Irina’s POV

I folded Luka’s tiny, soft blue onesie. My hands were shaking violently.

I placed the small garment into the cheap canvas duffel bag. I packed his baby powder, his favorite plush rabbit, and his small socks. Every single motion felt completely mechanical. I was a robot. I was utterly dead inside.

I was packing up my entire life. I was packing up my hard-earned freedom.

My small apartment was completely silent. It used to be my absolute sanctuary. It was the only place in the entire world where I felt safe. Now, it just felt like a cold, empty tomb. The walls were rapidly closing in on me.

Nicholas was waiting outside.

I could physically feel his dark, suffocating Alpha aura seeping through the thin wooden door. It was heavy. It was incredibly oppressive. It wrapped tightly around my throat and choked the air right out of my lungs.

He had won. He broke me completely. He used the only thing I loved more than my own life to force me into absolute submission. My son. My sweet, innocent Luka.

I zipped the duffel bag shut. The harsh sound echoed loudly in the quiet room.

I collapsed heavily onto the edge of my messy bed. I took a shaky, ragged breath. I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out my phone. The screen was cracked. My hands trembled as I unlocked it.

I needed to say goodbye. Not out loud. I couldn’t bear to hear my own broken voice. But I had to sever my ties to the human world. I had to protect them from the monster waiting right outside my door.

I opened my messages.

Asher’s name sat quietly on the screen.

He hadn’t texted me today. He hadn’t texted me yesterday, either. The constant stream of his gentle, caring messages had finally stopped. He knew something was terribly wrong. He knew I was pulling away.

I clicked on his name. I stared at his very last message. The black text completely blurred as fresh, hot tears rapidly filled my eyes.

*I don’t know how you are, and I don’t dare to bother you anymore, but please remember, whenever you need help, I will be here.*

A violent sob caught painfully in my tight throat. I pressed my trembling hand hard against my mouth to muffle the sound.

Asher. Sweet, patient, deeply kind Asher.

He offered me a normal, beautiful human life. He offered me safety. He didn’t know anything about the dark, bloody werewolf underworld. He didn’t know that my fated mate was a ruthless, completely unhinged Alpha King. Nicholas would tear Asher limb from limb without a second thought. Nicholas would slaughter him just for looking at me.

I couldn’t drag a good man into my violent hell.

I didn’t reply to Asher. I couldn’t. Replying would only give him false hope. I just stared at his message one last time, letting his gentle promise wash over my broken heart. Then, I slowly deleted the entire conversation. I let him go.

Then, there was Mia.

My beautiful, loud, fiercely loyal best friend. Her contact name had a massive red notification badge. She was entirely different from Asher. She refused to give up.

She still texted me every single day.

I scrolled slowly up the long wall of text messages. At first, her messages were totally frantic and furious.

*Where the hell are you?!*

*Why aren’t you answering your phone?*

*Irina, you are seriously scaring me! Call me right now!*

Then, as the days passed, the anger faded entirely into deep, heartbreaking sadness.

*Please, Irina. Just tell me you’re alive.*

*I’m crying at my desk. I miss you so much.*

*Did I do something wrong? Please talk to me.*

Now, her texts had shifted again. She just sent me random daily updates. It was like she was treating my phone like a personal diary. She firmly believed that one day, I would eventually read them and reply. She was desperately keeping our friendship alive all by herself.

*Got that iced latte from the corner coffee shop today. They burned the espresso again. You would have hated it.*

*Saw a stray cat on my walk home. It looked exactly like a grumpy old man. Made me think of you.* 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

*Bought a new dress for the weekend. Wish you were here to tell me if it looks stupid.*

My heart completely shattered. It broke forcefully into a million irreparable pieces.

Hot tears poured rapidly down my pale cheeks. They splashed heavily onto the cracked screen of my phone. I loved Mia so much. She was my only family in the human world. She held my hand when I was entirely alone.

But my world was deadly now.

Nicholas’s world was bathed entirely in blood, violence, and constant danger. Mia was just a fragile human. If I kept her in my life, she would eventually become a target. Nicholas’s enemies would use her to get to me. I would never, ever forgive myself if she got hurt because of me.

I wiped my wet cheeks violently with the back of my hand. I took a deep, agonizing breath that rattled in my chest.

I tapped the small text box. My thumbs hovered shakily over the digital keyboard.

I typed out the words. Every single letter felt like a sharp knife dragging slowly across my fragile heart.

*Mia, don’t contact me anymore. I probably won’t come back. This is for your own good.*

I stared at the brutal, cold words. I hated myself. I felt like an absolute monster. But it was the only way to keep her safe.

I hit send.

The small bubble popped up on the screen. I didn’t wait for a reply. I instantly blocked her number. I powered the phone completely off. I threw it into the bottom of my duffel bag. It felt like burying a huge, vital piece of my own soul.

"Are you ready?"

A deep, gravelly voice rumbled darkly from the open doorway.

I violently flinched. I looked up. Nicholas stood there. His massive, muscular frame filled the entire doorframe. His glowing golden eyes locked intensely onto my tear-stained face. He looked dangerous. He looked victorious.

I didn’t say a single word. I didn’t have any words left.

I stood up from the bed. I walked over to the portable baby crib in the corner of the room. Luka was awake. He was chewing happily on his tiny fist. His bright eyes looked up at me with absolute innocence. He had no idea that our entire world had just ended.

I reached down and picked him up. I held him incredibly tightly against my chest. His warm, soft little body was my only remaining anchor.

I grabbed my heavy duffel bag. I walked past the Alpha King without looking at his face.

We walked down the narrow, dingy stairs of my apartment building for the very last time. When we stepped outside, a massive, heavily armored black SUV was waiting at the curb. Huge, intimidating mafia guards stood around it like stone statues.

Nicholas opened the heavy back door for me.

I climbed inside. I settled into the luxurious, dark leather seat. I strapped Luka securely into the expensive car seat waiting for him. Then, I sat back.

Nicholas got in right beside me. His massive thigh brushed against mine. The thick, intoxicating scent of rich cedar and dark spice instantly flooded the small space.

The heavy car door slammed shut. It sounded exactly like a prison vault locking.

The powerful engine roared deeply to life. The SUV slowly pulled away from the familiar curb. My small, safe human life rapidly disappeared behind us.

I hugged Luka tightly, sitting in the car, watching the scenery change, with complex feelings.