Chapter 49: Just not today.

June 23 2026, 1:14am.

Nyx’ara woke up with a start. To the sound of her heart pounding against her ribcage and her body shaking so badly, she could barely form a thought.

When she jumped out of her bed, she realized to her surprise that her clothes were clinging to her body due to the excessive sweat streaming down her trembling form. Her hair was plastered to her temples as well and her eyes were glazed, filled with tears of anguish and slight relief...

Relief because it was all a dream and she wasn’t reliving her past.

Relief because she’s finally found a way out of Moonshine pack and all the trauma that came with living there.

The side of her body burned with heat but this was not as a result of her nightmare. This was certainly Coco who was pressed to her side, fast asleep.

She sighed. ’Thank goodness.’

In order not to wake the cat, she tiptoed out of bed, cleaned up in her bathroom and decided to go for a walk. So with this thought, she changed into black leggings, wore a matching black tank top and styled her hair into a high ponytail.

Her walk soon turned into a run and before she knew it, she was sprinting through the orchard without a single thought in her head. She came to a staggering stop when she arrived at a clearing and her heart instantly jumped into her throat when she found a clear lake right in front of her.

Why?

Because it was beautiful.

It was one of those ponds that would instantly suck you in and drag you into a world of wonder.

Her eyes lit up as she walked slowly up the bank, mesmerised by the way the moonlight shone against the clear water like a mirror.

For the first time since she arrived at this pack— scratch that—for the first time since her mother died, she heaved a loud sigh of relief. Her body hit the water bank with a thud, and tears... long-held tears of sadness burning in her chest for six whole years came spilling out of her eyes.

She cried until her head began to ache and her body started to heave. But she didn’t feel heavy. She felt lighter.

And by the time she stopped, she began to feel drowsy. Her body felt extremely heavy and she was too lazy to return to the pack house so she lay down on the floor, closed her eyes, and promised herself that she would only sleep for a couple of minutes.

Just enough.

The water lapped against the shore. The wind blew in her face. And slowly sleep crept up on her and she found herself getting absorbed in another dream.

However, this time around, it wasn’t a terrible one. It was one filled with bliss, pleasure... laughter—

All of the things she would never have in real life.

—

Rhys woke up with a start. To the sound of a door slamming shut somewhere in the distance. His eyes peeled open and with urgency, he rushed out of bed, slipped out of his room, and stealthily made his way to the more open parts of their private wing.

Somewhere inside his heart, he contemplated calling the attention of his brothers to his ’attack fears’ but quickly discarding that thought, he continued to make his way through the halls until he stopped in front of the room.

Her room.

For several days, he would come here. And for several days he would stop right where he was standing now.

Why?

Because he didn’t trust himself to go in. Because he was never certain if the first thought he would have when he found her in her room... alone and vulnerable would be to kill her or to take her.

Many times, he would try not to hate her because she’s obviously had a hard life, but anytime he remembered Leilani and remembered her broken bones and misshaped face, he could not help it.

He tried to dispel these thoughts as he slowly clasped the door’s handle and turned.

It creaked open but he didn’t move. His heart was racing.

He sighed. "One... two... thre—"

*Creak*

The door creaked open and in the dead silence, the sound echoed through the air.

He held his breath throughout as he peeked his large head through the crack and froze when he noticed that her bed was empty.

Well, not completely. There was Coco lounging peacefully on top of the bed.

At the sight, Rhys’ blood boiled. Rage and annoyance slammed into him like a ton of bricks. He violently pushed the door open and stepped into the room, not caring that the cat woke up and was now openly glaring at him with contempt.

He ravaged the room like a beast in search of its prey but after checking the closet and the bathroom and even under the bed, he rushed out.

"How dare she?"

The words rumbled out of his chest as he made his way into the now-too-quiet corridor, and it wasn’t until he stepped out this time that he realised that her scent was still everywhere. Strong. Potent.

Leading him outside the house.

He followed it with the sure strides of a predator stalking its prey, and once again contemplated informing his brothers of her disappearance, only to shrug it off at the thought that it was just Nyx’ara.

I mean, it was only one wolfless girl against him, an Alpha, with both Lycan and werewolf blood.

He shifted as soon as he stepped outside the house and in an instant, the place where a lean man once stood was now occupied by a crouching large black beast.

His beast followed the trail of her scent like a puppy following behind its master. The trail led him further and further away from the pack until he arrived at...

His breath hitched.

The lake.

Leilani’s resting place.

It was the spot where Leilani liked to read whenever she felt swamped. The place where he had caught her crying her eyes out after her first breakup.

It was also the place where they had had their last conversation about her ’secret boyfriend’ who lived a couple of miles away at Moonshine pack...

And then the next day, he was informed that she had died.

For several days, he had avoided coming to this place because the memories still haunt him. Sometimes he blames himself for her death, telling himself that he should’ve stopped her from trying to meet the young rascal.

He almost turned away, unwilling to continue this real-life purgatory when he heard the sounds of muffled cries coming from a distance.

At first, he wasn’t sure. Hell, he could never be.

His large paws hit the soil as he stepped closer and closer... only stopping when he found that familiar head of silver-blonde hair, bent over and crying until her tiny body began to shake violently.

Her cries sounded raw and agonizing. It sounded like it was being ripped right out of her chest.

Out of all the thoughts he had of her and all the scenarios he had played in his mind when he stepped out of the house, this was not one of them... and as he watched her, something in his chest began to shift and tighten.

His hatred for her began to turn into anger.

Just anger.

He should leave, or so he thought. But something about the fragile girl and her broken tears compelled him to go forward.

He felt his large furry legs moving before he could stop them and felt his body lowering to the floor like a submissive puppy for the girl he should be ruining.

And he would ruin her... just not today.