Chapter 99


    Willow


    He arrived, the corner of his lips lifted slightly into a wicked smile as my heart sank. No! Reuben


    shouldn’t be


    here! It was a trap!


    I quickly nced at the shattered door, only to find Reuben standing there, covered in his own


    blood. His entire body appeared to be littered with wounds from which blood incessantly flowed.


    My eyes widened at the terrifyingly dire condition he was in. All my struggles in Dark’s grasp


    amounted to nothing when Reuben and I made eye contact for a moment. My heart skipped a beat.


    He had not been executed and was safe for the moment. He had not left me, he hade for me


    but my heart sank as his eyes closed and he copsed to the ground before me.


    “REUBEN!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, breaking free from Dark’s grasp and sprinting away,


    desperate to hold my mate in my arms. But before I could reach him, I encountered an invisible


    barrier halting me, preventing


    me from drawing any closer. I stopped, panic seizing me as I stared at the energy separating


    Reuben and I.


    “No, what’s happening? Reuben!” I mmed my hand against the barrier, my gaze fixed solely on


    Reuben lying motionless on the ground. “REUBEN!” I shrieked frantically, repeating his name over


    and over, but he remained unmoving while I remained trapped. “I need to reach him. I have to…” I


    murmured, wing at the unseen obstacle between us. “LET ME GET TO HIM!” I screamed,


    pounding my fists against the barrier in desperation. Why could I not hear his heartbeat or


    breathing? Had he…..


    “You’ve only just begun to crumble under the weight of your punishment,” Dark’s voice pierced the


    air from behind me. I paused, holding my breath. My punishment? “You have a long journey ahead,


    Rose,” hemented.


    I clenched my fists and turned to see him seated in a chair, his posture regal. “What have you done


    with him?” I demanded, my face burning with anger.


    His eyes remained void of emotion. “Your ‘lover boy‘ chose his own fate by trespassing onto my


    territory, now he’s taking hisst breath,” he stated tly. The entirety of the Wade Moon territory


    was engulfed in Dark’s lethal energy, an unseen force that defied visibility and confrontation, leaving


    Reuben grievously wounded on the ground, teetering on the brink of death.


    “No… Reuben! Open your eyes!”


    1/6


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    “Reuben, please, look at me. I’m here!”


    “Reuben!” I screamed incessantly, but he remained unresponsive, while I sensed Dark’s amused


    gaze fixed upon my pale shattered countenance. The terror of losing my soulmate surpassed any


    fear I had ever known.


    “He seems to be dying slowly,” Darkmented, a hint of disappointment tainting his words. “With


    the additionalbination of silver, wolfbane, and my energy, he shouldn’t havested more than


    five minutes,” he murmured.


    My entire body grew cold as I absorbed the grim reality of the limited time Reuben had remaining.


    “Was I kind to him?” Dark’s words seemed to conjure a mysteriously lethal darkness that


    encroached upon Reuben.


    “Stop it!” I yelled, spinning to face Dark. Though I didn’t understand the nature of the darkness, I


    knew it posed a grave threat to Reuben. “Why the hell are you doing this? He hasn’t wronged you in


    any way! Why must you kill him? Let him go!” My voice trembled with angry desperation.


    Suddenly, he surged to his feet and seized my throat. “THIS IS YOUR PUNISHMENT, BITCH!” he


    roared. “THE PUNISHMENT FOR RUNNING AWAY FROM ME ELEVEN YEARS AGO, THEN


    DOING IT AGAIN NOW. THE PUNISHMENT FOR CHOOSING HIM OVER ME! THE


    PUNISHMENT FOR…” He paused, tightening his grip around my throat, making it increasingly


    difficult to breathe. “ying with me,” he whispered, his eyes aze with fury. My face flushed red,


    tears streaming from the corners of my eyes as I struggled to draw a full breath.


    As I teetered on the brink of death, he released his grip on my throat and shoved me away. I lost my


    bnce and crumpled to the ground, coughing violently in between gasps for air. The world around


    me seemed to fall silent, drowned out by the frantic pounding of my heart and the struggle for each


    labored breath.


    Clutching my bruised throat, marked by his handprint, I slowly turned my gaze toward Reuben.


    Seeing him lying in a pool of his own blood, I could no longer hold back my tears. My vision blurred


    as I crawled across the ground, desperate to reach him. Before I could, I felt Dark’s hand on my


    back.


    “Going somewhere, Darling?” he whispered into my ear. I froze in ce, my entire body trembling


    as his hand trailed from my hair down to my waist. “You should be crawling between my legs,” his


    face hovered beside mine, his breath grazing my hair as he crouched behind me.


    “Don’t…” I halted his hand, ring at him fiercely. “Don’t touch me,” I dered, meeting his gaze


    with hatred in


    my eyes.


    His expression darkened, “Is that what you want?”


    +5


    “Can’t you tell?” I arched an eyebrow, no longer cowering before him. “You disgust me,” I pushed


    his hand


    “What the hell did you just say?” he seized my cheek violently, his eyes shing with rage. “For


    calling me disgusting, I’ll make your beautiful body so repulsive with my teeth and cock that you’ll


    loathe the sight of yourself in the mirror,” he growled, grabbing my breast.


    away.


    “AHHH…” I groaned in agony as he assaulted my breast, digging his nails into it. I felt blood


    seeping through my top.


    I swallowed the pain, refusing to let my tears betray me, and replied, “Do it. You can either force me


    or kill me. That’s all you’re capable of.”


    I grabbed onto his coat, the pain shooting through me, “Kill me,” I locked eyes with his seething


    gaze, knowing I had pushed him to his breaking point. “I SAID KILL ME!” I screamed, only to


    receive a p across the face.


    I ced one hand on my stinging cheek and the other on my bleeding breast, relieved as he finally


    released his grip. My head spun momentarily from the force of his blow.


    “Do you really think that I don’t know what you’re trying to do?” he snarled, grabbing my hair again


    and pulling me closer to his face. “You want to die before him, don’t you?” His grin was sinister.


    I inwardly clenched my fists. He had seen through me. At this point, I did indeed want to die. I


    couldn’t bear the thought of watching Reuben perish before my eyes. If I couldn’t save him, then I


    wanted to depart this world alongside him.


    His grin widened. “So much love for him that you want to die with him, huh?” He leaned in closer to


    my face, his eyes darting between my lips and eyes. “Now he will die because of you,” he dered,


    nting a soft kiss on my lips.


    I didn’t have time to react before the sound of footsteps reached my ears. What did he mean by


    “Reuben will die because of me“?


    “I have a little gift for you,” Dark remarked to someone. I followed his gaze to the door, where I saw


    a familiar face entering.


    “Mia?” My eyes widened as my jaw dropped in disbelief. “What are you doing here? I told you to


    look after the children…” I trailed off as I noticed how unscathed she appeared, unaffected by


    Dark’s energy unlike Reuben. Then I noticed her expression, it was totally different from the one


    that she usually wore, “What’s going on, Mia?” My voice shook with uncertainty. “Are you working


    with Dark?”


    +5


    “No, I’ve been working for myself for years, preparing for this moment,” she smiled cryptically.


    “What do you mean?” I bit my lip in confusion.


    “You should have never been in Reuben’s life from the beginning, Willow. Once you were gone, you


    should have never returned. You stole him from me!” she venomously used.


    “What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. Her always–smiling eyes now seemed unfamiliar, as if I didn’t


    know the woman standing before me.


    “Don’t act surprised, like you never knew I loved Reuben since school!” she snapped. “You stole


    him with your beauty,” she used, leaving me in shock. Mia loved Reuben? Was she not always


    rooting for the two of us all the time? Had she been acting all this time?


    That’s when it all clicked in my mind. “Were you the one who deceived me, posing as E and


    telling me that Reuben had a fiancée?” My voice trembled with realization.


    She smiled in response. “You left me no choice. You should have stayed away when I sent the


    pictures of you and Reuben to Alpha Louis,” she confessed.


    “Mia…” I couldn’t close my mouth, stunned by her betrayal. It dawned on me that she had been the


    one spying on me, giving me that unsettling feeling of being watched. She cunningly used E and


    my suspicions to conceal herself, making me believe that E was behind it all. The woman I had


    trusted as a friend turned out to be my true enemy all along. I had even entrusted my children to her


    care, oblivious to the hatred she harbored for years.


    When it was not enough she shook hands with Dark. “I thought we were best friends. How could


    you betray me…” I murmured.


    “Don’t me her for being in love, Rose,” Dark spoke lowly, softly biting the corner of my ear. “Let’s


    help the two lovers meet their end,” he added.


    “What?” my eyes snapped at him in horror. An evil smile yed on his lips as he slowly clenched


    my jaw making me watch as Mia crawled over Reuben’s body. “Let them make love…” he


    whispered.


    My face lost all color knowing what he was nning, “NO! GET OFF HIM!!” I shrieked at Mia.


    Ignoring me, she touched Reuben’s chest that suddenly became blood free. Slowly his whole body


    was clean but his skin started to turn red for some reason. My breath stuck in my lungs when I saw


    Mia slipping her hand into


    AIC


    his pants and Ruben’s whole body reacting as if he was on drugs or in rut.


    “Get him hard and ride him,” Dark ordered.


    My heart dropped into my stomach hearing his order as Mia unzipped Reuben’s pants.


    “NO! DON’T TOUCH HIM!” I roared, breaking out of Dark’s grip ready to kill Mia but Dark yanked


    me back, this time more violently.


    “Let’s watch from here. The couple doesn’t want a threesome,” he kissed my cheek.


    “LET ME GO! DON’T TOUCH HIM!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, tears started slipping out of


    my eyes.


    “Shhh… don’t be jealous,” he stated as Mia took Reuben’s cock in her hand and started jerking it.


    “NO, DON’T DO THAT,” she ignored me as if I was not there and soon she was going to take his


    cock in her mouth. “PLEASE STOP HER!” I begged Dark.


    “Why still want to die with him?” He caressed my cheek.


    “HE WILL DIE IF SHE HAS S*X WITH HIM!” I screamed at him, going crazy. However his


    expression did not change, that let me know that he was doing all of this intentionally knowing about


    the vow that Reuben had made five years ago.


    “That’s why I warned you that he will die because of you, Rose,” he lifted my chin up, “He took that


    oath out of love for you and now he will die because of your love.”


    Tears flowed from my eyes uncontrobly. “Please, stop her,” I begged, “Kill me instead.”


    He shook his head, “That’s not what I want to hear.”


    I bit my lip, looking into his mismatched eyes, “I will do everything you say,” I finally spoke the words


    that he wanted to hear. “I am ready to ept your punishments just please… stop her,” I begged.


    “Finally you understand,” A handsome smile curled his lips as he raised his hand and Mia, close to


    taking Reuben in her mouth, fainted. I looked at Reuben but Dark suddenly pulled me into a forceful


    kiss. I grew scared and raised my hand to push him away only to put my hand back down, my eyes


    going to Reuben.


    I slowly closed my eyes, silently crying. His breathing was heavy, his grip on my hair tighter, and his


    lips were


    practically pinching mine. But everything suddenly gave me zero pain.


    Once he was satisfied, he broke the kiss, “It’s time to go, Rose,” he touched my face. I opened my


    eyes slowly, my expression dead, “Let’s go.”


    He took my hand, ready to drag me away.


    “Give me a minute with him,” I murmured.


    “That’s not happening,” he angrily growled.


    “Let me say goodbye to him or I will never be able to forgive myself,” I begged.


    He frowned bitterly but after a couple of seconds, he let my hand go, “You have only thirty


    seconds.”


    I could finally cross the invisible wall and crawled closer to Reuben. He was no longer bleeding but


    was seriously injured. I held him in my arms and hugged him tightly.


    “Do you remember the other day when you said that I deserved your everything?” I whispered, my


    silent tears wetting his shoulder. “It was a lie. I don’t deserve you, Reuben. I never did,” I broke into


    sobs. “If only I had nevere into your life then you would not have gone through all of this,” I


    looked at his closed eyes and smiled, “Now the children are all yours. Tell them mommy is gone but


    she will always love them,” I closed my eyes sobbing, “I am sorry I am breaking my promise and


    abandoning you again,” I leaned down and kissed his lips, “I love you,” I whispered.


    Our lips had only met for a second when Dark started dragging me away, “Let’s go.”


    I looked over my shoulder at Reuben for thest time, “Reuben.”