Chapter 131

The front door slammed so hard the entire house shook.

Nathan was gone. And somehow, that hurt worse than him yelling would’ve.

The living room went completely still afterward. Nobody moved.. Nobody looked at me for too long. I stayed Frozen on the couch, my hands clenched tightly in my lap while Declan’s mark burned against my throat like poison. I could still feel Nathan’s eyes on it. Still feel the moment something inside him cracked.

Damn it… I should’ve been happy. I was home. Safe. Alive. But instead, it felt like I’d brought part of the rogue kingdom back with me.

Then suddenly, a desperate scream echoed from outside.

“Nathan, where’s Ryan?”

Beatrice.

My head snapped toward the doorway instantly.

She burst through the door, with Nathan right behind her.

“Please tell me you got him out too!” Her voice broke completely on the last word.

Nobody answered her. That reaction told her everything

And the sound that left her throat after that–hell, it sounded almost animal.

Poppy’s eyes filled with tears. Marcus cursed quietly under his breath while Liam moved quickly toward the door,

A second later, they carefully guided Beatrice into the room. She looked devastated. Rainwater still clung to her oat and hair, her swollen stomach visibly trembling beneath her shaking hands as she clutched it protectively.

“No…” she whispered. “No, no, no…”

Marcus crouched beside her carefully. “He helped us get inside,” he said quietly. “Ryan’s the reason we reached

!mily.”

Beatrice let out a bitter, broken laugh–the kind people make right before completely falling apart. “Oh, so he was

Iseful enough for that?”

Marcus’s expression hardened. “Beatrice-”

“But you still left him there!” Her scream ripped through the room.

I physically flinched.

“You brought Stella back!” she sobbed. “You brought everyone else back!” She pointed at me with trembling

11.–1.. J

1:36 pm P

No one said a word.

Beatrice collapsed harder onto the couch, one hand gripping her stomach while tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. “You made them fatherless…”

The words cut deep into everyone in the room. Even Marcus looked away.

And suddenly, watching her cry for him, something painful shifted inside me. Because despite everything Ryan

had done… I understood now.

I remembered eight years of humiliation. Eight years of Ryan making me feel unwanted inside my own pack. The ruel jokes. The coldness. The way Beatrice always looked away instead of stopping it.

Back then, I hated her for that. Maybe part of me still did.

But now, seeing her break apart over him, I finally understood something I’d been too angry to see before. She oved him. Hopelessly. Completely. The way only mates could. And maybe that love hurt her too.

A bitter ache spread slowly through my chest. Why had the Moon Goddess chosen Ryan for me instead of her?

Why did fate always feel so wrong?

Then suddenly, Silas’s voice echoed through my memory. “The Moon Goddess is a liar. She feeds children to fate

and calls it destiny.”

I froze. Back then, I thought he sounded insane. Broken. Corrupted by centuries of darkness. But now… for the irst time, I understood where that hatred came from Silas,

“He found madness,” Nyx whispered softly inside my head.

My heart skipped a beat. “Nyx…”

Emotion hit me so hard my eyes burned instantly. “Damn it… I missed you.”

My wolf sounded just as broken up. “Emily… I thought I lost you forever.”

Pain twisted violently through me.

“That darkness…” Nyx’s voice trembled softly. “The witches sealed me away from you. I screamed for you. I

lawed at the bond until it bled.”

Tears slipped silently down my cheeks now.

“But you couldn’t hear me,” she whispered. “I was alone.”

I pressed a trembling hand against my chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“No.” Nyx’s voice softened instantly. “You survived. That’s all that matters, little moon.”

Slowly, my eyes lifted back toward Beatrice. She sat crying while Liam awkwardly rubbed her shoulder and Marcus stared at the floor, looking guilty as hell. Nobody knew how to fix this.

1:36 pm P P

But suddenly, I did.

Because Ryan had still helped me. Even knowing Declan would kill him for it. Even knowing he might never see his

children again.

Slowly, I stood from the couch. The room went completely still again. Everyone watched me.

I walked toward Beatrice carefully before lowering myself beside her. She looked at me through her tears, waiting.

“Ryan was a good husband to you?” I asked softly.

Her face crumpled instantly. “The best,” she whispered.

The pain in her voice felt completely real. Raw. And suddenly, I thought about Cindy. About how she looked at

Declan. About how cruel mate bonds could become when twisted by fate.

I swallowed hard. “Then we’re bringing him back.”

Liam stepped forward instantly. “Emily…” His voice sounded cautious. “We don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

“He is.” The certainty in my own voice startled even me.

Marcus frowned slightly. “You can’t know that.”

I slowly lifted my eyes. “Yes,” I said quietly. “I can.”

I closed my eyes, something inside me pulled painfully fight.

The mark. Declan.

Even from this far away, I could still feel him wanting me near him. The bond twisted strangely inside my chest. And worst of all, my phantom wolf felt it too.

But the pull inside me only got worse. Until suddenly, my phantom wolf slipped free.

The room dissolved instantly. Silver mist swallowed everything, and then I was somewhere else.

The rogue castle.

I stood hidden behind massive stone columns overlooking the main hall. Declan stood below. Alive, Beautiful.

Terrifying. His black shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing strong forearms splattered with blood,

Damn him. And damn this mark for making me notice how beautiful he was. It made my stomach turn that even

low, after everything, my body still recognized him.

I hated the way the mark tried to trick my brain into feeling something for a monster.

Ryan knelt on the floor nearby, with Cindy beside him. Both looked exhausted and broken. Declan slowly circled hem like a predator.

pp

1:36 pm P PTM

“You lost her.” His voice stayed–soft. That somehow made it worse.

Ryan’s jaw clenched. “We tried to stop them.”

“Tried?” Declan smited coldly. That’s unfortunate.”

Without warning, he grabbed Ryan by the throat and slammed him hard into a stone pillar. Cindy flinched

violently.

“Please,” she whispered quickly. “It wasn’t his fault”

Declan’s eyes moved toward her slowly. “No?” His gaze darkened. “Then whose fault was it?”

Cindy lowered her head instantly. “…Mine.”

Something twisted painfully inside my chest. Damn it, she was still protecting Ryan. Even now.

Declan studied her for a long moment, then suddenly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “You lisappoint me.”

Cindy trembled beneath his touch. And somehow, that hurt more to watch than Ryan bleeding. Because I inderstood her. The fear. The devotion. The horrible way the mark tangled feelings together until pain and love

ecame impossible to separate.

Declan suddenly went still. Completely still.

My heart missed a beat. Slowly, his head turned toward my column. Toward me.

…Emily?”

Panic exploded through me. I stepped back instantly, pressing myself harder behind the stone. No, no, no.