Chapter 174: Finding Dante

Lila's POV

It’s been close to two weeks, and I’d say I’ve recovered.

Two weeks of listening to that old witch’s stupid remarks, staring at her wrinkled face, and enduring her smelly body. Gosh, I can’t wait to leave.

When she called me earlier, whispering about her “grand plan,” I couldn’t have been happier. Maybe the universe decided to pay me back for surviving all the shit she put me through…her fat waddling around, sending me on errands like some servant.

Remembering how she forced me to kneel and wash her filthy, rotting feet made bile rise in my throat. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

She would make me scratch the rash-covered length of her back, her skin crawling with sores and heat, while she groaned in satisfaction.

Other nights, I was ordered to stand at her bedside, fanning her as she slept like some wretched servant, all with one arm.

Every second is a reminder of how low I’d been dragged. Each memory curdled inside me, fueling the curse I whispered against Ivy and every soul responsible for turning me into this miserable shadow of myself.

Well, the witch did cure me, I’ll give her that. She got my wolf back. My power is reignited. But my arm? Forever gone. No potion, no ritual, nothing I tried could bring it back.

I even drank her disgusting brews behind her back, hoping one of them would work. Thinking about it now makes me want to gag. But no, the arm is gone, and I’m learning to live with it.

She set the plan already, sending a storm ahead to buy us more time. We move tonight.

But before she bathes me in her so-called water of illusion, I have a score to settle. With him. My so-called mate.

I pulled on a long-sleeved shirt that hid the missing arm. The fabric clung to me like armor as I pushed into the noise of the club.

The music was loud, bodies grinding together, sweat and alcohol filling the air. But all I cared about was his scent. I’d waited two weeks, patient like a predator, until the witch healed my wolf enough for me to track him. Tonight, I will make him pay.

For the betrayal.

I found him at the bar, leaning on the counter, drowning himself in shots. Pathetic. This was supposed to be my perfect monster, my partner in crime. Instead, when the world chewed me out, he chose another’s arms over mine.

“Hello, mate,” I growled from behind him.

He spun so fast I thought he’d snap his neck. His eyes went wide, glassy, almost breaking into tears.

“L…Lila?” His voice cracked.

What the fuck? Why did he look more miserable than I imagined? Who got to him before I could? Who dared to break him without my consent?

“Is it really you?” he croaked.

I smirked. “What do you think?” I snapped coldly. “Come with me.”

The plan was simple…lure him out to the parking lot where no one would interrupt, and kill him. I didn’t need attention. Not tonight. I turned, and like a lost puppy, he followed without hesitation.

The second we stepped outside, he yanked me into a hug, clutching me like a lifeline. His voice was shaking as he muttered about how he’d been searching for me, going crazy without me.

‘Yeah right. Asshole,’ My wolf growled inside me, torn between the urge to kill him and the pull of our bond.

Then his hand brushed my missing arm. He froze. His face twisted in shock and rage.

“L…Lila? What the fuck happened to you? Who did this? Tell me!” he roared.

I slapped him across the face, the sound sharp in the night air.

“How dare you?” I snarled.

He staggered back, gripping his cheek. “What are you doing?”

My wolf lunged, and so did I. I tackled him between two cars, punching with my one good arm. It must’ve looked ridiculous…like a broken Annabelle doll fighting. He caught my wrist easily, holding me still.

“Stop it, Lila. Stop!” he growled.

And then, without warning, his mouth crashed onto mine.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he groaned, devouring my lips.

My brain screamed no, but my body betrayed me. Maybe one more time. One more night of chaos before I slit his throat.

He flipped us over, kissing down my neck, hands desperate, hungry. His belt came undone, my pants slid down, and before I could think, he was inside me. My back arched, pleasure ripping through me like fire. I clutched his back with one hand, urging him deeper, the world around us disappearing under the sound of our bodies colliding.

It was raw. Wild. Frenzied.

When it was over, he stayed there, his forehead pressed against my neck, sweat dripping, breath ragged. Then he pulled out, fixed himself quickly, and leaned against a car, cradling me in his arms like I was something fragile. He pressed me against his chest, his breathing uneven.

“Where have you been? What happened to you?” he asked, voice low, torn apart.

I tilted my head up at him. “No. You first. Why did you betray me?”

His eyes narrowed, genuine confusion flashing across his face. “What? I never betrayed you.”

“Liar!” I hissed, my claws extending. With a swift slash, I tore across his chest. Blood welled up, staining his shirt.

“Fucking liar,” I spat.

But he didn’t even look at the wound. His eyes stayed locked on me, steady, almost pained.

He lifted his hand, touched my face gently. “I never betrayed you, Lila. I’ve been searching for you. Everywhere. I sent men into the woods. I almost kidnapped your twin, thinking I could trade her to get you back. Do you know what I had to do?” His jaw clenched. “I had to fuck a stupid maid to sneak into their mansion. I almost got caught, but I did it…for you. To find you!”

I froze.

“What?”

“I had to, Lila. How could I betray you when you’re all I think about? Do you know how miserable I’ve been without you?”

My chest tightened. This wasn’t what I expected. He did all that? For me?

“You…searched for me?” I asked, softer now.

“Of course. You’re my mate, like you said. Remember?” His thumb brushed my chin.

“Are you certain you didn’t betray me?” My voice cracked as the words slipped out.

“I swear on my life, Lila. I would never.”

A tear burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let it fall. Cry? Me? Not happening.

My gaze dropped to his chest, the claw marks glaring back at me. Guilt twisted in my stomach. Slowly, I leaned down, licking the blood away. I meant it as comfort, but he mistook it, and soon his mouth was on mine again.

Before long, we were tangled together once more under the night sky, bodies colliding, pleasure clouding everything. And as I rode him there, in the parking lot, I realized something.

I wasn’t alone. He was still mine. Still on my side.

But that didn’t change the bigger picture.

When we were done, when he held me like I was the only thing that mattered, my resolve hardened.

I would see Dina’s plan through. Nothing would stop it. And with Dina at my side, Dante and I would have the last laugh.