Dahlia’s POV
Darkness enveloped me, swallowing me whole. There was nothing-no sensation, no weight, just an endless void where I drifted aimlessly.
“Blue?” I reached out for her, but the silence that followed sent a wave of unease through me.
I couldn’t feel her presence. Panic flared as I tried to remember how I got here, but my mind was a tangled mess, blurred like static on a broken television screen.
“Blue!” I called out again, louder this time, desperation creeping into my voice.
The dread pressing down on me grew heavier. No matter what, I had always felt Blue in the back of my mind, even in our worst moments. But now? She was gone. Completely absent. A cold sweat broke out over my skin as my breathing turned shallow, memories of my old panic attacks resurfacing. It was the same crushing loneliness that used to consume me after Finnian left, that terrible hollowness threatening to pull me under.
Back then, the attacks had been suffocating. My thoughts would spiral, whispering that I was utterly alone, and the fear would tighten around me like a noose. My best friend, Isolde, had taught me meditation techniques she’d picked up from her yoga instructor-methods that had helped me take control of my breathing before my anxiety drowned me. Maybe, just maybe, they would help now.
I closed my eyes, though the void was already pitch black, and forced myself to envision my sanctuary-my happy place. I drew in a slow breath, summoning the image in my mind’s eye, and let it sharpen with every exhale.
A dense forest bathed in warm sunlight stretched out before me, the scent of pine and damp earth filling my lungs. I walked barefoot toward the waterfall that lay on the edge of our pack’s territory, where a thirty-foot cascade tumbled over jagged rocks, spilling into a crystal-clear pool below. Towering oaks and pines lined the cliffside, their roots tangled among wildflowers blooming in bursts of color.
It was breathtaking-like something out of a painting. A place untouched, where solitude wasn’t lonely but peaceful. I had spent countless hours here, dipping my feet into the cool water, losing myself in books, swimming for what felt like eternity without a single soul in sight.
The imagined warmth of the sun kissed my skin, and slowly, my breathing steadied. The haze in my mind cleared just enough for me to try again-to piece together the events leading up to this moment.
I could remember the day unfolding in fragments. The exhilaration of delivering the Winslow twins. The moment I met Liam. The overwhelming urge to run from him-only to stay when my father begged me to give him a chance.
I remembered the bittersweet ache in my chest as my father spoke about my mother, the promise I had made to him. I had sworn I would do whatever he asked, as long as it eased his guilt over the past. Even if it meant entertaining the idea of a mate I wasn’t sure I wanted. A mate I didn’t know how to walk away from.
And then there was Logan-an unexpected complication that shook me to my core.
The revelation that the Moon Goddess had given me not one, but two Alpha mates had hit me like a cruel joke. Had she decided to toy with me for her own amusement? I mentally rolled my eyes at the thought.
At first, my reaction had been pure rage. I lashed out, not at them, but at myself. Because deep down, on some ridiculous, instinctual level, I wanted them. My wolf certainly did. And that only made resisting them harder. The worst part? My own body had betrayed me, burning with unwanted desire in their presence. It infuriated me. The last thing I could afford was giving in to this pull, letting them unravel the carefully built walls around my heart.
I could not allow myself to be weak.
Accepting them would only lead to ruin.
But I had promised my father two weeks. Two weeks of civility before making any decisions. So, I had forced myself to be cordial, to be the polite guest they expected. I even found solace in their Head Omega, Naia, who felt less like a servant and more like family to them. I had genuinely enjoyed our conversation as we worked in the kitchen, bonding over our shared love of baking.
Dinner had been pleasant. For a fleeting moment, I had thought I might actually survive these two weeks without losing my mind.
And then she appeared.
A stunning she-wolf, the most breathtaking I had ever seen, sauntered toward Logan with a clear purpose-to claim him as hers. She had flawless caramel skin, cascading brown hair that shimmered like silk, and piercing green eyes that sparkled like gemstones.
Blue snarled in my mind, feral and possessive, itching to claw her eyes out.
I shuddered the moment she touched him. I knew the jealousy coursing through me was nothing more than the mate bond at work, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
Then Logan spoke.
And just like that, my jealousy was drowned by a surge of fury.
Because his words made one thing painfully clear-he had used her. Whether he was discarding her because he wanted to or because the mate bond demanded it, I didn’t know. It didn’t matter.
All I knew was that I had to leave before he had the chance to break me the way Finnian had.
But before I could react, Logan grabbed my wrist, dragging me with him at an inhuman speed. It took me a moment to regain my balance before I wrenched myself free, yanking my hand from his grasp.
I was livid.
I demanded answers, but I refused to create a scene in the middle of their pack house. So, I forced myself to breathe, to push down my emotions, and turned to Liam first.
“Why did you bring me here?”
He had already admitted that my father had told him everything about my past. And surely, he knew his brother’s history with women wouldn’t remain a secret for long.
Had he wanted to test me? To see how I would react to humiliation? Did he genuinely think I would entertain the idea of being with someone who had no concept of loyalty?
If they expected me to stand by and watch as woman after woman threw themselves at them, they were sorely mistaken.
“Please, baby girl.”
Logan’s voice sliced through my thoughts, the softness in his tone making my stomach churn with rage. How dare he call me that? Like I was someone special. Like I meant more than the countless others before me.
I turned on my heel and stormed away, desperate to escape the nightmare my life had become in the span of twenty-four hours.
I remembered texting Silas as I ran to my room. He was the only person I could think of who would come for me without question.
My father was asleep. And if I was honest, I wasn’t ready to face him. I knew the disappointment in his eyes would gut me.
But then the memory crashed into me, leaving me breathless.
I had rejected them.
A cold chill crept down my spine. I had never intended to accept the mate bond, but the weight of what I had done settled in my chest like a stone.
There were consequences to rejection-serious ones.
An Alpha’s rejection didn’t just weaken them-it weakened their entire pack. If word got out, it would make them vulnerable to attack.
I had meant to prepare. To minimize the damage. But I had let my emotions rule me, and now I had to face the repercussions.
Would Logan and Liam hate me?
Without a doubt.
Would our packs suffer because of my actions?
I could only pray the alliance would hold.
But before I could think any further, the darkness pulled me under once more.
And just as my consciousness faded, a voice-soft, melodic, and powerful-whispered in my mind.
“Rest now, child. You will need your strength. I have big plans for you.”