Alpha Nathan Pov.

I stepped back, but she froze me with her confession. "I love you, Nathan! I've loved you since we were pups! I always have. I waited for you to say something, but you didn't. I hated Isabella! I only wanted you to be happy, but I couldn't see any other woman with you! I hated Lily, your first Luna! I hate any woman who comes near you."

My mind couldn't process her words. I tried to convince myself that she was mentally unstable, stressed, or joking.

I chuckled nervously, "Stop joking. This isn't funny."

I tried to leave before I did something I'd regret for the rest of my life.

But she jumped off the bed, blocked my path, locked the door, and shoved the key into her bra.

I gazed at her. "Mila, give me the key and go to sleep."

She pointed to her chest. "Take it, then."

I hesitated. That would mean putting my hand on her chest. I ordered sternly, "Mila, give me the key now."

She took my hand and pushed it to her chest. I gulped, unable to move. I was dumbfounded, but something urged me on-I pinned her to the door, my body responding against my will. I squeezed her breast, but before I could kiss her, I snapped out of it.

I panted, staring at my hand as if I'd killed someone. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

She frowned, nearly yelling, "Why are you saying sorry? I love you, Nathan! I want you, and you want me. Don't fight it."

"Fuck you, Mila! You're my sister." I tried to push her away, hoping she'd come to her senses.

But then she said the words that could kill me, words that pushed me closer to the edge: "No, I'm not. We're not blood-related. I was only adopted."

She stepped closer, stood on her tiptoes, and showered my neck with burning kisses that sent me spiraling.

I muttered in a low voice, unable to pull away, "Mila, you have a mate."

She kissed my neck and whispered, "I never loved him. I always wanted you."

She pushed me onto the bed, unbuttoned my shirt, and before she could move further, I flipped her to the side and rushed to the door. "Mila! I can't. You're my sister. Everyone knows that. I have a Luna, too."

But it wasn't just for my Luna-it was for me and for Mila. She was supposed to be my younger sister.

"Let's do it secretly. I need you, Nathan, and you need me. I'll be waiting every night here... in my bed. To give you what you want, what you need. I know you better than any other woman," she said. And she was right-she knew me better than anyone.

But she forgot I was a man of my word. I would kill for her; I would die to keep my family safe.

She forgot I'd do anything to fight back. I couldn't ruin her family-*our* family.

I stormed over, reached into her bra, took the key, unlocked the door, and breathed a deep sigh of relief. But I was sweating and feeling things I shouldn't.

Damn it! I really wanted her. Damn it!

That's why I forced myself to love Emily. For everyone's sake. I ordered my men to prepare a huge party that night-to introduce my Luna to everyone, and to show Mila that I loved my Luna.

-

Emily's POV

The pain in my body was almost unbearable. It was worse than anything I'd felt during my years in captivity.

"Oh god, it hurts so much," I whimpered. I pressed a cold compress against my tender skin as tears leaked from my eyes.

No one had ever been as rough with me as Nathan during his angry outburst. His supernatural strength combined with his rage created a perfect storm of pain.

"I can't even move," I whispered to myself. I tried shifting slightly on the bed but gasped as fresh waves of pain shot through my lower body.

Though I was used to discomfort from my years of forced service, this was different. His inhuman size and strength had pushed my human body beyond its natural limits.

"Maybe he didn't realize how fragile humans are compared to werewolves," I tried to tell myself. The thought gave little comfort as I lay there, feeling torn and bruised in my most intimate areas.

Even the ice pack a servant brought did little to help the fiery pain that seemed stuck in my body.

My entire body felt like one massive bruise. My arms ached where he had gripped me too tightly. My scalp stung from hair pulled too roughly. A deep soreness radiated from my core that made even simple movements painful.

"I can't even stand up," I realized when I tried to rise from the bed. My legs trembled violently before giving out completely.

The sheets beneath me felt like sandpaper against my sensitive skin. Every touch brought fresh pain.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on my breathing rather than the pain. I wondered how long I would be left alone like this. Would he return to punish me more? Would I be abandoned here, unable to reach water or food?

The uncertainty was almost as painful as my physical state. Just as despair threatened to overwhelm me, the bedroom door opened carefully. Several female servants entered carrying medical supplies, fresh sheets, and what looked like pain medication.

"The Alpha sent us to tend to you, Luna," the oldest woman explained gently. Her eyes were kind but she carefully avoided looking directly at mine. "We're to help you bathe and make you comfortable."

I realized Nathan had sent help rather than leaving me to suffer alone. This sparked an unexpected feeling of gratitude that eased my emotional pain, if not the physical.

"He still cares enough to make sure I'm taken care of," I thought, feeling oddly comforted by this small act of kindness amid the brutality.

"Thank you," I whispered as they carefully helped me sit up. I winced with every movement. "I appreciate your help."

The women worked efficiently, supporting my weight as they guided me to the bathroom. A warm bath had been prepared with healing herbs and salts.

"This will help with the soreness, Luna," one of the younger women explained as they gently lowered me into the fragrant water. "The Alpha instructed us to give you these pain medications as well."

She held out two small pills and a glass of water, which I gratefully accepted.

As they washed my hair and cleaned my battered body with surprising tenderness, I found myself feeling oddly forgiving toward Nathan despite everything.

"At least he felt remorseful enough to send help," I reasoned, clinging to this small evidence of compassion. "He could have just left me here alone to suffer for disrespecting him."

After the soothing bath and with pain medication starting to dull the worst of my discomfort, exhaustion claimed me almost immediately upon returning to the freshly made bed.

"Rest now, Luna," the eldest servant advised, adjusting my pillows with motherly care. "The Alpha will return when he's ready."

I nodded weakly, my eyelids already growing heavy. The combination of physical trauma, emotional stress, and medication pulled me toward sleep.

"Thank you all," I murmured as consciousness began to slip away.

My last thought before falling asleep was a prayer that when Nathan returned, his rage would have calmed enough for us to find some path forward that didn't involve more pain and humiliation.

I don't know how long I slept - hours or perhaps even a full day. The medication and exhaustion combined to create a deep, dreamless sleep that temporarily freed me from both physical and emotional suffering.

I gradually woke to the gentle feeling of strong fingers caressing my arm and a deep, remorseful voice whispering near my ear.

"Sweetheart, are you awake? Emily. I'm so sorry."

The unexpected tenderness in Nathan's tone, so different from the cold fury before, made my eyes flutter open in confusion.

He sat beside me on the edge of the bed. His powerful frame somehow looked smaller with the genuine regret on his handsome face. The red glow that had transformed his eyes during his rage was gone, replaced by their normal color filled with unmistakable remorse.

"I should never have treated you that way," he continued, his voice breaking slightly as he carefully avoided touching any part of me that might still be tender or bruised. "There's no excuse for what I did."

His sigh carried the weight of genuine guilt as he ran his hand through his disheveled hair.

"I lost control completely. My wolf... my anger... it doesn't matter. I was wrong."

The vulnerability in his admission caught me completely off guard. This powerful Alpha apologizing so sincerely to someone he had purchased as property was unprecedented in my experience.

I considered his words carefully, weighing my options with the clarity that pain and rest had somehow provided.

On one hand, his actions had been truly terrifying and physically traumatic. On the other, my survival depended entirely on maintaining a working relationship with this man.

"What choice do I really have?" I asked myself practically. "Where would I go? What would I do if I rejected his apology?"