Page 24

24

SONYA

S onya lay on the mossy forest floor, curled beneath a blanket, the fire beside them burning low—mostly embers now.

The pine-sweet air clung to her skin, mingling with the faint woodsmoke and the familiar scent of Landon beside her.

His body was warm, his breath even and slow, his arm thrown loosely around her waist like he couldn't stand to let her go.

They had decided to camp out away from the cabin, now that it was no longer safe. And a part of her wanted to believe they were safe here, hidden in the thick cradle of the woods like she used to feel.

But peace was a lie. Especially when it came to Roman.

The whisper slithered into her mind like a cold wind through cracked stone.

“Come to me.”

Her eyes flew open. Heart jumping like a startled rabbit. For a second, she thought it had been a dream—but she knew better. Roman's voice in her head was too sharp, too real .

She bolted upright, scanning the darkness beyond the tree line.

There. Beyond the flicker of firelight.

Two glowing red eyes caught hers from the shadows.

Roman.

He stood in his wolf form—massive, sleek, and black as spilled ink.

His presence hit her like a wave power, dominance, threat.

It coiled in her chest, the bond they’d never truly severed still tethering her to the alpha she’d tried to walk away from.

“Now, Sonya.” His voice pressed into her mind again, colder this time.

She glanced back at Landon, sleeping peacefully, his lashes brushing against his cheek, mouth barely parted.

He looked so human right now—too human to face whatever waited out in those trees.

She slipped out from under his arm as gently as she could, heart pounding.

If he woke and followed her…

Roman wouldn’t hesitate to make a scene.

Or worse.

Barefoot, she padded across the underbrush, her breath frosting in the cool air.

Roman didn’t move until she was only a few feet away.

In a blur, fur twisted and bones cracked as he shifted, muscles rolling under skin.

Within seconds, he stood before her as a man again—tall, bare-chested, pulling on a pair of black pants like this was just some casual meeting in the damn woods.

The moonlight painted him in shadows, highlighting the dangerous curve of his smile.

"Like the little show at Landon's place?" Roman asked, cocking his head, tone dripping with venomous amusement.

Sonya’s stomach dropped. Her voice came out hoarse with disbelief. “That was you ?”

Roman’s grin widened, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Consider it a warning.”

“I trusted you once,” she snapped, voice rising. “You said the pack didn’t engage with Gideon’s Torch. That they were beneath us. What the hell changed?”

He shrugged like she’d asked about the weather. “Desperation makes strange bedfellows. They hate Landon as much as I do—enough to remind him where he stands.”

“You sent hunters after us,” she growled, stepping forward, fists clenched. “You could’ve killed him.”

“But I didn’t,” he said, calm as a lake’s surface. “I could’ve. I still can.”

She bared her teeth. “Why are you really here, Roman?”

He sighed dramatically, stepping closer, invading her space. She didn’t flinch.

“Because despite your… rebellion,” he said, voice silky, “I still see value in you, Sonya. I still believe you want to save the pack.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Get to the point.”

Roman’s jaw flexed, that charming facade cracking just a little.

“There’s still a way to fix this,” he said. “A ritual. Ancient. Powerful. A sacrifice to bind the bloodlines and strengthen the pact. The prophecy says the Lycan must give willingly—but we… we can interpret ‘willing’ loosely.”

Her stomach turned. “No.”

“You haven’t even heard what I’m offering.”

“I don’t care,” she hissed.

“If you give him to me,” Roman continued, undeterred, “if you lead him to the altar and help me complete the binding… the pack will be spared. No war. No bloodshed. And you…” He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. She smacked his hand away.

“You’ll be my Luna. As it was always meant to be.”

She laughed, bitter and sharp. “You don’t want a Luna. You want a leash. And you want Landon dead because he threatens the empire you’ve built on fear.”

Roman’s smile fell completely. “You’ve seen what he can do. You felt it, didn’t you? That blast of power? That’s not something you can control. He can’t control it. He’s a walking bomb just waiting to detonate.”

Sonya’s heart thudded violently, a war of instinct and emotion churning inside her. “And you think killing him fixes that?”

“I think it preserves order. ” His voice grew hard. “If the prophecy is true, if he really is the Lycan King reborn, he’ll turn everything upside down. There’s no place in this world for kings, Sonya. Just leaders who know how to survive.”

She turned her back on him, pacing, breathing hard. Her mind raced. Landon’s face flashed behind her eyes. His kindness. His strength. The way he’d stood between her and the hunters without blinking.

Roman’s next words were a blade between her ribs.

“Your parents are still under my roof.”

She froze.

“Don’t pretend you don’t care. You went back for them. You still want their approval.”

Her voice was hollow. “They already made their choice. Just like I made mine.”

He stepped closer again, lower voice now. “You can still fix this. No one has to die. But if you walk away…”

His meaning hung in the air like smoke.

“You’re blackmailing me,” she said, her throat tight.

“I’m offering mercy,” he replied coldly.

She didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

They stood in the clearing, tension coiled so tight it could snap the trees around them. Her heart ached. Her wolf howled inside her, restless and angry.

Behind her, in the dark, Landon slept—unaware that his life had just been put on the scales.

And Sonya… didn’t know how to tip them without breaking everything.