Chapter 2

I gripped the ropes binding me tightly, terrified of falling. "I'm begging you, don't kill me."

I had already understood his meaning. "Even if you kill me, Locke won't care."

He responded with silence.

My phone suddenly buzzed wildly with messages from Debbie.

She was sprawled across Locke, her clothes disheveled.

Locke gently held her hand, resting it on her stomach.

He cherished her deeply.

Debbie's message read, "He says once I have his child, the Moon Goddess will recognize me as his mate. I'll be the most honored leader's companion, and you? You're nothing!"

I had no time to reply, but she took my silence as defiance.

She sent a flood of intimate photos of her and Locke.

At home, in hotels, in the council hall.

Even in the forest.

They were tangled together in every secluded place.

A wave of nausea hit me, and I loosened my grip to clutch my stomach.

The tree behind me swayed slightly from my movement.

Ron's usually calm eyes narrowed sharply, and he lunged forward to grab my ropes, pulling me back.

He glared at me fiercely. "Moving like that at a time like this? Are you trying to die?"

Realizing his harsh tone, he softened his expression. "I thought capturing you would give me leverage over Locke. Guess I was wrong. You don't seem to mean much to him."

My breath caught, and I bit my lip hard.

My mind was flooded with Locke's earlier words, and I didn't notice my lip bleeding.

Ron stepped closer and gently wiped the corner of my mouth.

The bright red blood stood out starkly on his fingertips.

In the next moment, he put his finger in his mouth. "Do one thing for me, and I'll let you go."

I took a nervous half-step back, putting distance between us.

Rumors said Ron was unpredictable, his temper hidden behind a calm facade, and he'd kill over the smallest things.

His earlier action made me uneasy.

It felt like my personal space had been invaded.

Seeing my reaction, he chuckled. "Relax, I have no desire to kill you. Go back to Locke and take back the ring you gave him."

I froze. "How do you know about the ring?"

He didn't answer my question, just ordered his men to escort me away.

The ring Ron mentioned was a keepsake my parents made for their wedding.

Locke's tribe owed my parents a great debt, and the entire tribe revered them.

That ring held significant influence in the tribe.

When I first got together with Locke, I gave him the ring to show my devotion.

Did Ron want to use it to take over Locke's tribe?

I returned to the tribe, my mind heavy with thoughts.

The looks from the others no longer held respect.

Only contempt remained.

"She has the nerve to come back? She almost hurt our future leader earlier!"

"Kick her out!"

"Get lost!"

Their words were vicious, but no one dared lay a hand on me.

I walked straight to the door of my former home.

I remembered Locke kept the ring in the bedside drawer.

But as soon as I opened the door, I saw two people entangled in the living room.

Locke's expression shifted from dazed to mocking when he saw me.

"Weren't you kidnapped? Back already?"

Debbie scanned my tattered clothes and gasped, covering her mouth. "I heard some kidnappers take payment in other ways. Julie, with your clothes like that, you..."

She trailed off, leaving plenty of room for imagination.

Locke stood and leaned in to sniff me.

He caught the scent of another Alpha on me.

His face darkened instantly. "Who held you?"

I brushed past him toward the bedroom. "It's none of your business. I'm here to take back what's mine."

Debbie spoke lazily. "Your stuff's by the door. Didn't you see it? I live here now, so Locke said we're redecorating to my taste."

I noticed then that every trace of my past life in the house was gone.

My heart sank heavily.