Chapter 678

Evaline:

My chest rose and fell rapidly as his words registered in my brain.

My heart raced as I tried to hold onto something… anything… that kept me from falling apart again.

“You are coming back with me.” His gaze burned into mine as he finished, “And you are going to stay there… with me p>

The finality in his tone made something twist painfully in my chest.

He leaned closer, his presence suffocating.

“You have changed,” he admitted. “You have learned a few things, I can see that p>

His eyes flicked briefly to the restraints as he added, “You have learned to fight.” A faint smirk tugged at his lips. “But you are still the same at your core p>

My jaw tightened.

“You don’t have a wolf,” he continued. “Which makes you weak p>

Each word felt like a calculated strike.

“And against someone like me?” he added softly. “You are still nothing p>

The words should have broken me. In the past, they always did. But now… they didn’t.

“Besides,” he went on, almost casually, “the silver will make sure you don’t try anything p>

A sharp pulse of pain shot through my wrists, as if to prove his point.

“And the drug in your system?” he added. “You won’t have the strength to fight me even if you wanted to p>

My breathing trembled.

Tears burned at the back of my eyes, threatening, demanding release. But I refused to cry in front of him.

Because I knew him. I knew what he wanted.

He wanted to see me break. He wanted to see me cry, to beg, to fall apart right in front of him.

Just like before.

And I wouldn’t give him that. Not again.

I swallowed hard, forcing the tears back, forcing my voice to steady even as my body shook.

“You are not going to succeed,” I said.

He stilled slightly as the words hung in the air between us. When I spoke again, my voice was low, defiant, and certain – “They won’t let you p>

I didn’t say any names.

But he knew.

Of course he knew.

Because the moment the words left my mouth… that slow, knowing smirk returned to his lips. And something cold settled in my stomach.

“They?” he repeated.

His tone was almost amused. Curious. But there was something darker beneath it, something that made my instincts scream.

He leaned closer again, his grip on my hair loosening just slightly, but not enough to free me.

“Who are you talking about?” he asked.

I didn’t dare answer, and just watched as his smile widened. It looked even sharper, and more dangerous if that was even possible.

“The Rogue Alphas p>

The world seemed to stop. My breath caught completely and every thought in my mind shattered.

No.

No-

That wasn’t possible.

He couldn’t-

But the look on his face, the certainty, and the confidence… it confirmed he knew.

My heart dropped into my stomach. And for the first time since I woke up in this place, a new kind of fear took hold.

I was still trying to breathe through the shock when he moved again. He was too fast, too sudden.

His hand shot forward, gripping the collar of my trench coat, and before I could react… before I could even process what he was doing… he jerked it down.

“Damian p>

The fabric slid off my shoulder, allowing cold air to hit my skin directly.

Panicked, I struggled, instinctively twisting against the restraints while ignoring the sharp, searing bite of silver digging deeper into my wrists and ankle.

Pain flared, making my body scream. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except stopping him.

“Stop-!” I gasped, trying to pull away, but I was too weak… too slow.

His grip was effortlessly unyielding, like I was nothing. And the next moment, he dragged down my sweater too… just enough to expose my neck, my shoulder, my collarbone.

I was left bare, vulnerable.

And then… I froze. Because I realized what he was going to see.

I hadn’t covered them. I hadn’t needed to. Since my clothes hid them just fine, I didn’t feel the need to hide them with the help of rune like I usually did.

And now… now it was too late.

His movement stilled. And for a moment, everything went quiet. Dead quiet.

I didn’t need to look. I felt it – the shift in him, the tension, and the sudden, suffocating weight of his gaze.

Slowly, reluctantly, my eyes lifted to his face. And what I saw there… made my blood run cold.

It was anger – raw and violent. And it burned so intensely, it felt like it could consume everything in its path.

His eyes were locked onto my collarbone.

On the marks – the mate marks.

And it was the biggest proof that he already knew about the Rogue Alphas being my mates. Because there was no surprise in his expression, no confusion, just… rage.

His hand moved again. This time, slower, deliberate. He reached into his coat and pulled something out.

A dagger.

My breath hitched.

The metal caught the dim light as he brought it up, and then, pressed the sharp tip against my skin… right over the marks.

A sharp inhale tore from my chest.

“Damian My voice trembled despite everything.

He didn’t respond. Didn’t even look at me. His entire focus was on the blade resting against my collarbone. As if he could erase them just by staring hard enough.

“They touched you p>

The words were quiet. But they hit harder than a scream.

My stomach twisted.

“They marked you p>

The pressure of the dagger increased. But it wasn’t enough to break skin. Not yet. Just enough to warn, to threaten.

My pulse pounded violently.

“Actually, I should correct it he continued, his voice lowering into something dark… something terrifyingly unstable. “It’s you who allowed them p>

I recognized the look in his eyes. It was a mix of raze and jealousy. It was the same look I saw in his eyes the night he punished me after seeing me hugging Ethan. Even though he’s the one who planned everything.

That night was… horrible.

There’s no other word to describe what I went through.

My thoughts dispersed as his free hand shot up suddenly, wrapping around my throat.