Chapter 4 Ten Minutes to Freedom

AURORA

I had no family in London.

Five years ago, I arrived with a single suitcase and a broken heart, convinced that putting an ocean between myself and America would heal me. I thought distance from Ethan Cole and the humiliation of loving a man who would never love me back would be enough to help me move on.

Instead, London destroyed me.

Now I stood in the center of a packed wedding hall dressed in white, preparing to marry a man who treated me like property rather than a mate.

“Elena, slow down,” I whispered as she guided me toward the aisle.

The bouquet trembled in my hands despite how tightly I held it. White roses brushed against the lace of my gown while soft music drifted through the hall. This should have been the happiest day of my life. At least, that was what everyone else believed.

All I felt was fear.

As the doors opened wider, hundreds of eyes turned toward me. Smiles spread across faces. Guests whispered admiringly while pack members lowered their heads respectfully as I passed.

Their future Luna.

If only they knew the truth.

If only they knew their Alpha left bruises hidden beneath my sleeves and taught me how to smile through pain because he hated tears.

My breathing became uneven as I approached the altar.

Then I saw Victor.

He stood waiting in a tailored black suit, calm and handsome in the terrifying way dangerous things often were. The moment our eyes met, he smiled.

Perfect.

Controlled.

A devil wearing the face of a saint.

Sometimes I wondered how he managed it. How he could kiss my bruises one night and create them the next. How he could destroy me behind closed doors and still convince the world he was the perfect Alpha.

Women in the pack envied me constantly.

They called me lucky.

They said Victor worshipped me.

They wished their mates loved them the way mine loved me.

Every time, I smiled and let them believe it.

The truth was far uglier.

Victor loved ownership.

He never loved me.

By the time I reached the altar, my legs felt weak beneath me.

Victor immediately took my hand. His grip tightened just enough to send a warning through my body.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured for everyone to hear.

Then his fingers squeezed harder.

“Don't embarrass me.”

Fear slid down my spine.

The priest opened the ceremony book and smiled warmly.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the sacred union between Victor Kane and Aurora Bennett.”

Soft applause echoed through the hall.

I felt sick.

The priest turned to Victor first.

“Victor Kane, do you take Aurora Bennett to be your lawful wedded wife? To love her, honor her, protect her, and remain beside her through every joy and hardship for as long as you both shall live?”

“Yes,” Victor answered without hesitation.

The crowd smiled approvingly.

Then the priest turned to me.

“Aurora Bennett, do you take Victor Kane to be your lawful wedded husband? To love him, honor him, cherish him, and remain faithfully by his side for as long as you both shall live?”

The hall fell silent.

Everyone waited.

My mouth opened, but no words came out.

Victor's grip tightened painfully around my hand.

“Aurora?” the priest asked gently.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

Victor leaned closer while maintaining his perfect smile.

“Don't you dare humiliate me,” he whispered. “If you do, you'll regret it the second we get home.”

For years, that threat would have been enough.

Years of fear.

Years of obedience.

Years of convincing myself survival was the same thing as living.

But something inside me finally broke.

Maybe it happened when I lost our pup.

Maybe it happened when I caught him cheating.

Or maybe I was simply exhausted from spending years being afraid.

Slowly, I lifted my head and met Victor's gaze.

For the first time in years, I didn't look away.

Shock flickered across his face.

He noticed the difference immediately.

I wasn't afraid of him anymore.

“No,” I said.

A gasp rippled through the hall.

Victor froze.

“What did you say?”

His voice remained soft, but his Alpha aura exploded through the room.

“I said no.”

The silence became suffocating.

“I won't marry you, Victor.”

His jaw tightened.

“Aurora.”

“No. You don't control my life anymore.”

Whispers erupted among the guests.

“You beat me. You cheated on me. You made me lose our child and acted like it meant nothing.”

The room exploded into shocked murmurs.

Victor's expression darkened.

“Enough.”

But I was finished protecting him.

“I spent years terrified of you,” I said, my voice breaking. “I defended you while you destroyed me.”

“You’re making a mistake.”

Tears filled my eyes.

“No. Staying with you was the mistake.”

Pain began building deep inside my chest as my wolf whimpered in protest.

Rejecting a mate would break something inside me.

But staying with Victor would break everything else.

I drew a shaky breath.

“I, Aurora Bennett, reject you, Victor Kane, as my mate.”

The bond snapped.

Pain exploded through my body.

Victor staggered backward as blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Chaos erupted throughout the hall.

Guests rose from their seats. Some looked horrified. Others looked at Victor as if they were finally seeing the man beneath the mask.

Then Victor raised his hand.

Ready to strike me.

Just like he always did.

“Go ahead,” I shouted before he could move. “Hit me. Let them finally see what kind of Alpha you really are.”

Victor froze.

For the first time since I had known him, he looked shaken.

Because now people were watching.

Now his mask was cracking.

And suddenly I realized something important.

Victor cared more about his reputation than he ever cared about me.

That realization gave me the courage to run.