Liv POV

The heavy oak door clicked shut, leaving me entirely alone in the suffocating silence of the guest room. I slumped against the wood, my trembling legs finally giving out as I slid to the floor.

The air was still impossibly thick with his scent. *Winter-bitten cedar and ancient leather* clung to my skin, seeping into my pores like a beautiful, lethal poison. My pulse point, where Kaelon’s rough thumb had just rested, throbbed with a phantom heat. Sparks still danced violently along my nerve endings, a terrifying reminder of my own body's betrayal.

I hated myself for it. I was a *wolfless* Omega. I shouldn't be feeling this magnetic, soul-crushing pull toward anyone, let alone the Alpha King—the father of the man who had just shattered my life. I buried my face in my hands, a wave of profound shame washing over me.

If this was truly the Moon Goddess's doing, why did it feel so incredibly one-sided? Why did Kaelon recognize me instantly, his inner wolf roaring for a claim, while my dormant, empty soul felt no true Mate bond? My body craved his touch, but my mind was completely blind to the connection. Was this just another cruel game? A deeper, more twisted manipulation by the Blackwood men?

I pushed myself off the floor, my hazel eyes sweeping over the room. It was a gilded cage. In the open closet hung rows of glittering, expensive dresses. On the vanity sat velvet boxes of jewels. All gifts from Aaron, meant for his future Luna. They looked like shackles now. I wasn't a doll to be dressed up, and I certainly wasn't Kaelon Blackwood's newest piece of property.

I dragged my battered, ordinary suitcase from the corner of the room. I ignored the silk and lace, aggressively shoving my own faded jeans and simple sweaters into the bag. At the very bottom, I carefully placed my thick design sketchbook. I ran my fingers over the worn cover. It was the only thing that truly belonged to me—the proof that my worth wasn't tied to an Alpha, a Pack, or a forced mating.

I zipped the bag shut. I had to leave. I had to sever ties with Aaron's hypocritical past and escape Kaelon's terrifying, dominant future. I would strip myself down to nothing but my own truth and face the unknown as a Rogue.

Taking a deep breath, I cracked the bedroom door open. The hallway was empty, bathed in the pale, cold light of early morning. I slipped out, my bare feet silent on the plush carpet as I dragged the heavy suitcase behind me.

I reached the grand staircase. The dark oak and black wrought iron spiraled downward like the spine of a massive beast. Along the mahogany-paneled walls, the giant oil portraits of past Blackwood Alphas glared down at me. Their painted, ruthless eyes seemed to track my every movement, mocking my pathetic attempt at a prison break.

I swallowed hard and stepped onto the first marble stair.

The atmospheric pressure in the stairwell suddenly vanished.

My heart flatlined.

I whipped my head up. Standing at the very top of the landing, cloaked in the morning shadows, was Kaelon. He hadn't left. He had been waiting.

He didn't say a single word. He just began to descend. Every slow, deliberate step he took radiated absolute, kingly authority. The sheer weight of his aura pressed down on my chest until I couldn't draw breath. I was frozen, trapped on the steps like prey caught in the sights of a lethal predator.

Before I could even command my legs to run, he was standing on the step right above me. His massive, muscular frame entirely blocked my path, casting a dark shadow over my trembling body.

He reached out. Instead of grabbing me, his large, calloused hand wrapped around the handle of my suitcase.

As he effortlessly took the heavy weight of it from my grip, his knuckles brushed against the back of my hand.

A violent, intoxicating jolt of electricity shot straight up my arm, making me gasp out loud. My traitorous body instantly leaned toward his radiating heat, entirely consumed by the sudden, overwhelming flare of *winter-bitten cedar and ancient leather*.

He held my luggage in one hand, his glowing, steel-gray eyes locking onto mine with a dark, predatory intensity that pinned my soul in place.

Liv POV

The violent, intoxicating jolt of electricity from his knuckles brushing mine paralyzed me. I stood frozen on the marble step, my traitorous body leaning into the sudden, overwhelming flare of *winter-bitten cedar and ancient leather*.

Kaelon didn't let go of the suitcase. Instead, he effortlessly lifted the battered bag as if it weighed nothing at all. He descended the remaining stairs with slow, deliberate strides, setting the luggage down on the final step. It effectively barricaded my only path to the foyer.

I forced my trembling legs to move, descending until I was standing just one step above him.

"Thank you," I forced out, my voice cold and brittle. "Now, what exactly are you doing?"

He didn't answer immediately. He stepped into my space, his massive frame casting a dark shadow over me. The sheer force of his Alpha aura wrapped around my throat.

"Running away from what you truly want, little wolf?" he rasped, his voice low enough to vibrate directly into my bones.

The shameless implication of last night hit me like a physical blow. Heat flooded my cheeks. "I am not running from anything I want," I snapped, though my racing pulse completely betrayed my words. "I am leaving."

A dark, knowing gleam flashed in his steel-gray eyes. He could hear my erratic heartbeat. He knew exactly what his proximity was doing to my wolfless body.

Without another word, he picked up the suitcase and walked toward the underground garage. I followed, desperate to reclaim my belongings and get out of his suffocating territory.

The garage was a massive, freezing cavern of polished concrete and fluorescent lights. My red Ferrari Portofino sat in the corner, a glaring reminder of Aaron's hypocrisy. Kaelon popped the trunk, tossed my bag inside, and slammed it shut.

I didn't wait for him to speak. I yanked the driver's side door open, threw myself into the leather seat, and jammed the key into the ignition. I just needed to hear the engine roar to life. I needed to escape.

I turned the key.

*Click.*

Nothing. No roar. No hum. Just a pathetic, dead click.

Panic seized my chest. I twisted the key again, harder this time. *Click. Click. Click.*

Kaelon stepped up to the open car door. He didn't look surprised. His broad shoulders blocked out the harsh garage lights, and his intense gaze pinned me to the seat. The air between us grew impossibly thick, heavy with his suppressed, predatory urge to simply drag me back upstairs.

"Look at me, Olivia," he commanded, his voice laced with a dangerous edge.

I refused. I stared straight ahead through the windshield, my knuckles turning stark white as I gripped the steering wheel. My pride was the only thing I had left. I wouldn't beg the man who had just claimed me in the dark and humiliated me in the light.

"I'm fine," I lied through my teeth, frantically twisting the dead key. "It'll start."

Silence stretched between us, tight as a wire about to snap. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, the terrifying struggle of his inner wolf fighting for dominance. But then, the atmospheric pressure suddenly shifted. He took a step back. Without a single word, Kaelon turned and walked away, his heavy footsteps echoing into the shadows until he was gone.

I slumped against the steering wheel, a pathetic sob tearing from my throat. I was trapped.

A sharp tap on my window made me jump.

I whipped my head around. A tall, broad-shouldered man in a sharp black suit stood outside my door. I cautiously rolled down the window.

"Miss Holcomb," the man said, his tone polite but entirely professional. "I am Dante, the estate's driver. It appears your vehicle has suffered a severe electrical failure."

He gestured toward a massive, black armored SUV idling silently a few yards away. "The Alpha has instructed me to take you wherever you wish to go."

I stared at the imposing vehicle. I had no other options. No pack, no family, and a dead car.

"Fine," I whispered, my voice hollow.

I stepped out of the Ferrari. Dante swiftly retrieved my suitcase from the trunk and loaded it into the back of the SUV. I climbed into the cavernous backseat, the heavy door shutting behind me with a solid, vault-like thud.

As Dante slid into the driver's seat and the engine purred to life, I sank into the plush leather. I thought I had finally escaped Kaelon Blackwood. But as the SUV rolled out of the underground garage and into the pale morning light, the terrifying truth settled over me.