Chapter 23
My lips curl into a smirk.
“Oh?” I taunt. “Did you think you were Special just because we are mate? That you could use the mate bond to make me accept you?” I tift my head, eyes flashing with challenge: “I rejected one mate before you, and I’ll reject you just as easily.”
“So that’s what’s giving you confidence,” he snarls, his fingers twitching like he’s seconds away from grabbing me. “You think I’m just like your pathetic excuse of a first mate?”
His ego is wounded, his rage palpable.
I hold his gaze, refusing to back down.
Then, without warning, he steps back. The sudden loss of his warmth leaves me breathless.
“I didn’t want to go this far,” he murmurs, his voice both a promise and a curse. “But you’re giving me no choice.”
His next words are a vow.
“You’ll eat those words. I’ll make damn sure of it.”
Before I can react, his fingers clamp around my wrist like a steel shackle.
“Let me go, you bastard!” I thrash against his grip, but he drags me forward, his hold unyielding. My feet stumble over the floor as I kick out, my nails clawing at his arm. “Jack!” I scream, fury twisting inside me.
He doesn’t say a word, and his expression is stone–cold, but his grip tightens, forcing me through the dimly lit hallways of the house.
Warriors stand along the corridor, watching in silence as their Alpha manhandles me. Their gazes flicker with curiosity–and something else.
Pity.
That only fuels my rage.
Cowards.
I fight harder, my nails digging deep into Jack’s arm, but he doesn’t so much as flinch. He moves with purpose, his strides swift, leading me through corridors I don’t recognise.
Then-
A heavy iron door looms ahead. Jack shoves it open, and the sound grates against my ears, revealing a dimly lit chamber beyond The moment I step inside, my nose stings with the sharp burn of silver.
I freeze.
The walls gleam with a deadly glow, silver chains coiled like waiting snakes along the stone. But it’s the scent that catches me off guard–Jack’s scent.
Thick. Overpowering.
I swallow hard, my gaze snapping to the cage at the center of the room. The scent is strongest there. He’s been here before.
This isn’t just a prison.
This is his prison.
Before I can question it, Jack shoves me inside.
1/3
Chapter 23
I stumble, barely catching myself before my knees hit the cold floor.
The door clangs shut behind me, and then–click.
The lock slides into place with a finality that sends ice through my veins. My breath quickens as I whip around, gripping the bars. Jack stands on the other side, his fingers wrapped around the metal as he watches me, his smirk pure arrogance.
“Let’s see how long you last before you submit,” he murmurs, his voice edged with dark amusement.
I lift my chin. “I’d rather rot in here than be anywhere near you.”
His jaw ticks. For a moment, I think he might say something might try to break me with words the way he always does. But then he turns and storms out, the heavy door slamming behind him.
Silence.
I exhale sharply, my fingers tightening around the cold iron bars. I should be panicking. The silver should be burning me, weakening me.
But it doesn’t, and the only thing that overwhelms me is his scent.
I stare at the cage, unease curling in my stomach. Why the hell did he sleep in here?
A bitter curse slips from my lips. I hate this mate bond. I hate the way it forces me to care, to wonder, to feel things I shouldn’t feel for a man who just threw me in a goddamn cage.
Before I can dwell on it, the sound of quiet footsteps reaches my ears.
I snap my head up–only to see Fury standing just outside the bars, holding a small pile of books in his arms.
“You okay?” he asks, his voice quiet.
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Peachy.” Then I narrow my gaze at him. “What are you doing here?”
He offers a half–smile. “Figured you’d get bored, so…” He lifts the books slightly. “Thought you might want something to pass the time.”
Surprise flickers through me. I sit up, staring at him warily. “You’re risking your neck to bring me books?”
Fury shrugs. “I owe you one.” He carefully slides them through the pars.
I hesitate before muttering, “Thanks.” Then, with my sweetest smile, I tilt my head. “Actually, can you do me a favour?”
His lips twitch. “You want me to open the door, don’t you?”
I nod, batting my lashes.
Fury chuckles, shaking his head. “I know you want to run, but it’s too late. Jack’s not letting you go this time.”
I scowl. “Coward.”
He snorts. “If the Alpha finds out I was even here, I’m dead.” He hesitates, then sighs. “But honestly? I don’t think he wants to hurt you, Luna.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Right. That’s why I’m in a cage.”
“I think I know why the Moon Goddess made you his second chance mate.”
My smile vanishes. “What?”
His eyes hold something indecipherable. “Because she knows you’re the only one who can match him.”
2/3
Chapter 23
I freeze. The words send a strange shiver through me.
Match him?
That–that is not what I expected to hear.
Jack had been absolutely furious at the mere suggestion of being my second–chance mate, as if it were the worst possible fate–like I was the one who decided destiny itself. But I am not the Moon Goddess; I had no control over who my first mate was. And now Fury is telling me that !-no
My thoughts screech to a halt.
“You’re wrong,” I say slowly, something unsettling curling in my gut. “I was the Moon Goddess’s first choice for Jack, while he is my second.”
Fury goes still. Then-
“Oh.” He blinks. “So Alpha wasn’t your first mate either?”
My breath catches.
Wait.
What?
I push to my feet, still gripping the bars. “What did you just say?”
Fury’s expression shutters. “Forget I said anything.”
But I don’t.
I can’t.
A storm brews inside me, pieces of a puzzle I didn’t know existed clicking into place. But if what Fury just implied is true–if Jack had a first mate, too-
Then that means-
Rage burns through me like wildfire.
The bastard.
The hypocritical, possessive, jealous bastard.
And he dared to throw me in a cage over something he was guilty of himself?
Fury turns to leave, but my voice stops him. “Wait.”
He hesitates, glancing over his shoulder but I don’t know what to say.
Because everything I thought I knew just shattered into something new.
And
d me fe
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