Zadre's POV

Varek’s gaze shifted to me once more. Luna, there’s no time for explanations. But you need to understand, we’ve all been playing a game we didn’t choose. And now, it’s time to face the truth.”

Sydney’s eyes turned cold, his jaw tight. “Varek?” He scoffed. “How could you…”

“Don’t make this harder than it is,” I said. My voice was steady, but my insides felt like they were shaking.

“Luna, What the hell is going on?”

I glanced at Cedrica, standing there, watching us. Her gaze was distant, but there was a calmness in her eyes that I didn’t understand.

“Cedrica,” I said, my voice soft. “Do you want to go with him? Do you want to leave this place and go with Varek?”

Cedrica’s eyes flicked toward Varek for a brief moment before she nodded, her expression cold, unreadable. “Yes.”

Sydney froze, his eyes bulging in shock. “What?” he gasped. “You’re my daughter! You can’t just… leave!”

“I’m not your daughter,” Cedrica snapped. “Not anymore.”

Sydney staggered back, his hands trembling, his voice shaking. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about how you hurt me.”

Cedrica’s voice broke through the tension.

“You think I didn’t notice? You think I didn’t understand what you did to me?”

Her words were like acid, cutting through the years of silence.

“You molested me, Dad. You touched me in ways I couldn’t escape.”

Sydney went silent. His face drained of color. He looked at me as if I were betraying him too.

Flashback...

Cedrica POV

“Don’t make this harder than it is,” I said. My voice was steady, but my insides felt like they were shaking.

“Luna, who is this guy? What the hell is going on?”

I glanced at Cedrica, standing there, watching us. Her gaze was distant, but there was a calmness in her eyes that I didn’t understand.

“Cedrica,” I said, my voice soft. “Do you want to go with him? Do you want to leave this place and go with Varek?”

Cedrica’s eyes flicked toward Varek for a brief moment before she nodded, her expression cold, unreadable. “Yes.”

Sydney froze, his eyes bulging in shock. “What?” he gasped. “You’re my daughter! You can’t just… leave!”

“I’m not your daughter,” Cedrica snapped. “Not anymore.”

Sydney staggered back, his hands trembling, his voice shaking. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about how you hurt me,” Cedrica’s voice broke through the tension. “You think I didn’t notice? You think I didn’t understand what you did to me?” Her words were like acid, cutting through the years of silence. “You molested me, Dad. You touched me in ways I couldn’t escape.”

Sydney went silent. His face drained of color. He looked at me as if I were betraying him too.

Flashback…

"You’re lying," Sydney choked out, his voice a hoarse whisper. "That's not true."

"It is," I said, the words a steady stream now, fueled by years of silent rage. "It's all true. I remember everything."

"You were a child," he pleaded, reaching for me. "You didn't understand."

I recoiled from his touch. "I understood enough to know it was wrong. Enough to know I hated it."

"Cedrica, please," he begged. "This is crazy. I’m your father."

"You were my father," I corrected, a cold finality in my tone. "Until you made it clear I was something else to you."

He staggered back, his face a mask of disbelief and pain. "I gave you everything! A good home, a good life!"

"You took everything, too," I shot back. "My innocence. My trust. My childhood." The words were like a dam breaking. "I was 16 when I finally understood what you had taken from me."

I closed my eyes, a flash of memory burning behind my eyelids. Ethan had dropped me off at school, the usual morning routine. But that day, a tall, imposing man was waiting for me. He had a scarred face and a stern expression. He was from a pack I didn’t know, one that was whispered about in hushed tones, known for their ruthlessness. He told me his alpha wanted to see me.

Fear warred with curiosity. I followed him, and we drove to a cabin deep in the woods. When I walked inside, a man was standing by the fireplace, his back to me. When he turned around, I froze. He had my face. The same high cheekbones, the same serious mouth. And his eyes… they were the same piercing blue as mine.

"Dad?" I whispered. But this man wasn’t Sydney.

This man looked just like me.

"Hello, Cedrica," he said, his voice a low rumble. "My daughter."

My mind raced. How could this be? I looked at my hands, at his hands. We were connected.

No wonder Mom and Dad (Sydney) had golden eyes, I thought wildly. But then… why did Edward have blue eyes, too?

The thought was a jarring puzzle piece that didn't fit.

Suddenly, Sydney’s voice broke through the memory, pulling me back to the present.

"You're making this up!" he yelled. "This is a lie! You’re just… running away with him!" He pointed a shaking finger at Varek. His golden eyes flashed, a primal warning.

I looked at Sydney, at the man I had called Dad my entire life, at the man who had stolen so much from me. The lie had been his. The escape was mine.

"I’m not running away," I said calmly. "I'm going home."

“Cedrica, I never,” His voice cracked, but Cedrica shook her head, stepping back.

“Yes, you did. I remember everything, and I hated every minute of it. You think I didn’t feel that?” She stepped forward, her voice rising. “But you were my father, and I thought I had no choice.” She looked at Varek then, and something in her eyes softened. “I do now.”

I stood there, in shock, my heart torn between the woman standing in front of me and the man who I had once called my husband. The man who had broken her and who had broken me in ways I hadn’t even realized.

“Cedrica…” I whispered.

“I’m going,” she said, her voice firm. “With him.”

Luna Zadre's POV

As I stepped outside, the chaos hit me like a wave. The castle was in complete disarray. There were people shouting, running, and scrambling to either defend or escape. The air was thick with panic. I felt a chill run down my spine. This was bad, worse than I’d ever imagined.

“Luna!” The chief maid’s voice broke through the noise. I looked up to see her beckoning me. “We must go through the back gate before it’s closed. It’s our only chance.”

I nodded. We made our way through the halls and down the narrow passageways that led to the back. I could hear the sounds of wolves howling against the walls. I knew they were closing in.

The chief maid grabbed my arm again. “Disguise yourself,” she urged, pulling me toward a small room. She quickly handed me a plain, dark cloak. “Hurry, Luna. It’s the only way they won’t recognize you.”

I didn’t argue. I pulled the cloak over my shoulders, covering as much of my face as I could. My heart pounded in my chest as we continued to rush through the corridors.

The door to the back gate was just ahead. But before we could reach it, I heard the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps. I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

“We’re too late,” I whispered, my chest tightening.

“We have to go, Luna. Now!” my maid urged, pulling me towards the door with all her strength.

I glanced back, heart skipping a beat when I saw Sydney. He was being dragged across the courtyard by two guards. His face was pale, his expression filled with disbelief. I could see it clearly; his pride was shattered in an instant.

"Sydney," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. My feet moved as if they had a mind of their own, my gaze locked on him.

His eyes locked with mine, and for a moment, time seemed to slow. His gaze was filled with a mixture of anger, confusion, and something else—regret, maybe? He saw me; I could tell. But there was nothing I could do.

Nothing.

I looked away quickly, forcing my feet to keep moving. My maid tugged harder on my arm, and we both hurried out the door.

“Luna, we can’t help him. We need to leave now,” she said, her voice firm but tinged with fear.

“I know,” I said, my voice hollow.

We ran!

There was nothing I could do to stop it.

We pushed forward, weaving through the trees and down the forest path. The cool night air brushed against my face as I tried to shake off the feeling of panic that threatened to overwhelm me.

We reached the edge of the forest, where a small, run-down building stood. The walls were worn, the windows cracked, but it was shelter. It was a place to hide.

“We can stay here for now,” my maid said, her voice low and tense.

I nodded, not saying anything. The silence between us was thick, filled with the weight of everything that had happened. The castle was no longer a safe haven. Sydney’s betrayal, Cedrica’s departure, and the invasion—it was all too much. And now, I had nothing.

We entered the small building, and my maid quickly locked the door behind us. She led me to a small room at the back, where a bed and a small table sat. The room was dimly lit, the flickering light from a single candle casting shadows on the walls.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, the exhaustion finally catching up to me. My hands trembled as I took out the pouch of jewelry. The only things I had left were these precious pieces, and even now, they felt like nothing.

“Are you alright, Luna?” the chief maid asked, sitting beside me. Her voice was soft with worry in it.

I looked at her, my mind racing. “What now?” I asked, the question heavy in the air.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she sat quietly, her hands folded in her lap. I could tell she was thinking, weighing the choices. Finally, she spoke.

“We wait,” she said simply.

“Wait?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “We wait for the right time to leave. We can’t stay here forever, but for now, it’s safe. We have time.”

I didn’t know if I agreed with her. I didn’t know what the right choice was anymore. Everything had changed in the span of a few hours, and now we were fugitives, hiding in the shadows.