visit the library tomorrow.”

I frowned. “The library?”

“It’s near the outer walls,” she explained quickly. “The guards are thinner there.”

My mind started racing. An exit. A weak spot in the security. It was a dangerous kind of hope, but it was all I had.

“When?” I asked.

ľ

“As soon as it gets dark.” Stella grabbed my wrist, her grip tight. “I’ll be waiting for you there tomorrow night.”

I watched her, searching for any sign of a trap. “And then?”

Her expression turned grim. “Then we pray we make it out alive.”