Aria’s POV
“WHO LET THESE WOMEN FREE?!”
We all froze in our tracks as the loud, angry voice reached us. Logan. He’d discovered our escape.
“Run!” I shouted, my voice breaking the stillness of the night. “Go!”
The women didn’t hesitate. They sprinted toward the tree line, disappearing into the forest. I followed close behind, my heart pounding in my chest.
Freedom was within reach. We just had to keep moving. Keep running.
And I wasn’t going to stop until we were safe. Until Edward was back in my arms.
I watched as the women, one by one, shifted into their wolf forms, disappearing into the dense forest. They were moving so fast, S though they wanted to catch their freedom. My heart soared for them, knowing that they were getting away, escaping the horrors of this place.
It was almost my turn. I could feel the pull of my wolf stirring within me, ready to break free, but just as I was about to shift, a hand gripped my arm, yanking me back with such force that I stumbled.
“Where do you think you’re going?” a cold voice growled in my ear.
My heart sank. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. Alpha Logan.
I whipped around, anger coursing through me as I glared at him. His dark eyes were filled with fury, his jaw clenched tight. Without thinking, I spat in his face, watching as the spit landed squarely on his forehead.
Logan’s face twisted into fury. He wiped the saliva off with the back of his hand, his movements slow and measured, and then without warning, his palm struck the side of my face with brutal force.
The slap echoed in the night air, leaving my cheek burning, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry out.
“You think you’re clever, don’t you?” Logan hissed. “I have a special punishment for you, Aria. One you’ll never forget.”
I struggled against his grip, but he was too strong, dragging me along as though I weighed nothing. He dragged me through the forest ground, not stopping even when I cried out in pain.
Panic rose in my chest as we moved closer and closer to his pack house. Despair settled in as I saw the familiar stone walls looming in the distance. No matter how hard I fought, no matter how many times I tried to escape, it always ended the same-back here, under his control.
“Let me go!” I screamed, my voice hoarse from the strain. “Please, Logan!”
Logan just chuckled darkly, his hand tightening painfully around my wrist as he continued dragging me toward the pack house.
When we finally reached the entrance, I could feel the eyes of the maids on us, watching, and whispering. Each of them gave me a look-pity, fear, or indifference. My gaze darted among them, searching, hoping, for a familiar face.
Erinne. Where was she? My heart squeezed painfully at the thought of her. She was the only friend I had left in Alpha Logan’s mansion, the only one I thought I could still trust.
Suddenly, we turned a corner, entering a long corridor. My eyes widened as I spotted a woman standing at the far end, her back to us. She was speaking to a group of maids. There was something familiar about the way she stood, the way her white-blonde hair shimmered under the light.
Then she turned, and my breath caught in my throat.
Erinne.
But this wasn’t the Erinne I knew. She wasn’t the shy, quiet woman who had comforted me when I thought all was lost. This woman was dressed regally, her posture tall and confident, a cruel smile playing on her lips as she locked eyes with me.
“Well, well, look who decided to show up,” Erinne sneered, her tone dripping with smugness. “Aria, the runaway.” Her eyes flicked over me with disdain, as if I were nothing more than dirt beneath her shoes. “I see Alpha Logan has caught you. Again.”
I was too stunned to speak, too shocked to move. This couldn’t be happening. My mind scrambled around, trying to make sense of what I was seeing, but it didn’t add up. Erinne… was Logan’s new Luna?
“You… you’re…” The words barely left my lips as I stared at her in disbelief.
Erinne’s smile widened. “Oh, you didn’t know? Yes, I suppose you’ve been a bit preoccupied with your little escapes. A lot has happened since you left us, Aria.”
She waved a hand dismissively, turning her attention back to the maids. “I’m Luna now. You should get used to seeing me in this role, Aria. It suits me.”
My heart shattered. Betrayal like I’d never known crashed over me, drowning me in its wake. Erinne, the one person I thought I could trust, the one who had been there for me when no one else was, had taken everything from me. How long had this been going on? How long had she been plotting behind my back?
“You… you betrayed me,” I whispered, the words trembling on my lips.
Erinne laughed. “Betrayed you? Oh, Aria, don’t be so dramatic. You were always weak. I was just waiting for my chance to take what was rightfully mine.”
I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt tight. Of course! Even from the moment we had both been slaves, Erinne had always been ambitious and cunning, grasping for things she didn’t deserve.
How could I have been so blind? How could I have trusted her?
Before I could say anything else, Logan yanked me forward, pulling me away from the corridor, away from Erinne. I stumbled behind him, my mind still reeling from the betrayal, my heart aching with every step.
“Keep moving,” Logan barked.
I barely registered where we were going. All I could think about was Erinne-how she had stood there, proud and regal, claiming the title of Luna, as if it had always belonged to her. How long had this been going on? How long had she been conspiring with Logan?
The thought made me sick. I wanted to scream, to fight, to claw my way out of this nightmare, but it was all too much. The walls of Logan’s pack house seemed to close in around me, suffocating me with their familiarity, their coldness.
When we reached the dungeons, Logan finally stopped, throwing me to the floor. I landed hard, my knees scraping against the stone, but I barely felt the pain.
“You’ll learn your place soon enough,” Logan sneered, looking down at me like I was nothing. “And if you ever try to run again, it won’t be just a slap you get.”