Riley’s POV
I had hated the ckmaw Pack for five long years.
But now, after hearing the truth, I couldn’t even bring myself to resent them anymore.
Because without Tessa, there would be no me standing here today.
I had already died five years ago.
My body had been hollowed out–emptied of life.
+8 Pearls
What was left of me was meant to be “donated” as a cadaver, preserved and prepared, so medical students could slice me open under the guise of education…
So that Alpha ric could stand before the world as a selfless hero.
His daughter would be cured of her kidney failure.
His reputation as a great and noble Alpha would be set in stone for generations.
How could I still hate the ckmaws after that?
If not for Tessa, I wouldn’t have survived at all.
In the end, she took my ce in that twisted bargain, and in doing so… she saved my life.
I couldn’t even bring myself to hate her parents.
A sharp ache pierced through my chest, the kind that makes your vision blur and the world around you fade.
I thought I had grown used to not being loved, after all the cruelty I had endured.
But when the truth wasid bare before me, I realized I wasn’t prepared for it.
Alpha ric<b>–</b>my own father–had been willing to carve me open and take what he needed, like I was nothing more than a vessel.
He had thrown me into a filthy rogue settlement <b>as </b><b>a </b>child, leaving me to starve and fend for myself.
When I was finally brought back to the Ebonw Pack, I was ignored, cast aside like I was invisible.
Eighteen <b>years </b>of hardship, and he never once cared.
And now, <b>even </b>after all of that, he still wanted my life.
I was his blood. His daughter.
How could a father be capable of such viciousness<b>? </b>
What kind of darkness had raised Alpha ric into the kind of man who could ughter his own kin without a shred of mercy?
What had I done so wrong that I had to be the sacrifice for this scheme?
And for one fleeting moment, I was almost grateful.
Orateful that he had abandoned me when <b>I </b><b>was </b>little.
If I had grown up in the Ebonw Pack, would <b>I </b>have turned out like Scarlett–cold, maniptive<b>, </b>and venomous<b>? </b>
Or like Kael Vale–blind and foolish<b>, </b>clinging to <b>false </b>loyalties?
No. I didn’t want to be cruel.
12:24 <b>AM </b>P.
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+8 Pearls
I didn’t want to <b>be </b>a fool.
All I ever wanted was a simple life.
Why was that so impossible to have?
This conspiracy hadn’t only destroyed my life—it had dragged Tessa into a tragedy she never asked for, and it had brought endless grief to her family.
In that instant, I stopped hating the ckmaws.
In fact… I felt like I owed them.
They had once been a proud, happy family.
Now, their daughter was no longer the same–she had awoken from years in aa, but her body was frail, her lifespan likely shortened.
Their son had been ensnared by Scarlett’s games and was now sitting in a detention cell.
I wiped my tears, forcing myself to stand so I could go to Tessa’s parents<b>. </b>
But the moment I rose, a tearing pain ripped through my chest, my head spinning violently.
My knees buckled, and I felt myself falling.
“Riley-!”
The voices of Matriarch Duskgrave, Mrs. Beck, and Mia rang out in rm.
The three elder women had been shaking with rage ever since Tessa had told her story, their eyes red from holding back
tears.
All of them reached out to <b>catch </b>me-
But Lucien Duskgrave <b>was </b><b>faster</b><b>. </b>
His arms swept me up before I hit the ground, his scent–stormwinds and steel–closing around me like a shield.
I tilted my head back to look <b>at </b>him, but my <b>tears </b>blurred everything.
The harder I tried to see his face<b>, </b>the harder the tears fell.
“Lucien…” My voice came out raw<b>, </b><b>as </b>if it didn’t even belong to me.
“I’m here.” His <b>gaze </b>locked on mine<b>, </b><b>steady </b>and unshakable.
“My heart. it hurts<b>.</b>”
Five words.
Yet theynded like a de in his chest<b>. </b>
It was the first time I had ever told him I was in pain.
Not even that night I drank myself to the hospital had I said it.
Not when Caelum Knox unearthed the truth about my <b>past</b>.
But now<i>… </i>it spilled out of me, and I couldn’t stop it.
Lucien brushed away my tears with his thumb, his eyes holding mine with unyielding certainty.
“Don’t be afraid. Whatever you decide to do, I will stand behind you–no questions, no hesitation. You will never need <b>to </b>look over your shoulder again.”
12:24 <b>AM </b>PS
+8 Pearls
I understood what he meant.
And that understanding broke the dam inside me.
For the first time, I didn’t want to hold myself back.
I threw my arms around his waist, burying my face in the warmth of his chest, whispering over and over, “Thank you.”
If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have survived this far.
Without Lucien, I might have been destroyed by the Ebonw Pack long before the truth ever surfaced.
The sound of my sobs filled the entire room.
I could feel the emotions ripple through everyone there–Tessa’s parents included.
Dyskcliff and his mate’s eyes glistened with unspoken grief.
Their daughter had taken the blow meant for me, and they had already taken their vengeance once.
But looking at me now, they couldn’t summon hatred.
Not for someone whose life had been nothing but cruelty and loss.
It was a long time before the tears finally stopped.
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