When I woke, the familiar, searing pain was back.

Every nerve screamed. Silver poison still coursed through my veins.

A bitter smile touched my lips. I, a healer, had let my own regenerative abilities decay to almost nothing.

The irony was thick.

"Freya?"

A familiar voice.

I slowly opened my eyes. Dorian was sitting by my bed, his own eyes filled with worry.

"You're awake!" He rushed forward, gently helping me sit up. "How do you feel? Do you want some broth?"

It was the same worried expression, but this time it felt different from all the times he'd cared for me before.

Because this time, he had stood by and watched as I was wounded.

I flinched away. His hand froze in mid-air.

"Freya..." His voice trembled. "I know you're angry with me."

"I'm not angry," I said, my voice hoarse. "You just made the choice you had to make."

"No," he said, desperate. "I let it happen to save your life. If I had stopped them then, Viktor would have found a reason to have you executed."

I looked at him, my eyes empty.

"So you still think I hurt Aria?"

He fell silent.

"Answer me, Dorian." I pushed myself up, staring directly into his eyes. "Then swear it," I challenged him, my voice trembling. "Swear on our bond that you believe me."

If he truly believed me, this was the ultimate proof.

But he just stared back, silent.

"You don't dare," I laughed, a tear sliding down my cheek. "Because deep down, you still believe I'm the feral wolf who hurt her."

"Freya, it's not like that—"

"Don't." I turned my head away. "Please leave."

"I'm not leaving you." He tried to take my hand, but I pulled it away.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

"Your Highness," a thrall said from outside. "Lady Liliana is very distraught. She's refusing to eat and won't stop crying."

Dorian's expression tensed immediately.

"She's pregnant. She has to eat." He stood, glancing back at me. "I'll be right back."

Same words. Same empty promises.

The door clicked shut, sealing me in.

I closed my eyes and waited.

But he never came back that night.

When I was discharged the next day, I saw Dorian's car at the entrance.

Liliana was in the passenger seat. Aria was in the baby seat in the back.

"Freya." Dorian walked over, looking awkward. "Get in."

Liliana shot me a terrified look, her voice trembling. "Dorian, I'm scared to be in the same car as her."

"Liliana..."

"I'm terrified of her," she whimpered. "She's a beast, Dorian. What if she tries to hurt our baby again?"

Dorian looked at me, then back at her. He made his choice.

"Freya, wait here. I'll take them home first, then I'll come back for you."

"It's snowing," I stated flatly.

"I know, but..." He glanced at the baby in Liliana's arms. "I can't risk it."

I watched the snowflakes drift down and nodded.

"Fine. I'll wait."

Their car disappeared into the curtain of snow.

I stood at the hospital entrance as snowflakes collected on my hair and eyelashes, melting into freezing water that trickled down my skin.

I waited as day turned to dusk, and dusk bled into the dead of night.

The snow turned into a blizzard. My body began to shake uncontrollably.

I tried to reach him through our Mind Link, the most intimate channel between mates.

Once, no matter where I was, he could feel my heartbeat the moment I called.

He had been ecstatic the first time I'd used it.

"This way, no matter what happens, I can always get to you," he'd said.

But now, all I felt was a void.

He'd shut me out.

The snow was getting deeper. My legs were numb.

Finally, I began the long walk back to the castle, my body weak.

The road was treacherous in the blizzard. I fell several times, skinning my knees, blood seeping through the white bandages.

By the time I stumbled back into the castle, soaked and frozen, I was too cold to speak.

As I pushed the door open, I heard Liliana's soft sobs from upstairs.

"Dorian… I’m so scared…" Her voice was a fragile, trembling whisper. "The healer was just here. He said… my body is too narrow for the baby."

I froze.

"What does that mean?" Dorian's voice was tight with tension.

"You know vampire births are... difficult. Our bodies don't yield easily. I almost died with Aria. This baby is stronger." Liliana's voice broke, threatening to shatter. "He'll be trapped, Dorian! He won't be able to get out! He will die! Our son will die inside me!"

I crept up the stairs, an invisible hand squeezing my heart.

"Don't be afraid. We'll find a way," Dorian said, his voice urgent.

"The only way is you," Liliana’s voice dropped to a low, heated plea. "The healer said my mate needs to… help me. Every night. With your fingers. To help me... stretch. Otherwise, everything we’ve done will be for nothing."

I reached the door and peered through the crack. The air left my lungs.

Liliana was half-reclined on the bed, her silk nightgown pushed down to her waist. Her swollen belly was on full display, along with her long, perfect legs.

"But Liliana, this is..." Dorian's voice was full of hesitation and conflict.

"For the child, Dorian!" Liliana sobbed, cutting him off. She spread her legs even wider, a shameless, humiliating invitation. "I know it's hard. But you're saving his life! Help me... please... You don't want anything to happen to him, do you?"

I slapped a hand over my mouth, choking back a sob.

Right then, through the crack in the door, Liliana's eyes found mine.

A tiny, triumphant smile touched her lips.

And Dorian—the man who had sworn I was his only one, his eternity—struggled for only a moment before sinking to his knees by the bed.

He bowed his head, as if performing some holy, painful ritual. Then he reached out, moving his hand between Liliana's legs.

I was frozen to the spot. My world shattered.

A low, satisfied moan came from the room.

"Ah... yes, right there... Dorian... a little deeper... for our child..."

Her voice was a poison-laced whip, lashing my soul with every word.

Through the crack, I saw her place her own hand over Dorian's, guiding his movements.

The smile on her face was pure cruelty.

And her eyes, burning with lust, never left the crack in the door. They were fixed on me.

Dorian was silent. He said nothing. The rigid line of his back was the only sign of the agony he was in.

But he didn't stop.

The hands that had once cherished every inch of my skin were now inside another woman. Forging a path for a child that wasn't ours.

I couldn't breathe. I turned and ran, stumbling from the castle like a wounded animal.

The blizzard hit me full force, but it was nothing compared to the ice in my heart.

The snowflakes felt like razors on my face, but I was already numb.

My heart was dead.

The memory of a night three years ago surfaced.

The first time we'd made love, Dorian had cradled my face, his eyes full of devotion.

"Do you know, Freya?" he'd whispered, kissing my lips. "You will be my one and only, for all eternity."

"I don't care that you're a werewolf. I don't care what the world thinks." His fingers intertwined with mine. "I only care about you."

"Do you swear it?" I had asked him.

"I swear it," he had promised, the power of our blood bond sealing the words. "For all my life, you are my only love."

My one and only. My eternity. Such beautiful, poisonous lies.

I walked in the blizzard until I couldn't feel my feet.

Only when the castle lights began to go out, deep in the night, did I return to my room like a ghost.

I was soaked through. The combination of silver poison and frostbite sent shivers through my body.

Sometime after midnight, the fever hit me like a tidal wave. I was burning from the inside out, my consciousness fraying at the edges.

Just then, a low humming drifted from the master bedroom next door.

It was the ancient vampire lullaby. Gentle and full of love.

I was instantly wide awake.

That song. It was the one Dorian had promised to sing to our child.

"When we have a baby," he'd said, holding me, "I'll sing this song to them every night."

Now, he was singing it for someone else's child.

Tears streamed down my face, evaporating in the heat of my fever.

Sometime later, the door creaked open.

"Freya?" Dorian's voice came from the doorway.

I kept my eyes closed, pretending to be unconscious.

He walked over and placed a hand on my burning forehead.

"You're burning up..." he murmured, his voice laced with concern.

I thought he would stay and take care of me, like he used to.

But the next second, he stood up.

"Alfred!" he called the butler. "Have a servant bring Miss Freya some herbs. And whatever food she needs."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And," his voice went flat, turning cold, "move her to the East Wing. I want her gone until she's recovered. Liliana is with child. She requires a... purified environment."

"Dorian..." I whispered, my eyes fluttering open.

"Rest up," he said without looking back. "We'll talk when you're better."

The door slammed shut. I heard the sound of a lock turning.

My tears fell again, hot and useless.

His vows to protect me were gone. All that was left was his fear that I would somehow harm his new family.

I was a prisoner.

For the next few days, for some reason, no one brought me food on time.

When a servant did come, they'd just toss a bowl of spoiled synthetic blood on the floor and leave.

No healing herbs. No healer. Not even clean water.

I'm a werewolf. What was I supposed to do with synthetic blood?

All I could do was listen to the sounds of their happy life next door.

Day one, I heard Liliana's tinkling laugh as she leaned against him.

Day two, I heard the clinking of silverware. They were having a nice dinner.

Day three, the sound that finally killed me.

"If it's a boy, what do you think of the name Lucian?" Liliana asked softly.

"Lucian?" Dorian's voice was thoughtful.

"'Light'," Liliana explained. "I want our son to bring light into our lives."

"Our son," Dorian repeated the words, his voice full of joy. "Lucian Valkyrie. I like the sound of that."

"Then it's decided," Liliana said happily. "Lucian. Our little prince."

Something inside me shattered. He’d forgotten. He’d forgotten all the nights he’d held me, whispering that our son would be named Lucian.

I curled up on the bed, biting down hard on the blanket to keep from screaming.

The next day, my fever finally broke.

My healing had finally clawed its way back, granting me a sliver of strength. But the silver poison remained, a cold fire in my veins.

I pushed open my door and left the East Wing. The castle was alive with light and decorations for a celebration.

It was the day of Aria's Blood Moon Christening.

Even if she wasn't the true heir, as a princess of the coven, she had to receive the family's blessing after her first birthday.

I followed the crowd to the family's sacred chamber, a vast stone room carved with the likenesses of Valkyrie ancestors.

At the central altar, Elder Viktor held a glittering necklace.

It was the coven's greatest treasure, the "Tear of Night," a massive black diamond cradled by a silver chain, radiating a dark power.

"Today, we witness the Blood Moon Christening of the princess, Aria," Viktor's voice echoed through the chamber. "And we also bless the lady Liliana, who will soon be our queen."

The entire coven applauded.

I stood in a dark corner, watching as Dorian led Liliana to the altar.

She was radiant in a magnificent crimson gown, her pregnant belly proudly on display. She looked like a goddess.

Viktor himself placed the Tear of Night around her neck.

"May the Night Mother bless you, our future queen."

Dorian gazed at her tenderly, adjusting the necklace for her.

He leaned in, his voice a low whisper for her ears only. "You have given me a future."

Liliana smiled shyly as their perfect little family accepted the coven's blessing.

I watched the scene, my heart twisting like a knife.

I used to dream of a moment like this.

As my grief threatened to overwhelm me, I heard Liliana's voice behind me.

She had Aria in her arms and pulled me into a secluded corner of the chamber.

"You see?" she said, smugly stroking the necklace. "This is how a true queen is treated."

I said nothing.

"You know," she whispered in my ear, "Dorian comes to me every night."

My body went rigid.

"He can't get enough of me, even while I'm pregnant," Liliana boasted. "Every night, he presses me into the bed, whispering that I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen."

"Enough," my voice trembled.

"He wants a dynasty with me. And you?" She leaned closer, her voice a venomous whisper. "You're just the loose end he hasn't figured out how to tie off. Yet."

Tears blurred my vision.

I tried to pull away, but just then, a loud crack echoed through the chamber.

The sacred vessel containing the blood of the Valkyrie ancestors had fractured.

It was an ancient crystal container, filled with the pure blood of their progenitors, pulsing with immense power.

And now, that power was about to break free.

"Everyone, back!" Viktor roared.

But it was too late.

The vessel exploded, sending a massive wave of energy ripping through the room.

In that split second, a blur of black mist wrapped around me.

Dorian had shifted, teleporting me to safety.

But Liliana wasn't so lucky.

She was hit by a shard from the explosion. Blood bloomed across her crimson dress.

"LILIANA!" Dorian's scream was torn from his soul.

He dropped me instantly, rushing to where she lay in a pool of blood.

"Liliana, stay with me!" he cried, gathering her into his arms.

I stood frozen, watching him cradle her as they vanished in a dark cloud.

A moment later, we were all in the clinic.

The blood-healer rushed to examine Liliana, his face growing grim.

"Her system is rejecting everything," the healer said, his face grim. "She needs a transfusion of pure life force. Something only a werewolf can provide." He looked directly at me.

Dorian's eyes snapped to mine, cold and hard as chips of ice.

"Freya. Your blood. Now."

I looked at his frantic face, a bitter taste filling my mouth.

"And what if I don't?"

"If she dies, we will never leave this place," his voice was ice. "Can't you think of anyone but yourself? Do you have any idea what this puts me through? You are so selfish!"

Selfish?

If I were truly selfish, I would have rejected this forbidden love from the start.

I would have joined the Healer's Guild and lived a quiet life.

"I refuse," I said, tears streaming down my face.

Dorian's face turned to stone.

"Do you regret it?" I screamed, the words tearing from my throat. "Do you regret saving me instead of her? Do you wish it was me bleeding out on that floor?!"

"You're being irrational!" he snarled, turning to the guards. "Take her to the bloodletting room!"

Two guards seized me, dragging me away.

"Dorian!" I screamed his name, my voice breaking.

But he didn't turn around. He just stood vigil by Liliana's bed.

In the bloodletting room, a thick needle pierced my vein.

I watched my own life force drain into the collection bag, drop by drop.

"Four hundred milliliters," the nurse reported to Dorian outside the door. "For a werewolf recently wounded by silver, this is already dangerous."

I heard Dorian's voice from outside, chillingly detached. "Keep going."

The needle stayed in.

Five hundred milliliters. I started to feel dizzy.

Six hundred. My vision blurred. My consciousness began to slip away.

I thought of the first time we met, how Dorian had looked at me with those clear blue eyes and smiled. "So, you're the one who saved me, little wolf."

Now he was hurting me without a second thought...

Just before I passed out, I heard the nurse exclaim, "We have to stop, she's going into shock!"

But I heard Dorian's voice, devoid of all emotion. "It's enough. Take it to Liliana."

When I woke, he was there. A silhouette in the shadows by my bed, radiating a chilling authority.

And when he spoke, his voice was a razor's edge.

"Did you do it?"