75

75
STEFANO’S POV

The venom that coursed through my veins threatened to drown me, but I refused to succumb. I couldn’t. Not for myself, but for her. I would endure it. I had to. And yet, as the agony of my blood’s corruption clawed at my senses, she made a decision—one that shattered my heart.

I saw it. The golden thread, faint but undeniable, that linked us—the bond between our hearts. It shimmered with the same strength that had always defined her. But in a cruel instant, it snapped. The bond, the lifeline that tethered us together, was gone.

My eyes locked with Gianna’s—blue, pleading, and filled with a pain that mirrored my own. The words she spoke hit me like a thousand daggers, each one deeper than the last. Her rejection tore through me with an intensity I could never have imagined. I couldn't breathe, couldn’t think. Panic surged through me, an uncontrollable force. I shook my head, desperate to deny what I was hearing.

“Why?!” I barely choked out, my voice hoarse, cracking under the weight of her decision.

She trembled, her words barely a whisper, “You are stronger… and I… was bound to die—” Her voice faltered, a painful cough interrupting her. Her body convulsed, the shuddering spasm making her crumble to the cold stone floor. Dread seized me, crushing every ounce of hope. The agony I had taken for her was now flooding back to her in full force.

“No! You can't! Don’t do this! Let me take it back!” My voice tore at my throat, raw and ragged. My wolf howled in agony, clawing at my insides as the poison in my blood surged, tearing at my heart. I fought the restraints that held me, pushing against the guards with everything I had. I had to reach her. I had to protect her.

I heard Alvise’s mocking laugh, saw the malicious grin of Alpha Matteo, but their lives meant nothing to me right now. They would pay, but I couldn’t focus on them—not while she was suffering.

A feral growl ripped from deep within me as I strained against the ropes, my strength surging in a violent rush. It felt like it came from her—from the bond we shared. My body burned with renewed power, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet.

Gianna whimpered again. It was the sound of brokenness, of a spirit on the edge of collapse. Her body was already beginning to give way, skin cracking as if something inside her was tearing her apart. A guttural roar exploded from my chest, a mixture of rage and helplessness. She was dying—her life slipping through my fingers, fading as her heartbeat weakened.

“No!” I bellowed. My breath hitched, my pulse quickened. The darkness of fear threatened to consume me, but I refused to let it. She couldn’t die. Not like this. Not when there was still hope.

My wolf cried out to her, reaching for her sleeping spirit. My muscles screamed as I tore through the ropes, but the poisoned blades pressed against my skin, drawing blood, only to heal almost instantly. It didn’t matter. I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was her.

But her heartbeat... it was gone.

Her heart stopped.

“No, no, no!” My mind shattered. I refused to believe it. My wolf howled, a sound so full of sorrow that it seemed to reverberate in every inch of my being.

Alpha Matteo stepped forward, eyes cold, looking down at Gianna’s lifeless body. His disinterest was chilling. “Get rid of the corpse,” he snapped, his words as cold as the air around us.

“Where should we take her?” a guard dared to ask.

Behind them, Alvise laughed, his cruel smirk stretching wider. He moved toward the open window overlooking the cliffside. With a flourish, he pushed the glass open, allowing the icy wind to howl through the room. “Throw her out,” he ordered.

My heart froze. “Don’t you fucking touch her!” My voice was a raw, desperate growl. I ripped the last of my restraints from my body, flinging the guards away. Their confusion was palpable as they realized the poison no longer affected me. But I didn’t care. I didn’t need to care. I only needed her.

I saw them lift her—my mate—and I lunged at the first guard, snapping his wrist and grabbing his sword. The steel bit into the next man’s stomach, the life draining from him in an instant. Blood painted the marble floor as I ripped through one guard after another. But I couldn’t reach her. I couldn’t stop them.

“Get her out of here!” Alpha Matteo shouted.

Alvise grabbed her lifeless body, his smirk deepening as he looked directly at me. In one smooth motion, he tossed her out the window, sending her body tumbling into the abyss below.

“No!” I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. The world slowed, the cold air biting at my skin, but nothing could freeze the devastation that ran through me. I lunged, sword raised, but Alvise blocked me with a flick of his blade. I watched, helpless, as Gianna’s body disappeared into the wild river below.

And then, my rage exploded.

I turned on him, blade flashing, carving through anyone who dared get in my way. I cut them down, one after another, my fury unstoppable. But Alvise was quick, always quick enough to dodge and parry. He taunted me, his grin never wavering as he pressed forward.

“Do you think you can kill me?” he sneered.

“I’ll make you beg for death,” I hissed, my voice full of venom.

I advanced, cutting through his defenses, marking him with deep wounds. But the blood loss was starting to take its toll. My vision blurred, my movements grew sluggish, but I refused to stop. I had to make him bleed.

I caught his arm, twisting the blade from his hand and raking my claws through his flesh. The satisfaction was fleeting, though. My body was betraying me. The blood loss was too much.

I needed to heal. I needed to survive.

My eyes flicked to the open window again. I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t afford to die here. Not now. I had to avenge her.

With a final growl, I shifted into my wolf form, the transition ripping through my body. I darted toward the window and launched myself into the wild wind, diving into the river below. The cold water swallowed me whole, and I let it, letting it carry me away, away from this nightmare, to find her again.