A week was long enough.

I'd spent seven days in Kassian's chambers, healing and eating and pretending I wasn't losing my mind. The bed was soft and comfortable, the food was rich, and the guards outside the door were polite.

But it still felt like a cage.

I couldn't do this again. I couldn't let another Alpha decide my fate while I sat around waiting for the axe to fall. I'd spent three years as a prisoner, and in those years, I’d seen enough hell to spend another here, no matter how gilded the bars were.

So I waited until nightfall, when the mansion was dead quiet and the guards had changed shifts.

Then I moved.

The window was my best option. Kassian's chambers were high up, but there was a ledge below, and beyond that, a sloped roof I could slide down to reach the gardens. I'd been studying the layout for days, mapping escape routes in my head.

I tied the bedsheets together, secured one end to the bedpost, and climbed out.

The night air hit my face like a slap—cold and free. I lowered myself down the makeshift rope, my arms shaking with the effort. My wounds had healed, but I was still weak. Recovering from three years of starvation and abuse didn’t come that quickly.

Keep moving, I told myself. Don't stop.

I dropped onto the ledge, then the roof, and onto the ground. The gardens stretched before me, dark and quiet like I was the only one within the mansion. Beyond the gardens, I could see the outer wall. After that, I knew what was waiting for me.

Freedom.

Without thinking twice, I ran.

My bare feet slapped against stone paths as I wove through hedges and flower beds. The wall was getting closer. I just had to reach it, climb it, and then I'd be gone. I'd figure out the rest later. I would find a place far away to hide, somewhere they'd never find me.

I was almost there. I was about ten feet left to reach the wall, when I felt a dark, overpowering presence loom nearby.

"Running from me?"

I skidded to a halt, my heart slamming against my ribs.

I darted my gaze to the direction og the voice and watched in horror as Kassian stepped out of the shadows like he'd been waiting there all along. His arms were crossed, his expression hard, and his golden eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

How had he known?

He was the Alpha King. Of course, he'd known. He probably knew the moment I tied those sheets together.

"I'm not your prisoner," I said, hating how breathless I sounded as how my legs quivered. "I never agreed to stay."

"You're right." He took a step toward me, his aura suffocating. "You're not my prisoner, but my mate. You’re being hunted for goddess sake."

"I'll take my chances."

"Will you?" He stepped even closer, and I could see the anger blazing in his eyes. "How far do you think you'll get, Alessia? You’re pregnant, alone, with no pack and your wolf isn’t strong enough to protect you."

I flinched at the brutal honesty. He was right, but then I remembered what I’d been through and my fists clenched.

"I'd rather die free than be trapped here. " I said through gritted teeth.

A different emotion flickered across his face. "I’m not them.."

"You're all the same."

"No." He moved again, and suddenly he was right in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. I could feel the heat radiating off his body. "I am nothing like the people who tortured you, rejected you and threw you away like you were worthless."

My back hit the wall. I hadn't even realized I'd been retreating.

Kassian planted one hand beside my head, caging me in. His eyes burned into mine, gold and intense.

"I waited five hundred years for you," he said, his voice low and rough. "And now you're here, and you think I'm going to let you walk out into those woods and get yourself killed?"

I couldn't breathe. The proximity was overwhelming, the mate bond thrumming between us like a live wire. Artemis was going crazy in my head, howling at me to submit so he could claim us.

I dug my nails into my palms and held my ground.

"I’ll make you a deal,” he said, his eyes trained on me. "Stay until you give birth. Help me break my curse, and in return, I'll protect you and your child. After the curse is broken, if you want to leave, I won't stop you. I'll give you whatever you need to start over."

My brows creased. "What curse?”

“It’s a long story for tonight, but you’re the only one who can break it.” Something flickered through his eyes, like he was replaying a memory in his mind. I wondered what curse it was and who had cursed, but I knew asking would be a waste of time.

“And if I don't want to help with your curse?" I said, my voice firm.

"Then you can leave now." He gestured toward the wall. "Go ahead. Climb, and run. I won't stop you."

I stared at the wall, at freedom. Then I thought about my past. I thought about Kael, my uncl,e and my cousin who’d sent rogues to kill me.

Instinctively placing a hand on my belly, I thought about my baby.

I wasn't just running for myself anymore. I had to think about the child growing inside me. The child who deserved better than dying in the wilderness because its mother was too proud to accept help.

"I'll stay," I said quietly. "But only because I have no choice. Don't mistake that for trust."

Something shifted in Kassian's eyes. Relief mixed with something darker. He stepped closer, his hand bracing against the wall beside my head, caging me in.

"You'll stay because you're smart enough to know I'm your best option," he said, his voice low and commanding. "Not because you have no choice. You always have a choice, Alessia. You just made the right one."

His gaze dropped to my lips before meeting my eyes again. "And while you're here, under my protection—you're mine to protect. Mine to keep safe. No one touches what belongs to me. Not Marcus. Not Kael. Not anyone."

The possessiveness should have scared me, but it didn't. The way he looked at me was pure hunger. The mate bond flared between us, hot and electric. My body and soul yearned for this man in ways I’ve never felt.

I pressed harder against the wall, trying to be defiant. "You don't own me."

His eyes sparked, like this was all exciting to him. He reached out before I could react, his knuckle brushing my cheek.

“Your soul signed a contract with mine the day I found you at the woods,” his gaze deepened. “You belong to me, Alessia.”

My breath caught in my throat. I should’ve been repulsed at his words, but instead, I felt a strong urge to submit to him.

Before I could answer, footsteps echoed through the garden, grabbing our attention.

A woman emerged from the shadows, tall and elegant with ice-blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore nothing but a silk robe, loosely tied, revealing far more than it concealed. Her eyes were sharp as they moved between us.

Her gaze lingered on me before sliding to Kassian. "I didn't realize you'd be occupied tonight, Alpha Kassian. Should I still expect you in my chambers later?"

The realization hit me like a fist to the stomach. My chest burned from an uncomfortable emotion.

Kassian's expression went cold the moment his eyes fell on her. "Leave, Diana."

It was a command that would’ve made those beneath him flinch, but she didn’t. This woman was familiar with him.

Diana's smile tightened. "Of course. I’ll be waiting in bed." She glanced at m,e and the dark look in her eyes sent chills down my spine. "Welcome. I hope you find your stay comfortable."

Then she turned and swayed away.

I stared after her, that burning feeling spreading through my chest. I understood what this feeling was. I was jealous of a woman I didn't know, who'd been with a man I didn't even want.

Except that was a lie. Some part of me did want him.

I stared after her, then turned to Kassian. "Your mistress?"

“Yes." He didn’t deny it. “It’s complicated.”

"It always is." I bit back, my tone irritated. “I need to get some rest.”

I pushed past him and walked back toward the mansion, my heart pounding, my skin burning everywhere his gaze touched.

I didn't look back.

But I felt his eyes on me the entire time.