Chapter 3
I lay in the darkness of my quarters, my body still aching from the fall that had taken my unborn child. The emptiness inside me was a physical pain, worse than any wound Kellan had ever inflicted. But something else had awakened within me—a desperate, clawing need to survive.
I closed my eyes, focusing on that faint silver thread in my mind. Damien. My stepbrother. The last person who had shown me genuine kindness before Kellan had claimed me as his mate.
*Damien?* I called silently, pouring every ounce of my strength into the thought. *Can you hear me?*
For a moment, nothing. Then, like a spark in darkness:
*Audrey? Where are you? What's happening?*
His voice in my mind was like cool water on a burn. I didn't waste time with explanations.
*Help me,* I projected, pushing images into our fragile connection—the silver-lined dungeon, the cold marble stairs where I'd fallen, the sterile room where the healer had dismissed my lost child as "not viable."
I felt his shock ripple through our link, followed by something else—a fury so intense it nearly scorched my mind.
*What have they done to you?* His mental voice trembled with rage.
*I can't take it anymore,* I whispered through our connection. *He's going to mate with Kate. They're killing me slowly.*
The silence stretched so long I thought I'd lost him. Then, one word:
*Coming.*
Before I could respond, I felt Kellan's presence brush against my consciousness—his familiar, suffocating Alpha command trying to push into my mind.
For six years, I'd been powerless against it. But now, something had changed. With Damien's strength flowing through our renewed bond, I gathered every ounce of my will and slammed the door shut on Kellan's mind-link.
The effect was immediate. Through the floorboards, I heard a crash from the dining room below, followed by silence. I imagined Kellan stumbling mid-sentence, his Alpha authority suddenly rebuffed by the very person he considered his possession.
---
"Your attitude has been simply dreadful lately," Kate remarked, her voice dripping with false concern as she circled me in the Pack House foyer. "So sullen. So... resistant."
I kept my eyes downcast, knowing any response would only fuel her cruelty.
"It's the Winter Solstice prelude tonight," she continued, examining her perfect manicure. "The pack needs entertainment, don't you think?"
Before I could respond, Kellan appeared beside her, his hand possessively sliding around her waist.
"Kate has a wonderful idea," he said, his eyes cold as they swept over me. "A little game to liven up the celebration."
Kate's smile widened. "The ceremonial Moonstone has been missing for years. I've had it recovered—it's in the bottom of Blackwood Lake."
My blood ran cold. Blackwood Lake was known for its frigid waters, even in summer. In winter, the surface froze solid.
"Retrieve it," Kellan commanded. "Now."
"I—" I began, but Kate cut me off.
"Oh, don't worry about the cold," she laughed. "I've made it interesting. If she lasts more than five minutes without begging, you owe me that diamond necklace from your mother's collection."
"And if she begs?" Kellan asked, his voice betraying his amusement.
"Then you owe me nothing—but her grandmother goes to the Rogue lands immediately."
My heart stopped. My grandmother—the only family I had left, too old and frail to survive alone.
"You wouldn't," I whispered.
"Try me," Kellan replied, his Alpha tone leaving no room for refusal.
---
The lake's surface gleamed black under the winter moon. Ice crunched beneath my bare feet as I approached the water's edge in only a thin shift dress.
"Remember," Kate called out from the shore where she stood wrapped in furs beside Kellan, "the Moonstone is at the very bottom. Bring it up, or your grandmother leaves tonight."
I took a deep breath and dove into the freezing water.
The cold hit like a thousand knives, instantly numbing my limbs. Darkness surrounded me as I sank deeper, my lungs already burning for air. Through the murky water, I spotted something glinting at the bottom—the ceremonial stone.
As my fingers reached for it, a shadow moved behind me. Strong hands grabbed my ankle, yanking me downward. I twisted to see a diver in black gear, his eyes cold as he deliberately cut my air supply.
Panic surged through me as my lungs screamed for oxygen. Darkness crept at the edges of my vision. This was Kate's plan all along—not just humiliation, but death.
As consciousness began to slip away, something stirred deep within me—a primal spark I'd forgotten existed. My wolf, dormant for so long, responded to my survival instinct.
Strength flooded my limbs—not enough to shift, but enough to act. I kicked backward with all my might, connecting with the diver's face. He released me, blood clouding the water from his broken nose.
I propelled myself upward, my lungs burning, my vision fading. Just as darkness threatened to claim me completely, my head broke the surface.
I gasped, sucking in precious air as I flailed toward the shore.
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