Rhea Nyx was supposed to have her forever. A mate bond. A pack. A future. But forever shattered the day he walked away, leaving her broken, pregnant, and alone in a sterile hospital room that didn’t care if she lived or died.

Now, she’s just surviving. Barely. Until a little girl with too-big eyes and too much hope drags her into something like a second chance. Rhea doesn't believe in second chances. Not anymore.

But when the people she's grown to protect are threatened, Rhea does what wolves do best—she fights back. Hard. And just when she thinks she's got nothing left to lose, she meets him. Her second chance mate.

Only… he’s not just a man. He’s a hybrid. A set toy. Built in a lab, owned by monsters, trained to obey. And yet—he looks at her like she’s the only real thing in the world.

Now Rhea has to make a choice. Burn it all down, or become the very thing that could break her mate.

This is a story about found family, the soft ache of grief, the sharp edge of survival—and the kind of love that doesn’t ask for permission.

We stood in one of the empty war rooms.


The windows were shuttered, the table still stained from years of strategy, blood, and bad decisions. I leaned against it, arms crossed, waiting for Kade to speak. He hadn't said a word on the walk here. That alone put me on edge.


"During the executions," he clarified. "You didn't flinch. You didn't hesitate."


He looked at me for a long moment, jaw clenched. "That's the problem."


I tilted my head, amused despite the tension thickening between us. "You didn't seem particularly hesitant either."


"I followed your order," he said. "Because I believe in you. Because I know what they did to Nine. But—"


"But what?" I cut in, voice low, warning. "Spit it out, Kade."


Then: "You looked like him. On that platform. Just for a second."


The words landed harder than I expected. Not because they surprised me. But because they echoed something Nyx had been whispering, too.


That I was enjoying this a little too much.


That my hands didn't shake nearly enough.


"You think I'm becoming like the Supreme Leader," I said flatly.


"I think power does things to people," he replied. "Especially when it's wrapped in grief. And anger. And vengeance. You've earned your fury, Rhea. Gods know you have. But I need to know there's still a line. That you still see it."


"No," he said instantly. "Not one death. But I regret that you didn't feel it. That you could do all that and still look this calm."


I gave a quiet, bitter laugh. "You want me to fall apart?"


"I want you to be you," he said, stepping forward. "The girl who kept a dying child alive in the ruins. The one who faced down gangs and bosses and monsters because she refused to be cruel. The one who fell in love with a broken omega and didn't flinch when he shattered in her hands."


"You think that girl's gone?" I asked, voice soft.


"I think she's buried under blood," Kade said gently. "And I want to make sure she finds her way out."


Finally, I pushed off the table, walking past him, pausing just long enough to say—


"If I become like him, Kade… you have permission to stop me."


Chapter 204 - 204