Chapter 5 Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
BLOOD BROTHERS, BROKEN TRUST
ZARIAH NIGHTBORNE POV
I didn't sleep.
How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw their faces—Kael's cold smirk, Lena's betrayal, Lucien's predatory gaze. The stone floor beneath me was unforgiving, the silver chains a constant reminder of my captivity.
But I wouldn't break. I refused to.
The door creaked open hours later—or maybe minutes, time had lost all meaning in this hell. I tensed, ready for another round with Lucien, but the footsteps that echoed through the chamber were different.
Lighter. Calculated. Familiar.
My breath caught.
No.
A figure emerged from the shadows, and my heart stopped.
Damien Voss.
The rival CEO. The man I'd sparred with in boardrooms, the one whose presence had always made my pulse race in ways I refused to acknowledge. The one whose eyes held secrets I'd been too blind to see.
He stood there, dressed in dark jeans and a black shirt, his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. But those eyes—those damn eyes—they weren't the eyes of a corporate rival.
They were the eyes of a wolf.
"Hello, Zariah."
My voice came out as a whisper, broken and raw. "You."
He stepped closer, and I saw it now—the way he moved, fluid and predatory. The tattoo peeking out from beneath his collar, the same one I'd seen in my nightmares.
How had I been so blind?
"Surprised?" He tilted his head, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
I wanted to scream. To rage. To demand answers. But all I could manage was, "Who are you?"
"Damien Romano." He corrected, his voice steady. "Lucien's half-brother."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I staggered back against the wall, my chains rattling. "No. No, that's not possible."
"It is." He crouched down in front of me, his gaze never leaving mine. "Same father. Different mothers. Different packs. Same bloodline."
My mind raced, piecing together fragments I'd been too stupid to see. The way he'd always appeared at the right moments. The strange possessiveness in his eyes. The business deals that never quite made sense.
"You've been watching me," I said, my voice trembling with fury. "All this time. Every meeting, every conversation—it was all a lie."
"Not all of it." His voice softened, but I didn't want his softness. I wanted the truth.
"Then what?" I spat. "What was real?"
He hesitated, and for a moment, I saw something flicker across his face—regret, maybe. Or guilt.
"My orders were to watch you. To keep you safe until the time was right." He paused. "But what I felt... that wasn't part of the plan."
I laughed bitterly. "What you felt? You don't get to do that. You don't get to pretend you cared when everything was a lie."
"It wasn't—"
"Don't!" I cut him off, my voice breaking. "Don't you dare tell me it wasn't a lie. You knew who I was. You knew what I was. And you played me like everyone else."
Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.
Then the door slammed open.
Lucien strode in, his presence commanding, oppressive. His eyes flickered between Damien and me, and his jaw tightened.
"Brother." His voice was cold, laced with venom. "I wasn't aware you'd been given permission to see my Luna."
Damien stood slowly, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. "Your Luna? Last I checked, she hasn't agreed to anything."
Lucien's smile was dangerous. "It's only a matter of time."
"Is it?" Damien challenged, stepping forward. "Because from where I'm standing, you're doing everything father said not to do. You're pushing her. Breaking her. And when she snaps, you'll lose everything."
My eyes darted between them, reading the tension, the history, the hatred simmering beneath the surface.
"This is a power war," I whispered, the realization dawning. "I'm not just a Luna. I'm a weapon you're both fighting over."
Lucien turned to me, his expression softening in a way that made my skin crawl. "You're more than that, Zariah. You're the key to uniting every pack under one rule. The Luna Code in your blood—it's ancient, powerful. Whoever you mate with will control not just one pack, but all of them."
My stomach turned. "So that's what this is about. Control."
"Power," Lucien corrected. "And legacy."
"And you?" I turned to Damien, my voice sharp. "What's your angle? Why are you here?"
He met my gaze, unflinching. "Because I don't want to control you. I want to protect you."
"Protect me?" I scoffed. "By lying to me for months? By pretending to be someone you're not?"
"I had no choice—"
"There's always a choice!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the chamber. "You made yours. And so did he." I glared at Lucien. "You all did."
Lucien's expression darkened. "Careful, Zariah. You're in no position to make demands."
"Then kill me," I said flatly. "Because I will never willingly mate with either of you. I'll die first."
"You won't have to die," a new voice said from the doorway.
An older man stepped in—tall, silver-haired, with eyes that held decades of cruelty and power. He wore a tailored suit, but beneath it, I could sense the predator.
Alpha Don.
Both Lucien and Damien stiffened, their postures shifting to something between respect and fear.
The man's gaze settled on me, and he smiled—a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"So this is the last blood Luna." He circled me slowly, like a collector admiring a prized possession. "You have your mother's eyes."
My breath hitched. "You knew her."
"Knew her?" He chuckled darkly. "I was there the night she died. Watched her beg for your life as my wolves tore her apart."
Rage exploded inside me, hot and blinding. I lunged, but the chains yanked me back. The silver burned into my skin, but I didn't care.
"You killed her!" I screamed.
"No," he said calmly. "Your father did."
The words stopped me cold.
"What?"
He leaned in close, his voice a whisper. "Your precious adoptive father—the one you mourned, the one you thought was a hero—he's the one who sold you to us. Made a deal when you were six years old. Your life, your bloodline, in exchange for his empire."
I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. "No. He wouldn't—"
"He did." The Alpha Don straightened. "And your mother tried to stop it. So we eliminated her. Simple business."
My world shattered.
Everything I knew—every memory, every moment—was built on lies.
"And your company?" He continued, almost bored. "Nightborne Tech? It was always ours. A front to launder our money, to keep you close, to monitor you until you were ready."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
"But here's the best part," he said, his smile widening. "Your mother isn't dead."
My head snapped up.
"She's alive. Barely. We've kept her in stasis for years—insurance, in case you ever became difficult." He tilted his head. "Cooperate, and you'll see her again. Resist, and I'll make sure her death is slow."
My hands trembled. My vision blurred.
"You're lying."
"Am I?" He pulled out a tablet, swiping through it before turning the screen toward me.
There she was.
My mother.
Pale, frail, locked in a crystal chamber, tubes running through her body. But alive.
Tears streamed down my face.
"Make your choice, Luna," the Alpha Don said, pocketing the tablet. "Mate with one of my sons and secure your mother's freedom. Or resist, and watch her die knowing you could have saved her."
He turned and walked out, leaving me shattered.
Lucien and Damien remained, both silent.
Finally, Damien spoke, his voice low. "There's another way."
I looked up at him, broken but not defeated.
"What way?"
He glanced at Lucien, then back at me. "Escape. But you'll need to trust me."
Lucien laughed coldly. "Trust you? The brother who's been plotting against me since the day you were born?"
"Better me than you," Damien shot back.
I stared at both of them, my mind spinning.
Trust?
I didn't trust anyone anymore.
But I needed to survive.
And I needed to save my mother.
"Fine," I said quietly. "But cross me, Damien, and I'll kill you myself."
He nodded. "Fair enough."
Lucien's eyes narrowed. "You're making a mistake, Zariah."
"Maybe," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos inside me. "But it's mine to make."