chapter 18

Being made a slave by Alpha Matthew was the push that drove me from the only home I had ever known. My parents had been murdered by him, and I was left to live as an orphan. For years, I had thought of that place as my home. When I finally ran away, I believed I’d be free.

Yet here I am, ankles bound to a bed frame, trapped again. My helplessness weighed down on me, reminding me of a harsh reality: I couldn’t trust my mate, Lucas. I couldn’t trust anyone.

The room was large, luxurious even, but I felt like a prisoner in a birdcage, caged more than I ever had before. Lucas had tied me to this bed and disappeared for two days. Two long days. I was drowning in frustration and anger. I should have approached this differently, planned things better. But now, here I was, left to stew in my misery, wondering how things had spiraled so far out of control. What gave Lucas the right to chain me like this?

Left alone, I tried to process everything that had happened. Someone dead—long dead—had been brought back to life through Lucas's blood. It was a mystery I couldn't begin to understand. Lycans were always secretive. Maybe this was why? Why the Morretti family, Lucas’s bloodline, could never be defeated. For four hundred years, Lycans slaughtered werewolves without consequence. No matter how fiercely wolves fought back, Lycans always returned. Could it be because they could heal one another? But if so, what had caused their near extinction, leaving only the Morrettis behind? What had happened to the rest of the Lycans?

I’d tried reasoning with the maids who came to tidy the room, hoping for some compassion, but even they turned a cold shoulder. They were human, enslaved to serve the royal Morretti family while the wolves roamed free, bound only by rules they dared not break. Each time I pleaded for help, they’d lower their eyes, avoiding my gaze, refusing to challenge Lucas’s orders. My desperation only grew, but it meant nothing to them.

“Please,” I begged, my voice shaky with fear and frustration. “You have to help me. Lucas will never know.”

One of the maids, Maria, glanced at me briefly, but quickly returned to her work in silence. They had no choice, I realized. They feared Lucas. Disobeying him could mean punishment far worse than I could imagine. No one wanted to cross him. The weight of that understanding crushed me.

Tears welled up as I thought about everything that had happened since I became Lucas’s mate. It felt like my life had been one unending series of wrong turns. From that night in the bar where it all started, to now—bound to a bed, unable to escape. I thought mating would bring happiness and safety, but instead, it had thrust me into a nightmare.

And then there was my first mate. Lucas had been hunting him relentlessly, trying to kill him. Why had it taken Lucas this long? Lycans were supposed to be better hunters. What had he been doing all this time?

I pulled at the chains around my ankles, but they didn’t budge. Lucas didn’t trust me. He had chained me up like some kind of criminal. Was this really how he saw me? Why was he treating me like this? I hated him for it. I hated him for the lies and the promises he had broken.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was my life now—chained, bound, unable to make my own choices. I was his property. Nothing more.

The guards outside were as immovable as the chains around my ankles. I had tried everything to convince them to let me go, but they were loyal to Lucas, more afraid of him than they could ever be of me.

I was trapped. Helpless.

My stomach growled in protest. I hadn’t eaten in hours, maybe even days. I had lost track of time completely. It didn’t even matter anymore if it was day or night. I hadn’t seen the sun since Lucas locked me up in this room. I should have run when I had the chance. I should have seen the red flags. Why was I so unlucky in love? Both of my mates were psychos.

I smiled bitterly, thinking back to my life as an omega. Back then, I was free—at least in some ways. I had no power, no respect, but I was still my own person. Now, I was nothing more than a puppet for Lucas to control. How strange it was, how much worse life had become since becoming an Alpha’s mate.

A small voice in the back of my mind asked if this was my fate forever. Would I spend the rest of my life like this? Bound to a bed, unable to control my own destiny?

The days blurred together, each one identical to the last. The chains on my ankles left painful marks, a constant reminder of my captivity. My pleas had stopped. There was no point anymore. No one would help me.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering if I would ever be free. Would I ever be seen as something more than a possession? I doubted it. Lucas didn’t love me; he only wanted to control me.

The sound of rattling chains brought me back to reality as I shifted my legs. Hunger gnawed at me again. But more than anything, my thoughts drifted to the baby inside me. I had to protect them. I didn’t care about anything else anymore. I just wanted them to have a better life than I did.

As I lay there, lost in thought, my wolf stirred. **"Mate!"** she growled. A warmth pooled between my legs, a clear sign Lucas was near.

I clenched my fists, anger surging through me. I had had enough of this.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and my heart sank. Lucas entered, and this time, I was ready to give him a piece of my mind.