Chapter 6
Sylvia pressed the phone to her ear, her gaze wandering toward the window. The forest sprawled beneath a heavy, overcast sky, its silhouette muted in the gray light. Her father’s voice came through the line, deep and steady, but tinged with a worry she hadn’t heard in years.
“I know this isn’t easy for you,” he said softly, his tone thick with unspoken emotions. “You’ll be bound to someone you haven’t chosen. But this Alpha–the one picked for you–he’s strong. Probably the strongest of them all. With him, you’ll find stability.”
Once, the thought of marrying a stranger would have horrified her, sending a chill down her spine. But now, it felt like just another decision she had no choice but to
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accept. Her survival–her very existence- depended on the stability of her blood, and for that, she needed a mate who could keep her from falling apart.
“I understand, Dad,” Sylvia replied, her voice steady, almost detached. “It’s not like I have much of a choice anyway. My blood…” She trailed off, her gaze falling to her bandaged leg, where the dull throb of pain still lingered. “It’s been acting up.”
Her father’s sigh was filled with sympathy, a sound she knew well, one that only another Lycan could truly understand. “I’m sorry, Sylvia. I wish things were different.”
For a moment, a flicker of curiosity stirred within her, though she tried to suppress it. The man she’d be bound to for life–who would anchor her blood, become part of her very essence–who was he?
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“Who is he?” Sylvia began to ask, but before the words could leave her mouth, she heard movement outside her door. The unmistakable scent of Alpha Elio filled the air, bringing with it an ache she thought she’d buried long ago.
“Sylvia?” Elio’s voice, softer than usual, reached her from the other side of the door, followed by a gentle knock.
She exhaled slowly, her wolf stirring uneasily within her. “I’ll talk to you soon, Dad,” she murmured, cutting the call short just as the door creaked open.
There he stood–Alpha Elio, framed in the doorway. His eyes held a mix of curiosity and concern, and for a moment, he looked just as he had when they were children–innocent, full of questions, always ready to
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fix whatever was broken. But those days, those memories, were gone.
Elio’s gaze flicked from her to the phone still in her hand, his brow furrowing in suspicion.
“Who were you talking to?” he asked, his voice cool but sharp.
He crossed his arms, standing tall with an expectation that was both familiar and distant. “And what was it about?”
Sylvia pocketed her phone, her gaze lifting to meet his with a cold, unyielding stare. “It’s none of your business.”
The harshness in her tone took him by surprise, leaving him momentarily speechless. His lips parted as if he’d intended to speak but couldn’t find the words. His gaze sharpened, and he took
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a step toward her, his hand lifting in an attempt to command her attention.
“What?” he repeated, his voice tinged with confusion and a faint edge of hurt. “Why are you pushing me away?”
Her wolf stirred restlessly inside her, the sharpness in his voice a painful reminder of how quickly his loyalty had shifted to Phoebe. He no longer had the right to ask for anything from her–not after everything he’d put her through. She met his gaze, her face an impassive mask, determined not to let a single flicker of emotion slip through.
“There’s nothing to discuss,” she said flatly, her words cold and final.
Elio’s eyes narrowed as he took another step forward. “Sylvia, what’s going on? You’ve been… different. What happened to you?”
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She scoffed, the sound escaping before she could hold it back. Her eyes remained steady on his. “So now you care? Only when it benefits you?” Her voice was sharper than she meant it to be, but the bitterness was impossible to suppress. “Don’t pretend like you give a damn, Alpha.”
His face hardened, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he spoke. “You’ve become… distant.”
“Distant?” She raised an eyebrow, a surge of anger swelling within her wolf. “Don’t mistake silence for coldness, Elio. I’ve simply run out of things to say to you.”
The words hung in the air, and she saw a flicker of disbelief cross his face. His eyes softened slightly, almost as if he were feeling regret. But Sylvia braced herself, refusing
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to let him pull her back into the cycle of his empty promises.
Alpha Elio’s voice softened, but there was a sense of desperation beneath it as he reached out, his hand hovering just shy of her arm. “Sylvia… please. Don’t do this. Don’t shut me out.”
She stepped back, putting distance between them, her gaze hard and distant, like a door she wished she could slam between them. “I’m not pushing anyone away. You did that yourself when you chose Phoebe over me.”
At the mention of Phoebe, Elio’s face tightened, his jaw set in a grim line as he advanced, his eyes narrowing. “This isn’t about Phoebe. You’re acting like I abandoned you, but all I did was show her some compassion. She’s carrying my heir”
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Sylvia’s fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to control the anger that stirred within her. He couldn’t possibly see it couldn’t see how completely he had turned his back on her, how swiftly he had discarded her.
“Compassion?” Her voice was a low rasp, laced with venom. “Compassion isn’t abandoning the promises you made just because someone else gave you what you wanted–an heir. Don’t pretend to know what kindness is, Alpha.”
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