Prologue
The first cry of my son split through the night.
I held him to my chest, trembling, weeping, laughing all at once. Every ounce of pain, every month of sickness and shifting, every risk I had taken, it all melted away the moment his tiny lungs filled with life.
My Alaric. My pride. My joy. The one thing left that was mine and mine alone.
I pressed my lips to his soft forehead. "You're safe," I whispered, though my voice shook. "You're all I'll ever need."
For one fragile moment, I believed it.
Then the door exploded off its hinges.
The wooden frame cracked, splinters spraying across the floor. My midwife, Mercy, screamed and stumbled back. My heart lurched even before I saw him.
Heavy boots thudded against the floorboards. That scent, dominant, sharp, suffocating enveloped me. I knew without looking up who he was.
Silas.
Alpha of the Blackmoon pack.
My husband.
The man I once loved enough to sacrifice everything for.
And he wasn't alone.
A softer scent followed his, cloying, floral, and sickly sweet. My stomach turned before my eyes even confirmed it.
Emily.
She was my best friend once but she was his mate now or rather, his mistress.
I tightened my hold on Alaric, my body still trembling from birth. Before I could move, Silas's shadow fell across me. His hand shot forward, ripping my baby from my arms.
Alaric's cries rose into wails.
"Give him back!" My voice tore from my throat.
But Silas didn't even look at me. He turned, calm, confident, and passed my son into Emily's waiting arms.
She smiled like she'd won some prize at the market. She kissed my baby's lips. My baby.
"Thank you for carrying him," she said sweetly. "And for giving birth to him. I'll make sure he grows up knowing what you did for us..." She paused then with a smile added. "Or didn't do."
The words pierced deeper than any blade. My vision blurred with tears, rage, disbelief.
Alaric is mine. Mine.
"Silas!" My voice broke. "He's my son!"
Finally, he turned to me. And when his eyes met mine, there was no love, no remorse. Only ice.
"He is mine," Silas said, his tone final, merciless. "Yours ends here."
His hand moved to the sword at his hip, the very sword I had given him when he conquered his rivals. The sword we once swore upon together. To be faithful, to be loyal and to be honest with each other until death took us.
How ironic was it that the same blade that was used to slay enemies, that was the picture of justness, that I had always thought wouldn't hurt me was now in my stomach before I could even draw another breath.
Shock stole my scream. My lips parted, but no sound came, only a wet gasp. I stared at the sword lodged in my stomach as the pain registered but I was still in disbelief because even though we were nit on good terms, Silas should not have a reason to kill me. Right?
Mercy shrieked somewhere behind me. "No! Alpha, please!"
But I couldn't look at her. My eyes were fixed on the sword hilt jutting from my body. The same blade I'd once polished for him. The same blade I thought bound us together.
Blood soaked my gown. Warmth trickled down my skin, pooling beneath me.
I fell to my knees, choking. "W–why?" My voice came out broken, a rasp between sobs.
"Why?"
I had given him everything. I had destroyed my family for him. My father, my clan, all slaughtered because I believed in him. Because I believed in love.
Silas crouched down, catching a lock of my sweat-matted hair. He twirled it casually, like he had all the time in the world.
"Because I can," he murmured.
And then he yanked the blade free.
I collapsed forward, clutching at the floor, my blood painting the wood. My breaths grew shallow, ragged. My body wanted to give in.
But I couldn't.
Not yet.
Not while Alaric cried in that woman's arms.
I dragged myself forward, nails scraping against the ground. Mercy's horrified eyes widened, and she shook her head at me, mouthing no. But she didn't understand.
She had her son. Even if he was her last surviving child. She had done everything to keep him safe.
And so would I. I would do anything to ensure my son was safe.
Emily shrieked when I clutched at her dress. "Get her off me!"
"Silas!" she cried, clutching Alaric tighter. My son's wails were frantic and desperate. He needed me.
My fingers dug into her skirts even as pain ripped through me.
"G…give me…back my son," I croaked.
Silas sighed like I was an annoyance. Then the sword came down again.
This time, it drove through my spine. My body convulsed, blood gushing from my mouth. But I held on tighter, fueled by agony, fueled by love.
"Alaric!" I screamed, my voice breaking.
Silas ripped the blade free. My strength faltered. Emily stumbled back, clutching my baby, shielding him from me like I was the monster.
My vision swam. My body quaked from the pain but I wasn't giving up. I couldn't.
I had traded my family for him. Betrayed my clan for him. Silas, who had promised me the world and gave me ruin instead.
Never again.
I lifted my head, forcing words past the blood filling my throat.
"I curse you, Silas." My voice shook but carried. "You will know no peace. If I die, I will find you. I will tear you down with my own hands."
Emily laughed, sharp and cruel. "You're dying, Odessa. What can a corpse do?"
I smiled, though my lips dripped red. "Then I will return. In this life, or the next. You will fall. And I will be the one to watch the life leave your eyes."
A growl rumbled from Silas's chest. His blade rose one final time.
The steel drove through my skull, sliding down until the tip burst beneath my chin. My body convulsed, then stilled.
The world dimmed. My blood spilled. My heart slowed.
But my hatred burned brighter than my fading life.
This isn't the end.
My last thought was of Alaric's cries.
My last feeling was grief.
My last vow was revenge.
And when the darkness took me...I opened my eyes again and I was back to a life I had thought was lost..