Chapter 67

I carried her through the woods like she was made of glass. Every step back to my house felt like a dream.

The guards didn’t dare speak. They didn’t even breathe as I passed. All I could hear was the beat of her heart.

I pushed the door to her room open with my shoulder.

Carefully – so carefully – I laid her on the silk sheets. My hands hovered over her for a second. I was afraid that if I

et go, she would vanish into thin air.

She didn’t. Her chest rose and fell. Slow. Steady.

Alive.

I sank into the chair beside her bed. I buried my face in my hands, my fingers tangling in my hair. I should have

elt relief. I should have felt like I won.

But I felt like ice. I didn’t deserve to be the one sitting here.

Not after what I did.

Because somewhere, deep down, I understand … someone had paid the price for this.

My jaw tightened. I didn’t want to think about the Moirai. I didn’t want to remember their cruel, knowing smiles. They said I had already chosen.

Bullshit. I would never-

The door creaked.

A doctor, Reed, stepped in. He was hesitant. Smart man. He could feel the tension in the room. He could feel the volf inside me, barely holding back.

“ Alpha … I need to examine her, ” he whispered.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t move.

He stepped closer anyway. Brave, or maybe just stupid. He checked her pulse, her eyes, and her breathing. Slowly,

is brows pulled together in a frown.

“ That’s … impossible, ” he muttered.

My head snapped up. “ What? ”

“ There’s no trauma, ” he said, looking confused. “ No internal damage. No signs of … anything. It’s like she was never touched. Like she was never hurt at all. ”

Relief flashed through me. The Fates had cleaned her soul. But then the doctor spoke again.

“ I’ll need to run a full exam. We should move her to the medical wing. I need to check for … possible assault. ”

-My mind flashed back to that place. Emily was on the cold dirt. A rogue’s hands on her skin. Her body was

unmoving.

In a heartbeat, I was on my feet. My wolf, Asher, surged to the surface, his golden eyes burning through mine.

“ What did you just say? ” I growled. The sound vibrated the windows in their frames.

“ Alpha, I’m obligated to check- ”

“ Obligated? ” My Alpha aura exploded into the room, heavy and suffocating. “ You think I’ll let you touch her? You hink you’re moving her anywhere? After what she’s been through? ”

“ She could have been violated! ” he insisted, his voice shaking. “ I have to know if— ”

“ No. ” I stepped between him and the bed. I was ready to tear the throat out of anyone who tried to lay a hand on

ier.

And then-

“ Stop. ” The voice was weak. Faint. But it was the only sound in the world that mattered.

I turned so fast I almost stumbled.

Emily was looking at us. Her eyes were clear … she was awake.

“ She’s conscious, ” the doctor said, his voice full of relief. He leaned over her, his eyes clinical and cold. “ Emily, I need to ask you – do you remember anything? Did the rogue touch you? Did he … violate you? ”

My entire body went rigid.

This was it. The answer that would either calm my wolf or turn me into a monster.

Emily looked at me for a heartbeat. Her eyes were wide and searching. Then, she looked back at the doctor.

“ He didn’t, ” she said. Her voice was quiet, but it didn’t shake.

The tension didn’t leave my muscles. It stayed there, coiling like a snake.

“ How can you be sure? ” the doctor pressed, leaning closer. “ You were unconscious for a long time. The trauma night have- ”

“ I know, ” she interrupted.

Simple. Certain. There was something in her voice – a strange, ancient power – that made even my wolf, Asher, go silent.

The doctor opened his mouth to argue again. Big mistake.

tearing through his coat, and dragged him toward the

door.

“ Alpha – he gasped, his feet shuffling against the floor.

“ If she said no, ” I growled, shoving him qut into the hallway, “ then it’s no. ”

The door slammed shut.

Silence. I stood there for a second, my chest heaving, trying to pull my Alpha aura back under control. When I finally turned back to her, my heart felt like it was being squeezed.

She looked so small. Too small for that massive bed. But her eyes … they were different. They were deeper, like she had seen something on the other side that she couldn’t explain.

I moved back to the chair slowly, my footsteps heavy.

“ What do you remember? ” I asked. My voice was a rough whisper.

She frowned, her gaze drifting toward the window. “ Not much … I was … somewhere else. It was dark. ”

She looked back at me, her eyes shimmering. “ I was talking to Nyx, ” she whispered. “ Even with the aconite in my blood … I could still feel her. I could still hear my wolf. ”

That shouldn’t be possible. Aconite – wolfsbane – is a death sentence for our kind. It’s meant to sever the bond, to drown the wolf in pain until there is nothing left but a screaming human.

But she …

“ You stayed connected? ” I asked softly, leaning in.

She nodded faintly.

A slow, shaky exhale left me. I reached out, my thumb brushing over her knuckles.

“ You have no idea how rare that is, Emily, ” I said, my voice thick with a sudden, fierce pride. “ You’re not just a survivor. You’re a miracle. ”

r

My eyes locked on hers, burning with a truth I could no longer hide.

“ You have no idea what you are, Emily, and how beautiful you are, ” I said quietly.

I wasn’t just saying it to be kind. I knew it in my soul. Every instinct I had as an Alpha was screaming that she was more than she seemed.

“ I know more than I should from the witch, ” I said. And not enough at the same time. ” She told me finally everything, ” I added.

A flicker of fear crossed her beautiful, pale face.

“ Hey, ” I said, softening my tone. I leaned forward until I was in her space. “ You’re safe here. With me. ”

Iwave

won’t let anyone take you, ” I leaned my hand on her. “ Not Priestesses. Not my father. No one. ”

Instead of relaxing, her eyes widened. It wasn’t the fear of a victim – it was the fear of a secret being exposed.

“ … Do Priestesses know? ” she whispered. “ About me? About what am I? ”

I wanted to protect her from the truth, but an Alpha doesn’t lie to his mate.

“ … Yes. ”

Her breath hitched, her small hand clutching the blanket.

“ One of the High Priestesses helped bring you back, ” I added. “ So yeah … they know. They’re watching. ”

A heavy, suffocating silence fell between us. In that silence, the memory of the Moirai returned. I could still hear he snap of the thread. I could still feel the cold weight of the sacrifice I hadn’t seen. A sharp pain stabbed at my

heart.

I looked away, staring at the dark shadows in the corner of the room. Don’t think about it. Don’t let her see the

: ost.

“ … What will we do now? ” she asked quietly.

“ Now? ” I said, standing up. I smoothed my shirt and forced a smirk onto my face, trying to be the man she needed.

“ Now, you eat. ”

As if on cue, her stomach betrayed her. It let out a loud, very ungraceful growl.

I laughed, the sound rough and genuine. “ Yeah. That bad, huh? ”

Emily covered her face with her hands, a weak but beautiful laugh bubbling out of her. “ Stop … It’s embarrassing. ”

I stepped closer. Without thinking, I reached out and placed my hand lightly over her steinath. I could feel her varmth through the fabric. I could feel her heartbeat.

Alive. Safe. Mine.

“ I’ll make you something, ” I said, my voice turning thick and low. “ A thick piece of lamb. Roasted potatoes. My nother’s special sauce … ”

Her stomach growled even louder this time. She laughed harder, her eyes finally sparkling again.

“ Stop, please! I’m starving! ”

I smiled down at her. I would feed her. I would guard her. And I would kill anyone who tried to take this peace away from us.

uld push the darkness out of my head.

faightened up instantly, running a stiff hand through my hair. I felt like a teenager caught doing something

wrong.

“ Right. Food. Yeah. ”

Smooth, Nathan. Real smooth. You’re the Alpha – of the most powerful pack in the territory, and you can’t even

hold a conversation.

“ I’ll … uh … go cook, ” I stammered.

Why did I say that? I don’t cook. I’ve never touched a stove in my life. I have people who do that for me. But I vanted – no, I needed – to do this for her. I wanted to be the one to provide for her.

I stepped back toward the door, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“ Give me an hour, ” I muttered, not meeting her eyes.

I practically ran out of the room. I closed the door behind me and leaned my forehead against the cool wood, losing my eyes.

“ … Goddess, ” I breathed out. My hands were actually shaking.

Why the hell did I promise to cook? I could kill a rogue with my bare hands, but I didn’t know how to boil an egg.

I dragged a hand down my face, trying to get my head back in the game. One problem at a time.

First – food. Second – keeping my wolf from jumping her the moment she gets out of that bed.

I lifted my head and opened the mindlink, my voice desperate as I reached out to the one person who could save

“ Mom? Help me out. I’m planning a five – star dinner, but I’m clueless. I have no idea where to even begin. ”! vaited one second. Two.

The house was too quiet …

“ Mom? ” I said again. My smile vanished.

A drop of cold sweat rolled down my neck.

“ Mom! ” I barked into the silence, my Alpha command echoing in the empty hall.

Nothing.

My mind flashed back to the Moirai.

“ A soul for a soul, ” they had said.

“ Not her. Please … not her. ” I raced downstairs, praying I wasn’t already too late.

5:35 pm

Emily’s PUV

Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.