Chapter 9

Aeris stood frozen, staring at the door Rheon had just walked through.

Her entire body was trembling, but it wasn’t from fear—it was from anger.

How dare he make that decision without her? How dare he think he could just charge into battle without considering the consequences? This wasn’t just about him—it was about both of them. And if he thought for even one second that she was going to sit back and let him handle this on his own, then he had severely underestimated her.

She wasn’t some damsel waiting to be saved.

She wasn’t someone who could be shoved into the background while the Alpha handled things.

She had never been given a choice in her life.

Not when her mother had abandoned her father.

Not when her pack had cast her aside.

Not when she had been forced to claw her way through life, taking whatever scraps the world offered just to survive.

But now?

Now, she had a choice.

And she wasn’t going to let anyone—not even her mate—make it for her.

With a sharp inhale, she turned away from the door, her mind already working through every possible option. She needed to think, to plan, to figure out how to stop this before it was too late.

Because if Rheon went after Loyd alone, he was walking into a death trap.

Aeris knew what Loyd was capable of. She had seen it firsthand, had felt the weight of his power lingering in the shadows of her past. He wasn’t just another Alpha. He wasn’t just a man with power—he was a monster, the kind who never played fair, the kind who didn’t just break his enemies but destroyed them.

And Rheon had no idea what he was up against.

Her pulse pounded against her ribs as she crossed the room, snatching her jacket off the chair. She needed to move, to act, because if she hesitated, she would lose him.

And she couldn’t lose him.

Not now.

Not when she had finally found someone who saw her.

Someone who had chosen her.

Aeris’s fingers curled into the fabric of her coat as she reached for the door, but before she could step outside, a sharp knock echoed through the room.

She froze.

Her breath caught in her throat as every instinct inside her screamed at her to run.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she took a slow, steadying breath and forced herself to think. Rheon had told her not to open the door for anyone but him—but what if it was him?

What if he had changed his mind?

What if—

Another knock. Louder this time. More insistent.

Aeris’s stomach twisted.

Something felt wrong.

Swallowing hard, she took a cautious step closer, pressing her ear against the wood.

Silence.

Then, a voice—low, familiar, dripping with something dark and cruel.

"Aeris."

Her blood ran cold.

She knew that voice.

She had heard it in her nightmares.

"Loyd," she whispered.

Her fingers curled around the doorknob instinctively, but she didn’t turn it. She couldn’t.

"Open the door, little hybrid."

Her entire body tensed at the sound of his voice. It was smooth, calculated, the way a predator spoke to its prey right before it struck.

"You don’t have to run anymore," he continued, his tone almost gentle, as if he wasn’t the very reason she had spent her entire life running. "You and I both know this is where you belong. With me. It’s always been me."

Aeris’s stomach twisted violently.

No.

No, it had never been him.

And it never would be.

Her heart pounded against her ribs as she took a step back, silently reaching for the knife she kept hidden beneath the table.

If he thought she was going to willingly hand herself over, then he was even more delusional than she had thought.

She wouldn’t go with him.

She would never go with him.

"You’ve been running for a long time, haven’t you?" Loyd mused from the other side of the door, his tone laced with amusement. "Tiring, isn’t it? Always looking over your shoulder. Always wondering when I’ll finally catch up."

Aeris clenched her jaw.

He was trying to get inside her head.

Trying to make her doubt herself.

It wouldn’t work.

Not this time.

Not when she had something to fight for.

She took a slow, steadying breath and forced her voice to remain calm. "I don’t belong to you."

Silence.

Then, a low chuckle.

"You will," he said simply.

Aeris’s fingers tightened around the handle of the knife.

She needed to think. She needed to get out.

She couldn’t fight him head-on—not yet.

Not alone.

Her only option was to escape before he forced his way inside.

Her gaze darted toward the window.

If she could get out before he broke the door down, she could make it to Rheon.

She could warn him.

She could—

A loud crack split the air.

Aeris barely had time to react before the door shattered, splintering apart as a powerful force sent it flying inward.

A tall, broad figure stepped through the wreckage, his golden eyes gleaming in the dim light.

Loyd.

Her breath caught in her throat as he stepped forward, his lips curling into a slow, deliberate smirk.

"You always were stubborn," he mused, his gaze raking over her with something that made her skin crawl. "It’s part of what makes you so… interesting."

Aeris swallowed hard, refusing to take a step back.

She wouldn’t let him see her fear.

She couldn’t.

"You shouldn’t be here," she said, her voice firm despite the panic clawing at her insides. "Rheon—"

"Rheon is irrelevant," Loyd interrupted, tilting his head slightly. "He doesn’t matter, Aeris. He never did."

Aeris’s heart pounded.

She had to get out of here.

She had to move.

But before she could take another step, Loyd lifted a hand—and suddenly, her body locked in place.

Her breath caught in her throat as an invisible force wrapped around her, holding her still.

Magic.

His magic.

Panic surged through her veins as she struggled against the invisible grip, but it was useless.

She couldn’t move.

She couldn’t breathe.

Loyd’s smirk widened as he took another step forward, his fingers reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face.

"You’re coming with me, little hybrid," he murmured.

Aeris’s pulse pounded.

No.

No, no, no—

Then, suddenly—

A snarl ripped through the air.

A blur of movement.

And then—

Loyd was gone.

Thrown back violently as a massive figure slammed into him with the force of a hurricane.

Aeris collapsed to the floor, gasping as the invisible grip on her body vanished.

Her vision blurred as she struggled to sit up, her heart racing—

And then she saw him.

Rheon.

Standing between her and Loyd, his entire body coiled with fury, his golden eyes glowing with raw, unfiltered rage.

His voice was low, guttural, and deadly.

"You made a mistake coming here."

Loyd, still sprawled against the wreckage of the broken door, let out a low, dark chuckle as he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth.

"Did I?"

His eyes gleamed with something almost… eager.

Rheon’s snarl deepened.

"You won’t leave this place alive."

Loyd smirked.

"We’ll see."

And then—

All hell broke loose.