Anastasia’s eyes fluttered open when she could feel the warmth of the sunlight coming inside from the big window in her room, blinking away the remains of sleep, she yawned and stretched her limbs.

The first thing she noticed was the unfamiliarity of her surroundings.

Wait a minute.

She did not have a window on the left side back of the room which Cobra gifted her

This was not the room she remembered falling asleep in.

What is going on???

Confusion knitted her brows together as she scanned the space, taking in the presence of Liam, Philip, Caleb, and Xavier.

Each face held a mix of relief and concern.

Relief when she saw her waking up all healthy and alive.

Xavier’s voice cut through the haze of her thoughts, explaining how they had all come together, how they had fought for her.

"We were able to take them down and get you out of that place. Liam planned it all," he said, his gaze steady as he met Anastasia’s eyes.

"He orchestrated every move, rallied all of us together. We couldn’t have done it without him. Liam is low-key very clever."

Liam glanced at his brother and nudged his shoulder playfully asking " Yah, what do you mean by low-key?"

Xavier chuckled and playfully hugged his brother who crossed his arms over his chest acting mad, but a tiny grin formed which he tried to hide so much.

Anastasia’s heart swelled with gratitude and awe.

Liam and the other had gone above and beyond to ensure her safety and bring her back.

She turned her gaze to Liam, finding solace in the strength of his presence.

" Ana?" Called out Alexander who stormed inside the room with Willow as he rushed into her arms, a surge of emotion swept through her.

She held her brother/son close, a silent acknowledgment of their shared relief and gratitude.

But amidst the chaos of emotions, Anastasia’s focus remained on Liam.

His presence beside her was both grounding and reassuring.

When Xavier finished recounting the events, Anastasia’s voice broke the silence.

"I want to be alone with Liam, just a second," she stated, her tone firm yet filled with a softness only he could understand.

In that moment, she longed for the quiet reassurance of his presence, the comfort of knowing he was by her side.

Xavier nodded, understanding, and gently carried Alex and Willow in his arms as he exited the room with Philip and Caleb, leaving Anastasia alone with Liam.

Liam’s gaze bore into her, a silent intensity that sent shivers down her spine.

"Snow," she began, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "What I said back there, it was all fake. I needed to convince Cobra to let you go. If he knew you also were my fated mate, he would have killed you. He is not a sane person."

Liam remained silent for a moment, his eyes searching hers for any hint of deception.

Finally, he stood up, his expression unreadable as he spoke. "Cobra. You are calling him by his name now. And also, please I am not stupid. I know why you said that." His words were laced with a mixture of hurt and frustration.

"Do you want to see him? Do you want to see your Cobra?" Liam continued, his voice tinged with bitterness. "When I arrived in that room, you were covered with his scent and sleeping very peacefully. Oh, and in his room, I found so many pictures of you. I knew most of them were taken without your consent. But in some other pictures, you let him braid your hair and you also let him hug and sleep in your arms all night. Wow, Anastasia. You. Would have marked him too while you were at it."

Anastasia’s heart sank at the accusation in his words, fear gripping her at the thought of being misunderstood.

Yet, a defiant smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. "Are you jealous?" she challenged, her voice betraying a hint of playfulness amidst the tension.

As anger blazed in Liam’s eyes at her question, his words dripped with venom. "Why the fuck would I be jealous? I fucking hate you. I rejected you. It’s just fucking crazy to see you allowing someone like him to get close to you after everything he has done to all of us. Even if he is your fated mate. I don’t know how having two fated mates is possible, but even then why did you allow him to be close to you while he is literally locking you up like his prisoner? And you were all lovey-dovey with him in the dungeon too. Just wow."

Anastasia felt a surge of frustration rises within her, but she refused to back down.

She stood up, her own anger fueling her words.

"I did that for you," she spat out, her voice raw with emotion. "I had no other fucking choice. I could not let you stay there and hate me all you fucking wish, but you are my fated mate, and I’m not allowing anyone to use you as a breeding machine under my watch when I literally can do something about it."

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself as she continued. "If he knew who you are to me... Believe me, I stayed with him for only three days, the things he can do when he is unstable are unbelievable. I had to keep him in control to protect all of you. He had the power. He had the numbers. He had what we did not have enough to go against him. So I had to act and keep him under my control."

Liam’s retort was sharp. "I didn’t need your help. I was doing just fine."

Anastasia’s jaw clenched, her eyes flashing with defiance.

"And I don’t care if you think you needed or did not need my help. " she shot back. " You for a fact needed help, I was powerless then. I could not physically protect you. That’s why I had to use my bond with him to twist and control his mind. I don’t care if you think I’m a bad person for doing so, but I’m not allowing anyone to use my mate as a breeding machine even if you hate the way I helped you, as long as you are not hurt."

Her eyes glowed red with the intensity of her emotions, her aura crackling with power.

Liam felt a shiver run down his spine, a mixture of fear and something else he couldn’t quite name.

For a second, Liam seems to forget how powerful Anastasia actually is due to how quiet and low-key she talks and moves.

It was strange to see her actually fighting for him, to witness the depth of their bond in the face of his rejection.

Liam’s anger, like a raging fire, was suddenly quenched by the unexpected sincerity in Anastasia’s words.

His eyes widened in shock as she spoke, her words cutting through the bitterness and resentment that had clouded his mind for so long.

"I’m sorry for what I did to you, Snow," she continued, her voice filled with genuine remorse. "I’m sorry for killing our baby. I’m sorry for hating omegas. I’m sorry for making you hide yourself from me because of it. I’m sorry for lying to you and I’m so sorry for breaking your heart in the most gruesome way."

Her words hung heavy in the air, each apology a painful reminder of the wounds she had inflicted upon him.

Liam felt a lump form in his throat as he struggled to process the depth of her remorse.

Then, with a resigned sigh, Anastasia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small syringe, its contents glinting ominously in the dim light of the room.

Liquid silver.

Liam’s eyes widened in shock as he realized what it contained.

"I took this from Cobra’s room earlier and kept it with me because I knew I would meet you again," she said calmly as if discussing the weather. "It has enough silver to kill a true blood. Before the battle, I made a promise to you. I promised to let you kill me if we survived. Well, we did in fact survive, so here, take it and have your revenge."

Liam could only stare at her in disbelief, his mind reeling from the sudden turn of events.

Here she was, offering him the means to exact his revenge, to end her life as she stood before him, calm and collected as if everything was already over and worth nothing to her.

His hands trembled as he reached out to take the syringe, his heart heavy with the weight of her words and the enormity of the choice before him.

Could he really go through with it? Could he really take her life, her fated mate’s life? Even if he hates her more than anything, the pain that he will feel after ending her life will be unbearable.

Does he really hate her to the point of actually killing her?

Anastasia met his gaze unwaveringly, her expression serene as she waited for his decision.

At that moment, Liam realized that despite everything, despite the pain and the betrayal, there was still a flicker of something between them, something that refused to be extinguished.

The mating bond.

The mating bond that was half sealed after that intimate night which they both vaguely remember.

And as he looked into her eyes, he knew that he needed to have his revenge.

End her life just like she ended his baby’s life before he could hold him.