Chapter 60
The dream returns–again..
But this time, it’s exactly like the first–when Jack’s lips touched mine for the very first time.
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The little girl sits on the edge of a bed far too large for her small frame, her tiny fingers curled tightly around a familiar blue necklace that pulses faintly with light.
But she’s not in an ordinary room this time. It’s a hut. Dimly lit, thick with incense and smoke. Cracked shelves line the walls, crammed with dusty jars and dried herbs. Pots bubble with glowing liquids, and hanging talismans twist eerily in the low light. The air hums with energy–old magic, ancient… dangerous.
And then I hear it–chanting.
A low, rhythmic whisper, in a language I don’t understand but feel in my bones. It’s coming from behind me. From all around me. The girl clutches the necklace tighter, and just before she turns around-
I jolt awake, breath caught in my throat.
“Damn it.” I exhale sharply, rubbing a hand over my face.
Fuck, another incomplete dream.
I fling the covers back, frustrated. “It’s all Jack’s fault,” I mutter to myself.
If he’d just taken me last night–fully–I know I would’ve remembered. Everything. All of it. Who I am, what I was, and where I come from. The pieces of me are there, waiting, just out of reach. And all it would take is completing the bond.
And he said no.
I swallow hard, heart twisting at the memory.
I understand his reasons–gods, I do. The Red Night Pack is full of ghosts from my past, and the idea of mating in Diana’s bed makes me want to gag too. But still… I can’t pretend it didn’t hurt.
When he turned his face away, when I leaned in, ready to give him everything… the sting of that rejection sliced deeper than I expected. And for the first time, l’understood. Really understood what I’d put him through before–every time I pushed him away, rejected his touch, his claim, his love.
And yet, even knowing it all, he still looked at me like I was the center of his universe.
The truth is I didn’t offer myself to Jack last night because I was grateful. Not just because he saved me. I did it because I was ready. Ready to love him. Ready to stop running from what we are. Ready to be his.
And he… he didn’t see that.
I bite down on my bottom lip, the burn behind my eyes threatening to spill. But just as my emotions begin to spiral, a sharp knock at the door jerks me out of my thoughts/
I shoot upright in bed just as the door creaks open.
“Kali?”
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Chapter 60
My mother steps into the room, and I freeze. My eyes dart down to the scandalous slip of a nightgown clinging to my body–barely covering anything–and I let out a horrified squeak as I yank the covers tightly around myself.
Too late.
Her eyes drop to the floor beside the bed where my nightgown strap lies limply… and then she smirks.
“Well, well…” she drawls with amusement. “I see why you didn’t come down for breakfast. Should I expect grandbabies soon?”
My mouth drops open. “M–Mum!” I hiss, mortified. “We didn’t–Jack and I haven’t-”
“Mated?” she supplies with a wink.
“Yes!” I snap, my face flaming as I bury myself ‘deeper into the sheets.
She hums thoughtfully, her gaze scanning me. “Strange,” she says, lips twitching with another grin. “Because your arousal is all over this room, sweetheart. Smells like a damn bakery in here.”
“Oh my goddess!” I groan, burying my face into the pillow, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole.
She laughs–warm, teasing, but not unkind. “Relax, Kali. You’re not the first girl to fall for her mate and forget the rest of the world exists. And knowing Jack, it probably took all his strength not to pounce on you last night.”
I peek up at her, cheeks still burning, but manage a small, embarrassed smile.
Her expression softens as her eyes settle on my neck. There’s no mark yet. She sees it. I see her see it. And for once, she spares me the teasing.
“Alright, alright,” she says, waving a hand and straightening her posture. “I didn’t come here to embarrass you that much.”
I blink. “Then why-?”
“Caspian,” she says simply.
My heart stops.
“Caspian?” I echo, guilt crashing into me like a freight train. “I–oh gods, I forgot–how is he? Is he awake?”
“He’s stable,” she says quickly, but her tone is serious now.
“I should’ve gone to him sooner.”
“He understands,” she says gently. “You’ve had a lot going on. I thought… we should be there when he wakes up.”
I don’t even hesitate. I’m already scrambling out of bed, clutching the sheets around me as I rush toward the bathroom. “Give me five minutes!” I call out behind me, my voice shaking with urgency.
“Take your time!” she calls back, chuckling under her breath. “And maybe wear something that covers your thighs this time!”
I slam the bathroom door with a groan and lean back against it. By the time I’m dressed and step out of the room, my mother is already waiting by the front door. We walk in silence, the sun high above us as we make our way to the hospital. I can feel her tension as clearly as my own–she’s nervous to see Caspian again after everything.
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Chapter 60
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When we push open the double doors of the hospital and head down the hallway, something feels… off. I expected quiet. Cold. Maybe the steady beep of machines.
Instead, I hear-
Grunting. Movement. Power.
Mom opens the door to Caspian’s room first, and I step in behind her–and freeze.
He’s not lying on the bed.
He’s not weak. He’s not frail.
He’s doing push–ups–one–handed–with a damn resistance band slung around his back like it’s made of paper. The floor beneath him shakes slightly with every motion, his shirtless body glistening with sweat, muscles rippling like he was sculpted by war gods. But that’s not what makes me stop breathing.
It’s his eyes.
Golden–radiant, dangerous.
Alpha.
My breath catches. Jack… he kept his word. He gave Caspian the Alpha title. He saved him.
“Caspian?” My voice comes out small, uncertain but he doesn’t even glance at me.
He straightens, running a towel across the back of his neck as he looks directly at my mother. His face breaks into a warm smile.
“It’s so good to see you,” he says, voice rich, deep–commanding. “You look well. How are you feeling?”
My mom chuckles, eyes crinkling with joy. “Better now, Caspian. You look like a whole new man.”
“I feel like one,” he replies, grinning. “Stronger. It’s like I’ve been reborn. Jack–Alpha Jack–he did all this. Gave me his blood and told me I was born to lead. He handed me the title and said I deserve it, even though I don’t. And now…” He glances at his reflection in the mirror, eyes narrowing slightly. “Now I’m going to change everything.”
I can’t speak. I just stand there, clutching my hands together as my heart sinks further into my chest.
He doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t acknowledge me. Not a hug. Not a smile. Not even a hey, how are you after all this time.
“The old ways are done,” Caspian continues. “No more oppression. No more silence. I’ll burn Luna Diana’s reign to the ground and make her family beg for mercy. She’ll pay for everything she’s done.”
Mom beams at him, proud and glowing. “I believe in you, Caspian. This pack needs change.”
I can’t take it anymore.
“Really?” I blurt, louder than I intend. Caspian’s smile falters slightly, but still, he doesn’t meet my eyes.
My fists clench, heat rising up my neck/I whirl around and kick the door open, stomping out of the room before either of them can say another word.
This wasn’t how I imagined seeing him again. Not like this. Not so cold.
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Chapter 60
Caspian was my best friend. He would have died for me. He loved me. And now he looks at me like I’m nothing but a sharlow in the
corner.
I storm down the hallway, barely feeling my legs move. My chest is tight, my eyes burning with something I don’t want to name Rage. Sadness. Confusion.
Suddenly, a thought strikes me–him.
My bastard father.
A cruel, wicked smile curves my lips before I even realize it’s there.
“Kali.”
My mom’s voice floats behind me softly. I pause near the hospital entrance, turning to find her a few steps behind, her brows pinched.
She already knows.
“You’re going to see him, aren’t you?” she asks quietly.
I tilt my head, studying her. There’s pity in her eyes. Pity. Even after everything that bastard did to her.
“You feel sorry for him?” I ask coldly.
She swallows and looks away. “He’s still my mate, Kali.”
“Not anymore. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this,” I snap, my voice laced with years of suppressed rage. “It’s why I wanted you to reject him–I needed you to. Because now, there’s nothing standing in the way of me getting the closure I deserve.”
She doesn’t follow and just nods. “Be careful, baby.”
I don’t respond. I just turn, close my eyes, and follow the wretched, bitter scent I know too well. A scent that once haunted my nightmares.
It leads me down a hallway toward the private wing. I slow down as I reach a closed door, heart thumping. My fingers twitch on the
handle.
I push it open.
My breath catches in my throat.
He’s sitting in a wheelchair.
His back is to me, facing the window. Sunlight streams through the glass, bathing him in a golden halo that makes him look almost peaceful. Almost… human.
But as I step closer, something shifts. Something’s wrong.
His arms–gone.
His legs–gone.
Only stumps remain, bound in thick white gauze. And when I circle slowly to face him-
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Chapter 60
His face.
Sunken. Pale. Hollow.
A ghost.
Not the Beta Logan I remember–the man who used to tower over me, voice full of thunder and fists full of punishment.
He looks at me.
Or rather, he tries to.
And then-
He starts crying.
Muffled, strangled sobs that shake his frail body.
He opens his mouth, but no sound comes.
Because his tongue… is gone.
I stagger back, one hand over my mouth, nausea and shock crashing into me like a wave. My thoughts scream only one name:
Jack.
My mate did this.
He took his revenge–for me. For my mom.
It’s too much.
Too perfect.
Too brutal.
I don’t know what I feel.
Horrified. Relieved. Vengeful. Grateful.
I fall to my knees beside the chair, shaking, and whisper, “You don’t get to hurt us anymore.”
He sobs harder, wheezing as if the guilt is eating him from the inside.
