Chapter 7

I won't stay here!"

"Don't fuss. We'll come get you tomorrow."

Two men walked away without turning around. After they left, the big, heavy Pack Warden stepped up. "Hello again, Luna."

She started shaking uncontrollably. She knew this warden. It was him. He had strapped her to the Shock Chair. He had cut her skin. He had made her crawl on the floor to eat. Julian and Damon had sent her back to hell.

"Sorry about this, Luna. Miss Voss's orders. She wants you to die here, in pain." His polite words were paired with a silver-tipped whip that he was already uncoiling.

No. No—

The whip cracked and her skin split. She screamed and crawled. Her nails bent back against the stone. Blood everywhere. It didn't matter. He sneered and dragged her back. He hit her again. Once. Again. The floor was red. Her back was a ruin. Her awareness was going out. Was she going to die here. One step from freedom.

He stopped. He leaned over to check if she was still breathing. She closed her fingers around the ceramic vase beside her and swung. It shattered against his temple. He dropped.

She stood, staggered out of the cell, and ran.

Sterling Manor was lit up in the distance, a blaze of color, music drifting out. A few stragglers on the street marveled aloud. "That Theo of Sterling Pack is blessed. What a First Moon Ceremony."

"I heard the Alpha and Counselor Ashford are both naming him the Sterling Pack Heir tonight. No one even knows who the real father is."

Elara, leaning against a wall, laughed like she'd come unhinged. She checked the Asylum. No one else was inside. Then she set it on fire.

Behind her the flames climbed to the sky. Above her the full moon hung in place, pouring silver light over everything. She didn't look back. She walked into the dark, one step at a time.

Damon Sterling. May the world between us grow wide, and may we never meet again.

Sterling Manor was full of Pack guests. Silks and wolf eyes everywhere. Damon watched them flocking to Serena, fussing over the pup in her arms. He should have been pleased. He was uneasy instead. He kept looking at the door.

Yes, he'd only put Elara in the Asylum for one night. He'd told them not to touch her—gentle counseling only. But Elara had looked so terrified of the place. Was she really okay? The longer he thought, the louder the restlessness got. He got up, planning to slip out and check.

Serena grabbed his sleeve. "Damon. I owe everything I am to you and to Julian. Thank you for sponsoring me. Thank you for giving me all of this—" She seemed half-drunk, clingy, nuzzling against him like a kitten.

He pressed his lips together. "It was Elara who decided to sponsor your schooling."

Serena froze. Her lashes dropped, hiding the flash of jealous hatred in her eyes. She arranged her face into pity fast. "I know Elara is a good woman. But I'm scared of her. I'm scared she won't let me or Theo go."

"Maybe I shouldn't have had Theo. I was so lonely after that night. When I found out I was pregnant I couldn't—" Her eyes glimmered with tears. Helpless, wounded.

Damon thought, without meaning to, of Elara's eyes after the crash. Empty. Completely broken. Something sharp went through his chest. He spoke a thought he'd been holding back for weeks. "Theo will inherit Sterling and Ashford assets. He'll be wealthy for life."

"The funds in your account are more than you'll ever need. Maybe you should move out. I'll gift you a property."

Serena's stomach dropped. She stared at him. Tears spilled over. "What are you saying? You don't want me?"

He tried to explain. "You've seen how stubborn Elara is. I've tried everything, and she's still hunting for the truth about Nora—"

"Theo is alive because of Elara's pup. Every time she looks at Theo she goes into shock. For Theo's safety. For yours. Can't we do this?"

Serena's voice broke. "No. Damon. Tell me honestly. If you hadn't Bonded Elara—or if you and Elara had Severed—would you have taken me as your Mate?"

He went still. The word "Severed" hit him like a slap. He said it fast, before he could think. "No. Absolutely not."

"I would never let her leave me."

Something shattered behind Serena's eyes. Her tears poured down. "Then all this love of mine. What has it been for."

Julian heard her from the next room and came fast, pulling her behind him. "Damon. What are you doing?"

Julian glared. "You remember—if you hadn't wandered into the wrong room that night, if Serena hadn't gotten pregnant by accident, she and I would be together. You owe her. You swore you'd protect her for the rest of her life."

Damon rubbed his forehead, irritated. Hadn't he been good to Serena?