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CHAPTER SEVENTY SEVEN 

NADIA

Love always wins… but it comes with a price!

If we thought the battle was over, then we were not yet ready for what was to come. I was still reeling from the events of the night… the close call, the fear, the sheer relief of being rescued by Alex and Sandro. They had driven me back to my house, and I stared out the window as the scenery zipped by, trying to wrap my head around everything that had happened. 

The tension between us was thick, but there was also relief; I felt safe with them, finally free from the grips of Bethany and her friends. But as we pulled up to my house, I felt the weight of the world descend on my shoulders again. 

“Are you going to be okay?” Alex asked, concerned as he watched me closely.

“Yeah,” I replied, trying to muster a smile, but deep down, I felt anxiety gnaw at me. “I think I just need to rest.”

“We can't let you stay here anymore,” Alex added.

“Why? This has been my home for years,” I said, almost protesting.

“It's too risky. Besides, Bethany and Lara still lurk in the darkness,” Sandro said.

“I'll think about it,” I just said.

As we stepped out of the car, I noticed a figure standing on the porch. “Is that…?” I squinted, trying to make out who it was.

“Is that Jack?” Sandro asked, his voice low, filled with disdain.

Jack was waiting for me, a nervous look on his face, and a flower in his hand. My heart raced as I approached him. “What are you doing here?” I was completely surprised to see him.

“I came to apologize, Nadia,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. “I’m really sorry about how I treated you last time. I was a jerk to have walked out on you.”

“You didn't just walk out, Jack, you called me names. You hurt me with your words,” I reminded him.

“I know, and I'm really sorry. I messed up, Nadia,” he said.

I took a deep breath, feeling a mix of emotions wash over me. “I appreciate that, Jack, but…”

“I came back for you,” he added, his eyes earnest as he took a step closer.

I looked at him, my heart aching. I could see how much he wanted me back, but I also felt sorry for him because I knew I had to break his heart. I held Alex and Sandro’s hands tightly for support. “Jack, it’s too late,” I said gently. 

“Too late? What are you talking about?” he probed in confusion.

“I’ve accepted the mate bond with Alex and Sandro. It’s my destiny,” I confessed, finality clear in my words.

Jack’s expression faltered, pain etched across his features. “You can’t be serious! Have you forgotten?” he pressed, desperation creeping into his voice. “They were the same people who bullied you! They hurt you!”

Alex interjected, anger boiling inside him. “Stay away from her! You don’t get to come here and act like you care!”

“And what will you do if I don't stay away from her?” he asked, almost squaring up to him.

“Oh, you don't wanna know,” Alex muttered, his anger bubbling.

“If you think I'm still the same Jack who was afraid to face you both, you're joking. I'm not scared of you, and I…”

I quickly stepped in, placing a hand on Alex’s forearm. “Let me handle this,” I told him, my voice calm but firm. I turned to Jack and continued. “My mind is made up. Alex and Sandro were there for me when no one else showed up. Without them, I would have been dead.” 

“Just because they saved you this one time doesn’t mean they’re suddenly heroes!” Jack shouted, his voice rising in frustration. 

“Maybe they’re not perfect, but they proved themselves to me!” I asserted, tears stinging my eyes. “They risked everything for me, and you weren’t there! When I was in danger, they were the ones who stood by my side.”

Jack’s face twisted in anger, and he threw the flower down onto the ground. “You will regret rejecting me for them!” he spat. With that, he stormed past us, getting into his car, and speeding away, his tyres screeching against the pavement.

I watched him go, my heart aching for the hurt I knew I had just caused. When I turned back to Alex and Sandro, the air felt heavy with tension. 

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I said softly, glancing between them. 

Alex sighed. “We’re sorry for all the times we bullied you, Nadia. We were carefree and stupid. We regret it more than you know.” 

“It’s true,” Sandro chimed in, his eyes sincere. “We would do anything to prove we’ve changed.”

“You’ve already proved it,” I told them, my voice steady. “You saved me when I thought Bethany and her friends were going to take my powers and kill me. You lost pack members because of me. Gary, Jessica, and Tommy, you lost them because of your love for me. That’s more than enough for me.”

Before we could say more, Alex’s phone rang, interrupting our conversation. “It’s Bethany,” he said, furrowing his brow in concern as he picked up her call and put it on speaker.

“Hello?” Alex said, tension lining his voice.

“You killed my friends because of Nadia,” Bethany’s voice came through, cold and unyielding. “Now, I have my revenge. Go bury your parents. I’ll be dead before you come for me.” 

The call ended, and the silence that followed felt like an explosion. Shock spread over our faces, followed quickly by a wave of helpless anger. 

“No!” Alex yelled, his voice filled with pain. “What does she mean? What happened?”

“We need to go now!” Sandro shouted, his eyes wide with fear.

Without a moment’s hesitation, we jumped back into the car, adrenaline surging through us. We peeled out of my driveway and drove as fast as we could towards their pack house. 

The drive felt like an eternity. My mind raced with worry about what awaited us, but there was no use in dwelling on fears. I had to stay strong. 

When we arrived at the pack house, the sight that greeted us left me speechless. We rushed inside, and the scene was horrific. The house was in disarray, furnitures overturned, and blood stained the floors. 

“Mom! Dad!” Alex shouted, panic flooding his voice as we ran through the house, searching for any sign of life. 

The growl that erupted from Sandro was primal and full of rage. “We need to find them!” he called out, his voice echoing off the walls. 

With growing dread, we scoured every room, but it was too late. Their bodies were lying lifeless in the living room, eyes wide in terror. Alex fell to his knees, pain coursing through him as he broke down. “No! It can’t be!” he yelled, anguish spilling from his soul.

I knelt beside him, tears filling my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Alex,” I whispered, placing a comforting hand on his back. 

Sandro shook his head in disbelief. “We promised to protect them! We should have been here!” 

Our cries echoed through the empty halls, filling the space with our grief and anger. But there was no time to dwell on our heartbreak; we needed to find Bethany.

“We have to go into the woods,” I urged, feeling the urgency grow within me. “If she killed them because of me…”

“Nadia, you’re not to blame for this,” Alex said, looking up with tears streaming down his face. 

“No, but we have to stop her from hurting anyone else!” I insisted. 

With heavy hearts, we ran out of the house into the night, searching for Bethany. 

“Over here!” Sandro called, urgency accentuating his voice as he pointed toward a clearing in the woods.

Together we pushed through the thick underbrush until we reached a chilling sight, a body hanging from a tree, lifeless and motionless. It was Bethany. The horror of what we saw froze us in place. 

“No… No!” Alex gasped, stepping forward, the reality hitting him like a punch. “We couldn’t save them…” 

Rage erupted within me. “She took everything from us!” I screamed into the night, fury boiling over. I turned to look at the lifeless form of those who once tormented me. “She can’t just get away with this!”

Sandro wrapped an arm around Alex’s shoulder, trying to find some comfort in their shared grief. “We’ll avenge them. We won’t let their deaths be in vain,” he promised, his voice filled with determination.

After burying their parents with heavy hearts and tears, we stepped back, our hearts heavy with loss. The moonlight cast a soft glow over the makeshift grave, and we felt an unbreakable bond form between us, solidified by grief and shared anger.

“Now, Nadia,” Alex said, his voice steady with resolve, “we want to ask you something, something important.” 

I looked at them, trembling with emotion. “What is it?”

“We want you to be our Luna,” Sandro said quietly, reverence in his eyes. “You showed us strength and courage, and we want you by our side as we move forward. Will you stand with us, Nadia?”

Tears filled my eyes again, but this time they were tears of hope. “Yes,” I said, my voice firm. “Yes, I will.” 

The three of us stood together, looking down at the grave, but also looking forward to the future. We would honor our family, and in doing so, we would rise together against all odds. 

Together, we would forge a path ahead, united in our love and strength, ready to face whatever challenges awaited us.

Just then, my phone beeped. It was an unsaved number.

“Who is this?” I asked as I picked up.

“Nadia, is that you?” she asked.

“Mom!”