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Dravina’s POV

Life in a gilded cage that's my truth. For some of us, freedom is an illusion, shackled by invisible chains too complex, too tight to slip. No matter how fiercely we struggle, escape remains just out of reach.

At eighteen, I was chosen as the Luna of Firestone. What should have been a moment of pride quickly descended into a waking nightmare. Back then, Cassian my husband, my Alpha seemed flawless.

Charming, doting, and seemingly devoted during our courtship, he was the envy of many. I lost friends over the attention he gave me, but I didn’t care. We weren’t fated mates, but I believed love could bloom from choice.

For a while, it did. The first year felt like something out of a dream. Then that dream curdled. Cassian’s mask slipped, revealing a possessive, volatile man. Any effort I made to leave only tightened the noose around me.

He weaponized his authority, threatening my parents’ lives if I dared to run. And it wasn’t an empty threat Cassian ruled the entire western territory with absolute control. If he said he’d destroy someone, he had the power to do it.

To ensure my obedience, he severed all ties with my family, forbidding even the smallest contact. I was cut off, exactly as he intended no allies, no support. Just him.

He stripped me of all my duties as Luna, assigning them to the Beta’s wife instead. With no responsibilities, no voice, and no purpose beyond the confines of our home, I faded into silence.

After my first escape attempt, he confined me to our quarters in the Pack House eight months of solitude, locked away like a secret he didn’t want the world to see.

It was only through the Beta’s intervention that I was granted a sliver of freedom. But it wasn’t liberation it was just a longer leash.

Cassian’s paranoia never eased. He accused me of betrayal over the most innocent gestures smiling at another man, exchanging polite words at gatherings. Everything ended in punishment. His anger was always waiting, simmering beneath the surface, ready to burn.

The pity of the pack meant nothing. No one dared defy him. Cassian was the most dominant Alpha on the continent. Even the strongest bowed before him.

Six years into this nightmare of a marriage, I hosted yet another gala. It was supposed to be a celebration, but for me, it was another tightrope walk, where every word, every glance had to be perfectly measured.

Cassian’s gaze tracked my every move a silent warning, a constant shadow.

The event drained me, but it presented a rare window of possibility. Since my parents had been exiled, I’d lived in torment, not knowing if they were safe. I knew they were now under Alpha Arixen’s protection, but any attempt to reach them had failed.

Cassian dangled their safety over my head like a guillotine, tightening his grip whenever I showed resistance. If he felt slighted, even for a moment, he’d sever the last strand of hope I had.

And I believed him. His authority over the western lands was unchallenged, and eliminating those he viewed as threats even if they were innocent was second nature to him.

Other Alphas admired his brutal command. That, more than anything, terrified me.

Desperation clawed at me daily, but I couldn't act unless I knew my parents were truly safe. My only chance rested with Arixen.

We’d crossed paths years ago during a summer training camp. We were barely more than strangers, but I hoped our distant blood ties would be enough to persuade him.

I was still trying to find the right moment to approach him when Arixen appeared beside me and offered his hand for a dance.

Every instinct warned me to refuse. But deep inside, I knew this could be the only chance I'd get. I cast a glance toward Cassian, searching for any sign of fury.

He nodded once, disinterested. A rare show of detachment.

With equal parts fear and resolve, I placed my hand in Arixen’s.

The gardens glowed beneath a canopy of soft golden lights, offering a rare sense of safety in the crowd. As we danced, Arixen’s calm presence soothed me, his steps sure, his demeanor reassuring. When he suggested a walk to admire the blooms, I agreed without hesitation.

It was now or never.

Beneath the surface of small talk, I poured out my plea careful, desperate, every word shaped by the fear that any wrong phrase might cost me everything. Arixen listened in silence, his face grave.

He gave me his word. He promised to help. Promised that I would see my parents again.

And for the first time in years, something pierced through the endless darkness: hope.

What I failed to notice was the storm building behind Cassian’s composed façade. He had been watching all along, his fury hidden beneath a veil of calm.

It wasn’t until we returned to our quarters that his silence turned dangerous.

The click of the lock behind the bedroom door echoed like a gunshot, sending a chill through me.

He didn’t have to speak I already knew.

I had gone too far.

And now… I would pay the price.