Chapter 3: Escape

Nephele's POV

Magnus froze mid-motion, his body still entangled with Cinder's. His eyes narrowed as he slowly disengaged, not bothering to cover himself.

"You said what?" The dangerous edge in his voice should have made me flinch. It didn't.

I lifted my chin. "I refuse to continue this farce of a mating bond. Two years of humiliation is enough."

Cinder laughed, her eyes gleaming with malice. "A Wolfless dares to make demands? How entertaining."

Magnus pushed her aside, his eyes never leaving mine.

Cinder scrambled to pull her robe around herself, her expression remaining smug as she watched the confrontation unfold.

"Two years?" Magnus let out a bark of laughter that held no humor. "You think this is about two years?"

He stalked toward me until he towered over me, his body beginning to shift—not a full, but enough that his eyes glowed red and his fingers elongated into claws. "Did your mother not tell you the real purpose of our union?"

My breath caught. "What do you mean?"

He grabbed my chin, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. "You think I married a Wolfless just for a political alliance?"

The pressure of his grip made my eyes water, but I refused to look away. "Then what do you want from me?"

Magnus laughed again, the sound chilling. In one swift movement, he shoved me against the wall, his hand moving from my chin to my throat. I gasped for air, clawing at his wrist.

"You're so naive," he snarled, his face inches from mine. "I kept you around to watch you suffer. The disgrace of a Wolfless Luna."

His words stung, but something in his eyes told me this wasn't the full truth. There was something else there—a hunger, an obsession that went beyond mere cruelty.

"You're lying," I choked out.

Cinder sauntered closer, deliberately flaunting her body. "Look carefully, Wolfless. This is what an Alpha deserves in a mate."

Magnus suddenly released me, and I collapsed against the wall, gasping. He turned to Cinder with a dismissive gesture. "You may go."

Her satisfied smile faltered. "But Alpha—"

"I said go." His tone left no room for argument.

Cinder smoothed her features into subservience. "As you wish, Alpha." She gathered her clothes and left, throwing me one last victorious smirk.

When the door closed, Magnus turned back to me. "Now, just the two of us."

I pushed myself upright. "Why am I really here, Magnus?"

He stepped closer, his claws tracing the line of my cheek, drawing blood. "You smell different from others. That strange mark of yours... I've been curious about its secrets."

Magnus turned away abruptly, retrieving a silver box containing a syringe and several vials filled with purple-tinted liquid.

"Tonight," he said, lifting the syringe, "I have special plans for us."

Cold dread washed over me. "What is that?"

He approached slowly, the needle gleaming. "Perhaps a little... stimulation... might make you more valuable."

My eyes fixed on the syringe, its contents glowing an unnatural violet. My birthmark burned hotter than ever, as if responding to some unseen threat.

Magnus turned briefly to prepare the injection, and in that moment, I remembered Fidelis's parting gift.

With trembling fingers, I reached for the small wooden box hidden in my boot—the one my brother had given me "for emergencies." Inside lay a delicate silver dagger, its blade etched with lunar phases.

I closed my fingers around the hilt just as Magnus turned back toward me, syringe ready.

"Don't move," he commanded, reaching for my arm. "This might hurt a bit."

As the needle neared my skin, something inside me snapped. The birthmark on my shoulder felt like it was on fire, sending waves of heat through my entire body.

With strength I didn't know I possessed, I wrenched my arm free and plunged the silver dagger into Magnus's extended arm. The blade sizzled against his flesh, and he let out a howl of pain unlike anything I'd ever heard.

Black smoke rose from the wound as he staggered backward, clutching his injured arm.

"Silver?" His eyes widened in shock and fury. "How did you—"

Fidelis, thank you. You knew this day would come.

"You will pay for this! No one harms an Alpha and lives!"

I bolted for the door, but Magnus recovered quickly, blocking my path. Cornered, I raised the dagger to my own throat.

"Stay back, or I'll kill myself. You clearly need me alive for something."

He hesitated just long enough. I spun around and dashed for the window behind his desk, crashing through the glass as Magnus lunged forward with a roar. His fingers caught my dress, but the fabric tore away.

I hit the ground hard, crashing through ornamental bushes. Pain shot through my body, but adrenaline kept me moving. Above me, Magnus's enraged howl echoed through the night.

"Seal every exit! Find her! ALIVE!"

I struggled to my feet, blood trickling from cuts across my body. My star-shaped birthmark was glowing faintly, emitting a soft silver light I'd never seen before, seeming to guide my path.

I crouched low, using shadows for concealment. Several times, patrols came dangerously close, but each time my mark burned warmer, and I instinctively knew which way to move.

At the perimeter wall, I found myself trapped. Guards closed in from both directions.

"No escape now, Luna." Vex, the captain of Magnus's guard, stepped into view with his soldiers. "The Alpha wants you back."

This is it. I'm done for.

Just as despair threatened to overwhelm me, a small figure darted from the shadows, gesturing frantically for me to stay quiet. A young woman in servant's clothing—I recognized her from the kitchens.

"This way, Luna," she whispered, barely audible. "Secret passage."

Do I trust her? What choice do I have?

I slipped after her as she led me through the kitchen gardens to a storage shed.

Inside, she quickly moved aside a large barrel, revealing a narrow tunnel entrance.

"Servants' escape route," she explained hurriedly. "Alpha doesn't know."

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice breaking with emotion.

She hesitated, glancing nervously toward the door. "My sister was... she died by Alpha Magnus's hand. Too weak to bear cubs, he said." Her eyes hardened. "Go quickly, Luna."

I squeezed her hand once before lowering myself into the dark passage.

After hours of running, I finally crossed beyond Sovereign territory into the deep forest.

My birthmark pulled me northward, away from both Sovereign lands and Northwind Pack.

I can't go back to Northwind. Mom... she would just hand me back to Magnus.

The forest grew denser, the trees ancient and twisted. Every rustle in the underbrush set my heart racing, but I forced myself to keep moving.

When the first real howls sounded behind me - deep, guttural calls that could only belong to rogues - I knew I had no choice but to press forward into the forbidden Shadow Forest.

The land where legends said the last true Shadow Wolf had died.