Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Zara's POV

The smell of bleach and other supplies clung to my hands, my knees throbbing in pain from the hours of scrubbing the grand marble of the mansion. Nerissa had made sure I cleaned everyday whether it was dirty or not. Sweat dripped down from my forehead, mixing with the dirt I had wiped away. My fingers trembled, raw from the harsh chemicals, but Nerissa sharp voice echoed in my mind once more: You will do whatever I say until I am appeased.

I had no choice. My fate had been handed over to her. In the past two weeks, this had been the routine, and only the Moon Goddess knows until when this would stop.

The once lavish hall I had walked freely few times in the past now felt like a prison. My hands shed in pain from the constant and endless chores, my feet had become numb from running errands. The maids are all gone just like Nerissa had said and all their duties had fallen to me.

The first day, I had barely lasted before collapsing in exhaustion and due to the torturing. But Nerissa didn’t care. She made sure I worked through the pain, her cruel eyes watching me, savouring in my suffering like she had waited all her life for this moment to come.

Viktor dropped by a few times and he even tried to talk to Nerissa but she would never listen. She was in charge here, and no one dared go against her.

Still, despite myself, despite my suffering, my thoughts constantly drifted to Magnus.

Coma. The word still sent fear through me. I hadn't seen him since that night. And I haven't heard any information from his condition. Was he stable? Or had he gotten.... No, I couldn't even bring myself to think about it. I should be positive minded. Magnus would wake up, hale and hearty.

I scrubbed harder, my breath shaky as I fought back tears threatening to spill.

This is my fault.

He was in condition because of me.

"You missed a spot," a sharp voice sneered behind me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I turned around to see Nerissa looming over me, arms crossed, her expression filled with nothing but disdain.

"Did you think this would be easy, little wolf? She mocked. "That you would just lazy around while Magnus because of your man?"

I bit my lower lips, keeping my head on the ground. I couldn't argue with her. There was no point in doing that as it would only complicate my situation.

She bent down beside, her fingers lifting my chin up roughly, forcing me to meet her glare. "You should pray he wakes up," she whispered, her nails digging into my skin. "Because if he dies, you’ll wish you had died with him."

Her words sent a shiver down my spine.

Magnus had to wake up.

Because if he didn’t… I wasn’t sure I could live with myself.

Magnus' POV

Darkness. Thick, suffocating darkness.

That's all there was.

The pain was a distant echo, like whispers in the void, but it was there—deep, gnawing, relentless. My body felt heavy, trapped in a limbo between life and death.

Fragments of memories flickered into my mind like broken film reels.

Zara’s face. The gunshot. The betrayal.

A sharp pulse of anger flared through me. Ashen. The bastard had shot me.

I wanted to move. I wanted to open my eyes, to tear through the haze suffocating me. But my body refused to obey. Then I felt something—faint, distant, but unmistakable.

A warmth. A presence. The mate bond. Even through the fog of unconsciousness, I could feel Zara. She was near. Hurting. Suffering.

Why? Why wasn’t she running? Had Ashen locked her away? Or had she chosen to stay by his side? The anger burned deeper.

I tried again—forcing my fingers to move, my eyelids to flutter. Every effort felt like lifting a mountain, but I wouldn’t stop. Zara thought I was weak.

She thought I wasn’t worthy of being her mate. But I would wake up. And when I did, she would see exactly what kind of man I truly was.

Ashen's POV

I had heard the reports from the spy: Magnus was still alive. Barely. His condition had remained critical as he was between life and death, but the bastard was still, alive, huh?

I exhaled sharply, my jaw clenching. That stupid shooter should have aimed for his head instead.

A knock on the door, pulled me out of my thoughts. "Enter."

Darius stepped inside, bowing. "There's news."

I straightened. "Speak."

"It's about Lady Zara."

I stiffened. That name struck a chord inside me. A name, that betrayed me despite everything I have given to her. "What about her?"

Luca hesitated , which only fuelled my anger.

"She’s at Magnus’ estate, but… she’s not a guest," he finally said. "She’s been turned into a maid."

Silence.

The name settled in my mind, turning into something dark and infuriating.

"A maid?" I repeated, anger burning inside me.

"Yes. Nerissa has forced her into servitude, making her take on the duties of all the dismissed maids. She’s—" He paused. "She’s being treated like a slave."

I leaned back in my chair, staring at Luca as if he had just spoken a foreign language. Zara. A maid? A slave?

Something inside me snapped. I should have been satisfied. She had betrayed me, chosen Magnus over me. She should suffer for that. And yet…

A vision of her flashed in my mind, the way she had looked at me that one time, the way I had felt unspeakable peace and joy the first time I saw her. She wasn't meant to be a slave. She belonged to my side as my queen.

And come to think of it, even now that Magnus was unconscious, he still had something of mine.

Possessiveness simmered inside me. Zara belonged to me and me alone. Not Magnus. Not Nerissa. Me.

I stood up abruptly. "Prepare the men."

Darius brows furrowed. "What are we doing?"

I turned to him, my expression hardened. "We're infiltrating Magnus mansion."