Chapter 16

Derek's stagnant heart jolted. He opened the assistant's message—a video from a pack-wide skating competition. Hannah glided across the ice, graceful as a swan, kissing the rink at the end, radiant. His emotions churned.

Memories flooded back: Hannah, a prodigy on the ice, forced by him to give up her shot at the great pack's team. He'd spat the ugliest words at her: "I'll ruin your future and pride. You'll rot in the gutter forever." Her pale, despairing face was seared into his mind. Back then, it felt like victory. Now, regret gnawed at him.

Ignoring the others, Derek barked at his assistant, "Get the private jet ready. I'm going to see her now."

But as he rushed for the door, a sharp pain cracked the back of his head. Glass shattered. He turned, eyes wide with disbelief and betrayal. It was Charles, his once-respected father, standing stone-faced. "The Sullivan pack's honor won't be ruined by you."

Darkness swallowed Derek. He woke chained like a dog in a windowless storage room, his shouts ignored. Only the servants delivering meals and Brittany, still clinging to hope, visited.

Bruised from trying to escape, Derek lay exhausted. Brittany touched his wounds, pleading, "Derek, stop hurting yourself! Hannah's not worth it! Charles announced I'm your mate. No amount of fighting will change that."

Her eyes brimmed with tears, her voice heavy with sorrow. She'd resented Derek's willingness to destroy her for Hannah, but her love was real. He turned away, dead-eyed. "Get out."

His body reeked of defeat, like a wolf on death's door. He thought endlessly—how to escape this hellish den, how to find Hannah, what to say to win her back. He started to feel what Hannah must have—trapped in a nightmare.

Brittany, enraged by his stubbornness, threw a phone at him, showing a news article. "Open your eyes, Derek! Your precious Hannah's engaged to another wolf!"

Seeing the photo, Derek snapped to life, knuckles white as he gripped the phone, voice trembling. "No… this can't be! You're all lying!" Hannah loves me. She said I'd be her mate, that she'd only bond with me!

He smashed the phone, glaring at Brittany, then lunged, choking her. "Admit it! This is fake! You're all in on it, aren't you?"

Brittany, face red, clawed at his hands. "Derek… let go! I'm carrying our pup…"

Her words ignited him. "If it wasn't for you, Hannah wouldn't have left! She must've heard you're pregnant—that's why she's with someone else, pissed at me! Yeah, that's it…"

Crazed, he threw Brittany out, kicking her down the stairs. She tumbled, clutching her belly, but blood seeped from her legs, her abdomen cramping in agony. "It hurts… someone, help!" she screamed, drenched in sweat.

Servants rushed in, frozen by the blood. A bodyguard called an ambulance, and Brittany was carted away. In the chaos, Derek bolted, speeding to the airport despite a minor crash. On the plane, his despair lifted, replaced by certainty he'd win Hannah back. He flashed her photo to strangers, boasting, "This is my mate!" Their blessings fed his delusion that they were already bound.

But in Westron Town, at Hannah's apartment, reality hit. The news was true—she was forming a sacred bond with another wolf. Furious, Derek shoved Evan aside, roaring, "Back off! She's mine!"