Nyra's POV

The courtyard was a beautiful yet annoying form of chaos. Voices rose in alarm, warriors barked orders, and Corvin's command cutting through them all.

"Clear the way! Get her inside!"

Her.

Always her.

I smoothed my expression into one of practiced concern as I trailed after the cluster of pack members carrying Rael's limp body into the pack house.

My fingers curled protectively over my belly, the swell beneath my palm a perfect shield for the mask I wore.

"She looked so pale," I murmured to the nearest servant, my voice trembling just enough. "Please, make sure she's comfortable and always inform me of her health ."

The young woman bobbed her head . "Yes, Luna Nyra."

Luna Nyra- the title sent a small thrill down my spine. It had been hard won, carved from shadows, tears and blood, and I would not let it slip from my grasp now.

Not even for her.

Especially not for her.

I followed them only far enough to be seen before lingering near the stairs, out of the way. From here, I could watch Corvin... watch how he hovered desperately over Rael, barking orders as though the woman he loved had not just reappeared from the grave.

My lips ached with the effort not to say a curse word but I did, "Bloody hell"

So that was it. That was the ghost who had haunted him, the shadow in his eyes when he thought I wasn't looking. I had wondered, in darker moments, whether my memory of her beauty had grown exaggerated with time.

But no. She was still breathtaking, despite being broken, even with years of torment hollowing her eyes.

And yet, he looked at her as if she were the sun returned after endless winter.

I dug my nails into my palm, hard enough that it formed crescent shapes.

How dare she..

How dare she come back when I had spent years weaving my place here, burying her memory under my touch, my smiles, my soft words to him in the night.

How dare she walk into my home, into my title, and claim the hearts I had bent and bound.

I had been so careful. So meticulous.

Then slowly the memory surfaced.. the hushed meeting in the shadows, the coins pressed into greedy palms, the scent of iron when the mercenaries swore they would make it look like slaughter.

The bloody sheets had been my idea. Nothing more final, nothing more convincing than the stain of death left behind.

And it had worked.

Corvin had frantically returned that same night saying she called out to him only to find his mate gone, his bed drenched in blood. His howl had shaken the mountains that night, carrying across the valleys like a desperate cry for help.

I had been there, watching from the shadows, my own tears hot and real. Not for her.. never for her.. but for the man I loved.

The man who had never once looked at me the way he looked at her.

Until she was gone.

I had given him 2 years to break..To shatter.. To bleed his sweet soul dry on her grave. I had offered comfort slowly, carefully, never pressing too soon. An ear to listen. A shoulder to cry on. A gentle hand when he could no longer hold himself upright.

I had offered her grief-ridden parents my time as well, so they had no problems with me getting close to their daughter's mate while they battled grief and death..

And when he finally caved.. when he took me to his bed in his drunken state, desperate for warmth in the endless cold of his grief.. I knew I had finally won.

I had taken what was hers and made it mine.

Now, watching him hover over her with that same raw devotion in his eyes, I felt fury coil in my gut like a snake.

"Pathetic" I sighed out loud.

He had mourned her for years. And still... still, the moment she reappeared, she held his heart in her trembling hands.

I stroked my belly slowly, calming myself with the steady rhythm. No. He would not leave me. Not now. Not when I carried his heir. The future of this pack rested beneath my heart, and no ghost, no scarred little survivor, could strip that from me.

I tilted my head, letting my mask slip just enough..

"You should have stayed dead, Rael," I whispered to myself, so low no one else could hear. "I gave you a merciful end. I gave you release. But you just had to crawl back."

A bitter laugh bubbled in my chest, though I swallowed it before it reached my lips. She had escaped, then. Somehow she had survived what I had arranged. It almost impressed me, though the thought curdled quickly.

She looked broken, quieter, and shaken from that fateful night five years ago. The years had carved deep hollows into her. She might have the sympathy of the people.. but I had the power. The title. The bond of marriage. The child.

And Corvin?

I tightened my grip on his name in my mind like a chain.

He was mine. He had lain in my bed, taken me as his wife. Whatever bond drew him towards her, it no longer mattered. He belonged to me in every way that counted.

Still, the sight of him holding her, the anguish etched into his face, made bile rise in my throat.

"How dare he look at her like that when I stood only steps away." I murmured.

How dare she return to ruin what I had worked for.

I pressed a hand to my lips, feigning worry when a passing guard glanced my way. "Is my cousin stable?" I asked softly, letting my eyes glisten.

He bowed quickly. "Yes, Luna Nyra. The Alpha is seeing to her now."

The Alpha...

My Alpha....

I smiled faintly, nodding, letting the guard hurry on. But inside, my wolf snapped her teeth, restless and furious.

This was my territory. My crown. My victory.

And if Rael thought she could come back from the dead and take it from me...

She was gravely mistaken.

I tilted my head, stroking my belly once more. "You won't take him. You won't take this," I murmured under my breath, venom lacing every word. "Not the pack. Not the child. Not the man."

Let them whisper Luna all they liked.

Let her wear her scars like armor.

Let him ache for her in silence.

None of it mattered.

Because I had destroyed her once.

And if I had to, I would do it again.

"Corvin is mine.. this is my home not hers"

Rael's Pov

I opened my eyes and knew right away something was really wrong. This wasn't my room.

The ceiling was plain white and I didn't recognize it at all. The bed under me felt stiff and uncomfortable like no one had slept there for a long time. I sat up slowly and my whole body hurt, my muscles ached and my joints felt like they were grinding together. There was a dull pain behind my eyes that just wouldn't go away.

I looked around the small room but didn't recognize anything. The walls were empty except for one small painting of a forest. The furniture was simple and old. There was a dresser in the corner and just one chair by the window. That was it, i had no personal stuff, no warmth. Just a guest room or something for visitors.

Where was my stuff?

I got up on shaky legs and went to the dresser. I opened all the drawers, it was empty, there was nothing. Then I checked the small closet next to the door. There was just a plain dress and some basic shoes on the floor, none of it was mine.

My throat got tight and panic started to build in my chest. Where was everything? Where were my clothes and my jewelry? What about the little box of letters my mom wrote me before she died? Where was the blue shawl Corvin gave me on our bonding day?

The door opened and I spun around.

A middle-aged woman with kind eyes and gray hair walked in holding a tray with water and bread. She wore simple pack healer clothes, when she saw I was awake she smiled softly.

"Luna Rael," she said, then quickly fixed herself. "I mean Rael. You're awake, that's good. You need to eat something."

"Where are my things?" I asked. My voice was rough and cracked because I hadn't used it in a while.

Her smile got smaller and she put the tray down on the small table by the bed. "I don't know about your stuff. I was only told to check on your health."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Doctor Lydia . I've been the pack doctor for fifteen years."

I didn't know her name, but I wasn't surprised. A lot had changed in five years.

"Sit down please," she said, pointing to the bed. "I need to check you."

I didn't want to, but my legs shook so much I had no choice. I sat down hard, and she came closer with her healer bag.

"May I?" she asked, motioning to my arms.

I nodded. She rolled up the sleeves of my thin nightgown. Her eyes got big when she saw my wrists, i knew what she was looking at. The scars were thick and ugly, wrapped around my wrists like silver bracelets that would never come off. The scars from chains that had dug into my skin every day for so long.

"These are old," she said quietly. Her voice sounded kind of scared. "Silver burns?"

"Yes."

She touched them lightly and I jumped even though it didn't hurt anymore. The pain was long gone but the memories were still fresh and sharp.

"There are more," I said. "All over me."

She looked at me with pity in her eyes. I hated that. I didn't want anyone's pity.

"May I see?"

I stood up and pulled the nightgown off without caring if I was modest anymore. What did it even matter now? She was a healer, she had seen everything before. I stood there naked and let her look.

I heard her sharp breath.

The scars covered me like a map of pain. Long thin lines from whips across my back. Round burn marks on my sides and stomach from hot metal. Deep cuts on my ankles just like the ones on my wrists and other marks too. Marks I didn't want to think about.

"Goddess above," Doctor Lydia whispered. She put her hand to her mouth. "What did they do to you?"

"Does it matter?" I said.

"Rael, I need to know what happened so I can help you better."

"You can't help me," I said and put my nightgown back on. "No one can."

"Please. Just tell me something. Were you kept captive? Were you hurt?"

I sat down again and stared at the wall. "Yes."

"For how long?"

"Five years."

She was quiet for a long time and then sat down next to me on the bed. "You are very weak. You don't have enough food in you and your body is hurt from everything. You need rest, good food, and time to get better."

"I'm fine."

"You're not," she said strongly. "You collapsed yesterday in front of the whole pack. You were out for a whole day and night. Your body is shutting down because it has been through so much."

I didn't say anything.

"Will you tell me who did this?"

"No."

"Where have you been?"

"No."

"Will you tell me anything at all?"

"No."

Doctor Lydia sighed and stood up. "Okay. I can't make you talk. But I'm here if you need me. I'll check on you again tomorrow."

She walked to the door, then stopped and looked back at me. "Your husband has been sitting outside your room since you woke. He only left for important pack things. He's very worried."

My jaw tightened and anger boiled in my throat. "Tell him to go away."

"Rael, he cares about you."

"Tell him to go away," I said again, my voice cold and hard. "I don't want to see him."

She looked like she wanted to say more but just nodded and left.

I sat on that uncomfortable bed, in that strange room, feeling so heavy. Five years. Five years of pain and darkness and torture. Five years of calling for my mate and he never came. Five years of losing everything.

Now I was back and everything was different. No room of my own.

Corvin's Pov

I leaned against the wall outside the guest room and closed my eyes, trying to breathe normally, but my chest felt tight like someone was squeezing my lungs.

She was in there. Rael was in there, alive, breathing and real.

For five years, I thought she was dead, and now she was just behind this door, but I couldn't go in because she didn't want to see me. The doctor made that very clear a few minutes ago.

"She needs rest, Alpha," Doctor Lydia said softly. Her eyes looked like she was blaming me a little. "And she doesn't want visitors right now."

"I'm her husband," I said.

"She was very clear. She doesn't want to see you."

Those words hit me like a punch. I watched the doctor walk away, but I stayed right here because I couldn't make myself leave. I had to be close to her even if she didn't want me there.

My Beta, Marcus, came by two times to pull me away for pack stuff. Both times I went, but only because I had to. Then I came straight back here, right outside her door. I couldn't stay away now that I had her back.

I ran my hands through my hair and felt super tired. I hadn't slept at all since she collapsed yesterday. How could I sleep when she was hurt and pushing me away?

I let my head fall back against the wall, closed my eyes, and the memories came like a flood, just like always. That night, the worst night of my life.

I was at the Silver Fang Pack for a meeting that I didn't want to go to, but the messengers said it was urgent. Rael kissed my forehead and told me to go and take care of it. She said she'd be fine for one night, just one night.

I felt restless the whole meeting and couldn't focus. Alpha Garrett of Silver Fang noticed and asked if I was okay. I said yes even though something in my gut told me to go home but I didn't listen. I stayed and finished, then started heading back. That's when I felt it.

A sharp, terrible pain shooting through the mate bond like lightning. Rael was hurting, she was in danger.

I shifted right away and ran faster than ever. My warriors followed, but I was ahead of them all. All I thought about was getting to her, keeping her safe, and making sure she was okay. The bond pulled me home and I burst through the pack house doors, ran up the stairs to our chambers, and threw open the door.

Blood.

So much blood.

The bed was soaked. The white sheets were red. There were claw marks on the walls, the furniture was knocked over. The window was open, the curtains blew in the night breeze. I stood frozen, staring at the mess, feeling my wolf howl with pain inside me, so deep it felt like it would tear me apart.

"Rael!" I shouted, but my voice broke when I said her name. "RAEL!"

No answer.

I looked everywhere,under the bed, in the closet, every corner but she wasn't there. She was gone, only blood was left behind.

My warriors came then and searched the whole pack house, the grounds, and the forest, but found nothing. No trail, no scent, no clue. It was like she vanished into thin air.

I stood in that bloody room feeling the mate bond get weaker and weaker until it was almost gone. Not completely broken but so faint I could barely feel it anymore. Like she was slipping away, like I was losing her.

I threw my head back and howled. The sound echoed across the mountains. Every wolf in my pack heard their Alpha's grief and knew something bad had happened.

The next days blurred together. I sent search parties everywhere and offered rewards for information. I contacted every pack within five hundred miles and begged them to look. I hardly ate or slept and spent every moment searching, but found nothing.

Her parents came. Her mom collapsed when she saw the blood. Her dad looked like he'd aged ten years instantly. They looked at me with desperate hope in their eyes and asked if I'd found her. I had to say no. We'd find her soon.

But we didn't find her soon.

Weeks turned to months and months turned to a year and still no sign. The bond grew fainter until I couldn't feel it at all. Everyone said she was dead and I should accept it and move on but I didn't. I kept searching and i kept hoping.

But hope hurts when there's no proof and no leads and no reason to think she's alive.

Two years after she disappeared, I finally accepted what everyone else already knew. Rael was dead, my mate was gone. That blood in our room was hers. She had bled out somewhere, all alone and scared, and I wasn't there to protect her.

The guilt nearly destroyed me.

And now she's back.

Alive and here. Everything I built with Nyra suddenly feels like a huge mistake. I don't know how to fix it.

The door opened suddenly and Doctor Lydia walked out, carrying the empty tray. She looked at me with those judging eyes and shook her head.

"She didn't eat," the doctor said. "She needs to eat, Alpha. She's dangerously malnourished."

"Let me talk to her," I said. "Please. I can convince her."

"She doesn't want to see you."

"I don't care. She's still my mate, i have the right to see her."

Doctor Lydia looked at me for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine but if she tells you to leave, you leave. Got it?"

I nodded fast and moved toward the door, but the doctor grabbed my arm.

"Whatever happened to her out there," she said quietly, "it was really bad, Alpha. Be gentle with her."