Maya

I didn't have a clue about what to do next. In my mind, fury still raged, and the pain was beyond description—it felt like a relentless stab in the chest, the kind that hit me every second since those flashes of the twins having sex with Penelope seared into my memory.

God! This was killing me.

In the midst of this chaos, a thought struck me—did Ayla feel the same when my mom shattered her once-happy marriage? Of course, my mom wasn't solely responsible, but her role in Ayla's tragic end was undeniable.

Fuck it. I couldn't grasp why I was paying the price for my mother's sins. Why were they seeking revenge on me? What did I do?!

"You know, it's because they think your mom loves you more than anyone else in this world," My wolf chimed in. I could sense her pain, perhaps even more intense than mine. I had braved the twins' torment for years and I’d fucking seen this coming but Olivia was new to this world, and her life was already tearing apart in every possible way.

"I know. But that's not the truth. My mom is fucking selfish, she is all she cares for. Are they so blinded by hatred that they can't see what they're doing? They know my mother, yet how can't they see her true nature? How can’t they not know that she’s incapable of loving anyone but herself?”

"Why don't you set them straight? Tell them they've got it all wrong. Explain to them that—" Olivia began, her voice tinged with hope.

"I don't want to bother, Olivia. It's fucking pointless because I don't expect anything from any of them," I retorted bitterly. "They can all go to fucking hell for all I care. I don’t give a fuck! All I want is to get away from those two monsters."

"But wouldn't telling them the truth help you?"

"Help me?" I let out another bitter chuckle. "They've already made it as bad as it could possibly get. There's no 'better' in this scenario, Olivia. I don't know what fantasy world you're living in, but this... This is the reality! This is it! There's no improvement from here. This is our lot. We're stuck with these monsters until the day we find a way out. And if we can't, then we're screwed for life. The only way to make it 'better' is to either escape or fucking die."

She fell silent, her silence revealing that she, too, recognized the truth in my words.

Yes, it was the fucking truth, and even though I said it so easily, it still hurt like hell.

This matebond had to be one of the most fucked-up things to ever exist.

"Fuck this matebond," I muttered quietly as I ascended the stairs. It was almost midnight, and I'd roamed nearly every inch of this pack, hoping to clear my head.

I didn’t want anything else. I just wanted an escape but peace was the last thing I could find. I hadn't foreseen the twins' arrival, but I sensed they were inside the house. Well, I could feel their presence.

It was a peculiar gift—I could detect them, avoid them, or maybe it was a curse. I had to endure feeling them, existing seemingly unscathed after everything they'd done. Perhaps it was the damned matebond.

Slapping them wasn’t enough, right?

Hell, it absolutely wasn’t. They should have felt their hearts fucking shatter as mine did. And they would, only if I...

Just then, an idea formed, but it was interrupted by a familiar face. It was Daniel, walking down the stairs, probably heading to one of those late-night parties he frequented with his friends. He was a friend of Camila's, someone who often checked me out, especially my arse, whenever I strolled through college. We attended the same college, and he was perhaps a year or two older than me.

I vaguely recalled him once proposing a make-out session, but after I flatly turned him down, he opted to ignore me and search for new distractions. So far, he was a typical flirt, a bit of a player, but not nearly as reprehensible as the twins.

When he caught sight of me, his eyes lingered on my figure for a moment before he shook his head with a faint chuckle, muttering something under his breath—probably an attempt at self-restraint—before resuming his descent down the stairs.

"Off somewhere, Daniel?" I inquired, crossing my arms over my chest as I leaned against the staircase, fixing my gaze on him.

He paused, surprise evident in the way his eyes darted to meet mine, a flicker passing through them.

"What brings the future Luna to seek me out?" he asked, arching an eyebrow as he turned toward me, taking a step back so that we now stood at the same stair.

So, he was aware of the news. Well, what else could I fucking expect? It seemed like everyone in the pack knew by now.

"Maybe the future Luna isn't quite happy with the arrangement and needs a break?" I replied, my voice hushed.

He caught the implication in my words, and I was certain that even knowing the risks of committing something as my tone suggested to him, he wouldn’t back away. He had had his eyes on me for a long time.

"So, what does she want me to do?" he inquired, stepping closer.

As his cologne reached my nostrils, it made it hard to breathe—every fiber of my being rejected it. It was fucking ironic that despite everything those monsters had done to me, my body would still respond positively to their scents. Screw it. I would do what I wanted to do.

"Maybe she wants you to make her night better?" I seized his collar, pulling him closer until our lips nearly touched.

"So, the Sterling Alphas aren't enough for you?" I dryly licked his bottom lip, drawing nearer as he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me in until our chests pressed together.

Strangely, I found myself comparing his features to those of Leonardo and Maximus, and surprisingly, they easily triumphed without even trying. Their eyes outshone Daniel's plain ones, their lips were full and enticing, and their bodies felt too perfect against mine. Altogether, they embodied a cruel definition of perfection.

Fuck. Why am I thinking about them when they had fully enjoyed their little fucking session with Penelope?!

"No, they're not enough, Daniel," I confessed, slipping my hands around his neck. "I want someone who can be enough, even if it's just for tonight."

"Well, my room's at the south wing," he responded, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Shall we head there?"

"Yes," I replied, and without hesitating for a second I pressed my lips against his.