- Blood And Betryals
Damon’s POV
The door slammed behind me with enough force to crack the frame.
Ryan was silent. Unnaturally silent, ever since Ara had spat Lucian’s name like it meant something. Like he meant something.
Her husband.
The thought made my vision bleed red.
Sailas‘ words echoed in my skull. “She was his Luna.”
Was.
But it didn’t matter. The idea that she had belonged to another, that she might still carry his mark in her heart was burning me down.
“Fuck.”
I ripped another punch in the wall. I needed to feel something. The wood splintered. The pain of my bruised hand was nothing compared to the one I felt in my heart.
Ryan finally stirred. ‘She’s ours now.‘
‘Is she?‘ I snarled back.
Because she’d made it damn clear that she would rather leave than stay with me.
My father never cared. My own brother tried to kill me multiple times. My mother was gone. I was the forgotten prince and now I was unfavored, unwanted even to my soulmate!
A bitter laugh left my mouth!
Why goddess? I felt as if I was born as cursed.
I stormed through the packhouse, warriors scattering from my path. The rogue was waiting. One of them who’d laid hands on her. The one who’d hurt her.
Perfect.
Tneeded something to break.
The hidden shelter reeked of damp earth and iron. Torches flickered along the narrow tunnel, casting shadows that twisted like specters.
Sailas kept pace beside me, his usual smirk absent. “I don’t think he’ll talk. But I found something.” “Let me guess,” I bit out. “He’s here to join the pack?”
“Not exactly.” Sailas‘ voice dropped. “He’s the kind that makes rogues a real threat. A trained assassin.”
My claws unsheathed. “Get to the point, Sailas.”
“Powerful. Ruthless. The type who doesn’t just leave packs. He destroys them.” Sailas continued.
The cell door loomed ahead. A warrior bowed. “He hasn’t spoken, Your Highness.
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< 21 Blood And Betryals
“Leave us,” Sailas ordered.
The rogue looked up as I entered.
Bruised. Bloodied. Smirking.
Big mistake.
I let my aura unfurl, slow, deliberate, suffocating. The air thickened. The torchlight dimmed. The very stones trembled as the full weight of my Lycan heritage pressed down.
The rogue’s smirk vanished.
“Listen carefully,” I murmured, stepping closer. “I’m in a very bad mood. Start talking, or I’ll make you my personal plaything. And when I do?” I leaned in. “You’ll beg for death. Every day. Every minute. Every second.”
A whimper. His body locked, muscles straining against invisible chains. Rogues didn’t bow to Lycan command as they were outcasts of the society, but Ryan?
Ryan was different.
The rogue crumpled. “I’ll talk! Please…”
“Good.” I didn’t ease the pressure.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“To eliminate… you,” his voice trembled.
“Who sent you?” I questioned, my jaw clenched.
“The Crowned Prince.” He mumbled.
Sailas went rigid beside me.
Cassian!
Of course.
My brother had always been patient. Calculating. Even when we were kids, he thought three steps ahead- like the time he gave me wolfbean–laced chocolates.
I was ten. Cassian was fifteen.
The candy was rich and dark, the kind father got for him only. He watched me with one of his unreadable smiles that never reached his eye. I should have known better!
Thanks to Seraphina I was still breathing. One of her maids caught me just in time.
But sending an assassin?
This wasn’t just a power play.
This was war.
And if he learned about Ara… I didn’t even want to finish the thought. All my rage and hurt towards Ara melted away in an instant, and turned into fear. Cassian would do anything to hurt me, and Ara would be caught in crossfire.
A part of me even regretted finding her. She didn’t even deserve any of these.
- Blood And Betryals
‘She stays here,‘ Ryan growled. ‘Where we can protect her.‘
For once, I agreed.
Because if Cassian touched her? I would burn the whole f*****g kingdom down.
Ara’s POV
The moment Damon stormed out, the room became too large and too small all at once. The walls pressed in, yet the emptiness he left behind stretched endlessly. I pressed a trembling hand to my chest, feeling the uneven flutter of my heartbeat beneath the skin.
Then came another cough and more blood.
I slumped against the headboard, wiping blood from my lips with a trembling hand. The metallic taste lingered, bitter and familiar. I needed my medicine.
My gaze drifted to the dagger–sized hole in the wall.
Why did I bring up Lucian?
Regret coiled in my chest. Should I go and apologize? A sigh left my mouth.
But what about him? Damon hadn’t even called for a medic! Hadn’t checked if I was okay. The first thing he did after I woke up was yelling. Then he just growled and left like I was some disobedient pup.
Was that all I was to him? He didn’t care enough! He wanted to send me away anyway.
A bitter laugh escaped me. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as a wave of oppressive energy slammed
into my senses.
The air thickened, vibrating with raw, primal power. It crawled over my skin like static, raising the hairs on my
arms.
Damon.
I knew that aura anywhere.
But this? This was different.
Darker.
Dangerous.
I pushed off the bed, ignoring the way my body screamed in protest, and followed the pull of that energy. I walked out the door, then down the hall, toward the back of the packhouse.
It was coming from outside, a shabby shades in the backyard. But before I could stepped out, Aurelia materialized in front of me, her usual sharp eyes wide with alarm, “Ara! You shouldn’t be up yet.”
“I am fine, Aurelia. What’s that aura?” I asked.
She stiffened, “his Highness is interrogating the rogue who hurt you. It’s not safe out there.”
Interrogating.
A fancy word for torture. That was my mate!
“You should go back, Ara, to your room. Don’t loiter, not right now,” she mumbled before as she hurried off.
- Blood And Betryals
કાનાં આ છે
I stood there frozen for a moment. As I was about to leave, my eyes fell on the stairs heading down. What was down there? Without a second thought, I took them which led me to the basement.
Soon I realised the basement was nothing but a prison. The scent hit me first. Rotten eggs, sweat, and something sour. Fear.
No guards. No locks. Just a long, dimly lit corridor that reeked of neglect. Was it another prison? Did Damon bring here his prisoners from that shabby shades after interrogations? But it was inside the packhouse. Why would Damon hide prisoners here without any guards? It could be dangerous!
My steps slowed as whispers reached me.
“Please… help my pup.”
The voice was ragged, desperate.
I turned the corner, and froze.
A woman.
Chained to the wall, her arms wrapped around four small, shivering forms. Pups. The oldest couldn’t have been more than six. The sick pup’s cheeks flushed with fever. The youngest clung to her leg, silent tears streaking through the dirt on his face.
“He has a high fever. He doesn’t have his wolf’s healing yet,” the woman pleaded, her cracked lips trembling. “He’ll die without medicine. Please…”
My stomach twisted. She wasn’t a rogue. She was a mother. And Damon had locked her in a dungeon like some kind of monster.
“I’ll help you,” I whispered before I could stop myself. “But not now.”
Her sobs followed me as I fled. If I could lead them to the hidden entrance that I saw, they would be safe. Lina could help the pup. They would have a home.
So that’s what he was doing. Damon was hunting them. Capturing the fragile woman and children. For what! Did he really see them as a threat? They were weak, dying! If he found out I was one of them…
Oh goddess! How did I ended up with a man like him?
I leaned against the cold stone wall, my breath coming in short, painful gasps. I’d been wrong about him.
The lycan prince wasn’t just ruthless. He was cruel. He was a monster! Given a chance, he would wipe out all I ever cared for. Probably me as well.
And I would never let myself forget that.
Never again.
Gratsiya
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(22 The Escape
