*~Leon’s POV~*
When my eyes opened, the first thing I felt was pain.
Everywhere.
My wrists burned. My ribs ached. My entire body felt like it had been shattered and crudely glued back together. My head was pounding, each throb like an alarm clock striking against the inside of my skull.
I tried to move—but my body refused to obey . Chains clinked, heavy and cold against my skin. I looked down and saw my wrists bound with dark iron cuffs.
I was shirtless—only my pants remained—and even that was torn, soaked through with blood. My chest was crisscrossed with lash marks, so fresh, others already dried into dark, crusted lines.
My gaze shifted until it landed on Aurora and my heart bled.
She was sitting beside , bound tightly to a chair. Her head hung low, strands of her red hair sticking to her pale face. The sight of her weak made my heart spin.
"Aurora!" I croaked, my throat raw. I tried to reach for her, but the chains pulled back violently. "Aurora!"
She stirred slightly, her lips trembling, her eyes fluttering open but before she could speak, sothing tore across my back.
Crack!
I scread as fire spread across my spine. The pain was sharp, deep tearing.
Another lash followed, and this one ca across my shoulder, biting through skin and blood. I gasped and turned my head and there he was.
Darius.
His expression was calm, almost casual, like he was enjoying a quiet morning stroll rather than torturing soone. He held a black whip, its edges glowing faintly red.
"You’re awake," he said, voice smooth as silk. "Took you long enough."
Before I could speak, the whip ca down again, this ti across my face. The sound it made against flesh was sickening.
"Ugh," he sneered. "I wonder what Aurora ever saw in a pathetic man like you." His gaze flicked toward her, then back to . "The man who threw her away for so damn she-wolf."
Anger boiled through . My vision pulsed red as I lunged forward against the chains. I caught Darius’s chin in my hand and raked my claws across his cheek. The sound of tearing flesh was followed by a hot spray of blood. Fragnts of his skin clung to my fingers.
"How dare you," I hissed. "Fine...kill . Do whatever you want with . But she’s innocent." My voice broke on Aurora’s na. "You will never lay your filthy hands on her again. She’ll destroy you in a heartbeat."
Darius laughed, low and cruel. Even as blood trickled down his jaw, the wound sealed before my eyes, smooth skin replacing torn flesh.
"Aurora will destroy ?" he mocked, tilting his head. "You still don’t understand, Leon. She doesn’t need to fight . She’s already on my side."
"Liar!" I spat.
He leaned closer, his expression calm but his eyes glittering. "Why do you think she let into the High House? Why do you think she never pushed away? She trusts . She believes in ." He paused, voice softening in mock sympathy. "And you? You gave up that trust long ago."
I felt the chains bite into my wrists as I strained against them, every muscle trembling. "You twist everything. You poison everyone around you."
"Oh, I simply reveal what’s already there," he murmured.
A sharp flash of light burst through the room. My vision flared white; pain stabbed behind my eyes. Darius flinched, stepping back, his whip crackling with energy.
Then a woman’s voice filled the air, lodic and sharp. "Are you still tornting him, Darius?"
A figure stepped out of the shadows. She was tall, silver-haired, her skin as pale as moonlight. Her presence seed to cool the air itself.
"Get out, Rebecca," Darius growled. "This is my business."
She laughed softly. "Your business looks like obsession. Why can’t you let these two be? You’ve already twisted their story enough, and still they’re bound to each other."
Darius’s eyes flicked toward her, dark and venomous. "Hell no! She is mine and only mine."
Rebecca’s gaze moved between us, her lips curving faintly. "Is that what you tell yourself? That destroying what she loves will make her yours?"
Darius’s smirk returned, but his voice lost its ease. "Careful, Rebecca."
She only shrugged. "Careful is not in my nature."
"Well, it’s true," she said with a sneer. "You can have her, Darius. This wolf here doesn’t deserve her anyway, throwing her away the mont he found so damn mate."
Her words sliced through like blades. My jaw clenched, my chest tightening.
Then she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper only I could hear. "And do you know, wolf?" she mouthed slowly, her eyes glinting with mischief. "He’s the one who twisted your whole mate bond with that she wolf."
My gaze hardened. "What?" I breathed.
Rebecca’s eyes widened slightly, as if she realized she’d gone too far. "Oops," she murmured, feigning innocence. "I’ve said too much."
Before I could demand more, Darius moved. His hand shot out, shoving her roughly toward the door. "Get out," he snapped.
Rebecca stumbled but caught herself, shooting him a cold, knowing glare before she vanished into the hallway.
Silence filled the room again..
Then Darius turned back to , that smirk still glued to his face. "You really didn’t know?" he said softly, almost mockingly. "Oh, Leon... how tragic."
He took a few steps forward until he stood before Aurora. She was still slumped in the chair, barely conscious, her hair tangled around her pale face.
"Aurora," he murmured, brushing a hand across her cheek. "Wake up, girl. I need you now. Let’s tell this pathetic wolf the truth."
He turned slightly, eting my glare. "Tell him, Aurora. Tell him you love —and not him."
My hands clenched into fists, the chains rattling violently as anger burned through .
He’s the one who twisted your whole mate bond.
My breath caught in my throat. My head began to spin.
"No..." I whispered. "No, this can’t be true."
Images flashed in my mind—Sophia, the mate bond, the connection I thought was real, the reason I’d left Aurora behind.
A weak sound ca from Aurora. A gentle cough escaped her lips. Her eyes fluttered open.
Before I could speak, Darius bent down and kissed her.
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