Chapter 16
Juno’s POV
I didn’t say a word, just locked eyes with him, memorizing his face. One day, when these silver chains were off my wrists, I’d make him regret this moment.
Beside me, Scarlett stiffened, her earlier chattiness completely gone Freya kept her eyes on the ground, swaying slightly on her
feet.
The man–a Delta, judging by his scent and demeanor–spéered at silence, apparently taking it for submission. He jerked his chin toward the small private jet waiting on the tarmac.
“Move. The Alpha King doesn’t like to be kept waiting, even for his w toys.”
My wolf, Seraphine, stirred inside me, a low growl building in her consciousness. We are no one’s toy.
I silenced her gently. Now wasn’t the time. The silver dampened our connection, but I could still feel her rage matching my own. I’d need that anger later, but for now, survival meant playing along.
They’d seated us separately, probably to prevent us from talking. Not that any of us seemed in the mood for conversation. Freya looked half–dead, her skin pallid, dark circles under her eyes. Scarlett kept shooting nervous glances at the guards, her earlier confidence shattered after witnessing my “correction.”
Eating with silver chains was a deliberate humiliation. I had to lift both hands together to bring the packaged sandwich to my mouth, my movements awkward and clumsy like a child’s. The guards smirked every time I struggled. I forced myself to eat anyway.
I’d need my strength, wherever we were going.
Through the window, clouds drifted past, white and peaceful. Somewhere below was everything I’d ever known. My home. My pack.
Matthew.
Matthew. Had he watched me leave? Was he relieved to be rid of his unwanted wife, now free to be with his precious fated mate without guilt? Or did some part of him feel remorse for the years we’d spent together, now ended so abruptly?
I wondered about the other Alphas who hadn’t had Lunas to offer as peace tributes. Were they dead? Had some packs managed to resist the Clifflands invasion? Were there territories that hadn’t yet been attacked?
The thought of Matthew made my chest tighten, despite everything. Seven years together couldn’t be erased overnight, no matter how badly he’d betrayed me.
You still care for him, Seraphine observed, her voice faint through the silver’s dampening effect.
I care about what we had, I corrected. Not what he became.
The truth was simpler and more painful: that life was over. Whether Matthew lived or died, whether he regretted his choices or celebrated them, didn’t change my reality. I was flying toward something unknown, leaving behind everything familiar.
The black van that collected us from the airport had tinted windows, but I could still see glimpses of Clifflands as we drove. Unlike the dense forests of my home territory, this landscape was rockier, with steep cliffs rising in the distance and sprawling estates nestled among them. Everything looked older here, more established, emanating a sense of history my younger territory lacked.
After nearly an hour of driving, massive iron gates appeared ahead, opening to admit our vehicle. Beyond them stood a Manor–a structure that was more castle than house.
7
“Holy shit,” Scarlett whispered, forgetting herself for a moment.
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Chapter 16
I understood her reaction. The place was intimidating by design ysical manifestation of power and history,
The van stopped at a grand entrance, and the Delta who’d struck me earlier opened the door, roughly pulling us out one by one.
Move, he ordered, shoving me forward.
Inside, the manor was just as impressive, high ceilings, marble floor antique furniture mixed with modern conveniences.
Freya stumbled beside me, her breathing labored. The silver was taking a heavy toll on her, she’d always been more sensitive to it than most wolves. I wanted to help her, but with my own hands boud, there was little I could do.
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