CHAPTER 123
The cabin was small, tucked away in the heart of the forest, hidden beneath a thick canopy of towering pines. The air smelled of damp wood and fresh rain, the scent calming despite the storm raging inside me.”
Damon guided me through the door, his hands firm on my arms. I was exhausted, my body barely holding itself together. My ribs ached, my legs trembled, but the worst pain came from the invisible bond still tying me to him.
Ivan.
Even now, I could feel the pull–distant but ever–present, like chains wrapped around my ribs, suffocating me. He was out there, searching for me, I could feel his anger simmering beneath my skin, his rage crawling into my bones like poison.
I needed to break this band.
The moment we stepped inside, a woman was already waiting for us.
Amara
She was older, her dark eyes deep and knowing, her presence commanding. The fire in the hearth cast flickering shadows across her face, making her seem almost otherworldly.
She studied me for a long moment, her gaze lingering on my s
stomach. “You don’t have much time.”
Damon tensed beside me. “Can you do it?”
Amara nodded. “I can sever the bond between her and Ivan, including the child.”
A sharp pain lanced through my chest. My fingers dug into my arms. “Will it hurt?”
Her expression softened. “Yes.”
I exhaled slowly. Of course it would.
Pain had been my constant companion since the moment I learned the truth about Ivan. It had sunk into my bones, wrapped around my heart like vines, suffocating any remnants of the love I had once foolishly felt for him.
This pain would be different. This pain would be freedom.
I squared my shoulders. “Do it.”2
Amara motioned for me to sit by the fire. Damon moved to my side, his jaw tight, his entire body thrumming with tension.3
“You don’t have to do this alone,” he murmured.)
His voice was rough, edged with something I couldn’t quite place.
I swallowed the lump in my throat: “I do.“””
Because no one else had been inside my head, inside my soul, trapped in Ivan’s web 3
Amara sat across from me, reaching into a satchel filled with vials of dark liquid and dried herbs. She pulled out a small dagger, the blade curved and wickedly sharp.
*This will cut through the mate bond,” she explained, placing the blade between us. “The severing will be painful, but the real challenge will be breaking the imprint on the child”
Damon stiffened. “What do you mean?”
Amara met his gaze. “Ivan already claimed the child through the bond, whether Cynthia realizes it or not. If we don’t break it, he will always be able to find them.”
A shudder ran through me. The thought of Ivan having any claim over my baby made me sick.”
“No.” I whispered. “I won’t let that happen ”
Amara nodded, as if she had expected my answer. “Then let’s begin.”
She reached forward, pressing her fingers against my forehead
The second her skin touched mine, agony exploded through me.
It was as if someone had reached into my chest and started ripping me apart from the inside. Fire licked through my veins, searing every nerve, every muscle, as if my soul was being torn in half.
I screamed
Damon’s voice was distant, panicked, but I couldn’t focus on him. I couldn’t focus on anything but the pain.
Ivan’s bond fought back, lightening, resisting…
I felt his rage–he knew No…
wouldn’t let him win.
I gritted my teeth, shoving back against the bond with everything I had. He don’t own me. Not anymore.
A final agonizing sna echoed through my soul
And then–Silence !
The pain vanished so suddenly I nearly collapsed. My body sagged forward, my breathing ragged, my pulse erratic. The room spun, my vision blurred
Then, nothing
The bond was gone
3/2 50%
12:13 PM c
The bond was gone
The invisible chain I had been dragging behind me for years was finally broken!
I gasped, blinking up at Amara. She looked exhausted, her hands trembling slightly, but there was a small smile on her lips. “It’s done,” she murmured. The cabin was quiet, the fire burning low. Amara had given me time to rest, to recover, but I couldn’t sleep. My mind wouldn’t let me.
Damon sat across from me, elbows on his knees, staring into the flames. He looked as exhausted as I felt, his face shadowed unspoken thoughts
I hesitated before speaking. “What are you thinking?”
He exhaled slowly. “That I almost lost you.“.
Something in my chest tightened.
with
He turned to me, his dark eyes filled with something raw. “Cynthia, if I hadn’t found you in time–if Helena had succeeded- He broke off, jaw clenching. “I don’t know what I would have done.”
scars
The vulnerability in his voice cracked something inside me.
Damon had been my protector, my only ally. But tonight, I saw it clearly–he wasn’t just protecting me even he was carrying his own
“You didn’t deserve this, he murmured. “Any of it.”
Neither did he.X
I met his gaze, and for the first time, I saw him not as the Alpha’s brother, not as my savior–but a
