Surrender To Us, Our Luna (One Luna, Four Alphas)-Chapter 535-Unable To Protect My Mates

Yorick;

I had just lived the best night of my life.

For the first time, everything felt aligned. I had found my mate, and she had accepted me as fully as I had accepted her. We had marked each other, sealing something that felt permanent and real.

I was no longer playing the roles my parents had written for me. I was choosing my own path.

And it felt right.

Clementine was safe too.

By now, Troy must have handed her over to Ian.

"It would hurt when she fully understood what had been done to her, but with her mate beside her, she would learn to survive it."

My wolf tried to soothe the guilt that still lingered in me. There was nothing we could do to undo what had happened.

The only mercy left was distance.

Otherwise, seeing us together would wound her even more.

"Did you see how Mariana didn’t judge me? She just understood," I said quietly.

I was filled with something new. It felt fragile and powerful at the same time.

Almost like the beginning of a honeymoon phase.

I didn’t want to leave her, but I had to. The Dark North gate needed to be checked, and I had taken the files with me.

The files listed every monster ever recorded. Reading them made something clear.

My parents had the formulas. They created the substances, the medicines that were really poisons.

But it was Ian’s grandfather and great grandfather who had been creating these monsters with their imaginations.

That was the difference.

As I reached the station, I had to fight a few monsters ahead. Seeing them again pulled me back into reality, into the ugly world my parents and the other alphas had created.

I stepped inside and followed the path. Nothing felt different, and I had a feeling the subway door was locked. When I reached it, I confirmed it was sealed shut.

I let out a deep breath, my hands resting on my waist. Curiosity crept in anyway. I had heard these were the deadliest monsters, and I had the files with me. I wanted to see what they looked like up close.

I had seen the monsters from the northern outskirts, the less violent ones. These were different.

Before I could stop myself, my hand settled on the door handle.

"It’s fine. I’m just going to take a peek."

I tried to convince myself as I tightened my grip. Then I unlocked it.

The door creaked open, and I came face to face with something towering over me. It was hunched low, its back bent and its head tilted forward, staring straight at me while having no features.

And it was big.

"Fuck," I growled as recognition hit me. It was the hollow man. The tall, hollow fucking man. He must have heard the door and come straight to it.

I slammed the door shut at once. His fingers grazed the metal just before it closed, but I had already locked it.

"What, you didn’t like it?" my wolf mocked, laughing at me.

"What the fuck was that?" I shot back, pressing my hand against the door as I drew in slow breaths.

"Well, they call it a hollow man. Do you not remember?" my wolf remarked.

I nodded, keeping my jaw tightly clenched. "Yeah, I do. Damn it."

I forced myself to breathe slower, steadying my pulse.

"Anyway, I think we should head back home now," my wolf suggested. "This place is new to Mariana. I don’t think it’s right that we leave her here by herself."

I agreed with him. I missed her.

Maybe that was just an excuse to see her again. To be with her again.

It was strange to think we were starting our life over in the North. I was going to train her properly. Then we would slowly make this place better for ourselves and the generations after us, and fix the mistakes of our ancestors.

Of course, our plans do not always unfold the way we expect, especially when monsters are not wiser than the so-called good people like my parents.

I was heading back when I saw my father rush into the woods, carrying several bags. Not just any bags. They were mine.

The moment I saw them, I knew they had not realized I was there. But I had seen enough.

My thoughts went to one person only. Mariana.

If they had the bags, they had her. Otherwise, how would they have gotten inside the mansion?

"Fuck," I muttered as I moved after him in silence.

Fear tightened in my chest at the thought of what they might have done to her. If they had touched a single hair on her head, I would not be patient.

I snuck up on them and found them in the woods, near the same spot where we had been before.

But something had changed.

My heart dropped when I saw Mariana bound to a tree. Charles was on the ground in front of her, stirring awake. He was just beginning to rise.

I had arrived at the right time.

One moment later, and I did not want to imagine what my parents would have done.

My fists clenched as I watched my father drop the bags and chuckle at my mother.

"It was quite easy, huh?" he remarked. "It seems our son cannot take care of his mates."

The words struck hard.

You trust your parents with everything, and they use it against you. They expose your weakness by hurting the person you love.

"Now, come on, Charles," my mother urged. "Feed on this one. Do not worry about your brother. He is too powerful. He will find another mate soon."

The moment she finished, my brother growled and pushed himself off the ground.

Mariana’s eyes fluttered open. She looked at him and gasped.

I did not want to think about what she felt.

My parents had done this to her. They had traumatized her. I would never forgive them.

"No," I shouted, stepping forward.

They all turned toward me except Charles. His gaze remained fixed on the sacrifice.

Whether he was hungry or not, I could not tell. The way he howled and lunged at Mariana made it clear he was ready to take her as food.