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After all, werewolves were prideful creatures. Once a pack rose to prominence–respected and revered by others–losing that status was a bitter pill to swallow. To fall from power and become a source of shame, mocked and looked down upon by the very packs that once respected them… how deeply must that have wounded their pride?
They couldn’t take it lying down. But since they couldn’t strike back at those who scorned them, they turned their frustrations inward–toward their Luna.
After all, everyone knew even their Alpha despised her. So they didn’t bother to hide their hatred. In their eyes, she had become the perfect outlet for everything they’d lost.
Sob… Sob…
“L–Luna Addison, please hang on…” the healer
whispered, her voice so faint that the guards stationed outside the dungeon cell could barely make it out.
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Still, they frowned.
Though they were clearly displeased by the healer’s plea, none dared to voice their discontent. In the pack, a healer held a status nearly equal to that of an elder- their rare ability to heal with magic made them as
revered as saints.
Only someone like Beta Greg, emboldened by his authority and arrogance, dared to flaunt dominance in front of a healer. The others knew better. All they could do was grit their teeth and pretend they hadn’t heard a thing.
Addison’s eyelashes fluttered weakly. The healer’s voice was little more than a muffled echo, as if she were submerged underwater–everything was distant, garbled. Her body felt impossibly heavy.
Each breath came shallower than the last, and soon,
even the rise and fall of her chest was barely noticeable. She couldn’t feel her heartbeat anymore. The pain, once sharp and overwhelming, had faded into a dull numbness, dragging her deeper into the
void.
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She wanted to let go.
And yet, somewhere deep inside, a flicker of resistance stirred–soft but insistent. A presence, maybe a
memory, maybe a voice… urging her, begging her to wake up. But how could she? Even the act of opening her eyes felt impossible. Her limbs wouldn’t respond. The darkness was cold, empty, and eerily quiet… but strangely, it felt safe.
Then–through the silence, a whisper echoed inside her mind.
“Addison, wake up…”
The voice was faint, distorted, but hauntingly familiar. Something about it struck a chord within her, stirring her heart-
Thud. Thud.
The healer gasped sharply, tears streaming down her cheeks as her lips trembled with a hopeful smile. Despite the toll the healing was taking on her–her energy nearly spent–she felt a surge of strength flood her weary body the moment she sensed Addison’s
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heartbeat grow louder and steadier.
Her efforts weren’t in vain. Hope bloomed in her chest like a flame refusing to die out.
“Luna Addison… don’t give up,” she whispered, her
voice thick with emotion.
She pushed more healing energy into Addison, and the greenish glow in her palms flared with blinding intensity. The radiant light burst outward, flooding the dark dungeon cell with a brilliance that forced the guards nearby to recoil.
They shielded their eyes with raised hands, squinting through the cracks of their fingers, but the glow was too fierce to look at directly.
Cough!
Cough!
After a few tense moments, Addison suddenly
coughed harsh, violent spasms that shook her fragile frame, as if she’d just been pulled from deep waters. Each cough sent sharp jolts of pain through her back and limbs, her body reacting to the neglected injuries
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she bore.
The healer, having poured the last of her strength into the healing, slumped backward, her face pale as ash but smiling faintly at the sight of Addison breathing again.
With her task complete, the healer lost consciousness.
The cell guards, startled by the healer’s collapse, quickly scrambled to unlock the door. Panic flared in their eyes as they rushed inside, gently lifting the healer and hurrying her out.
In their frantic state, they left the cell door wide open. It never occurred to them that Addison–chained in silver and barely strong enough to lift a finger–might pose any threat or make an escape. Her weakened
state made her seem harmless.
Their only concern now was the healer’s condition,
and without hesitation, they rushed her to the pack hospital.
Not long after the two guards disappeared down the corridor, a shadow slipped silently into the cell.
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Moving with practiced stealth, the figure crouched beside Addison, his breath hitching the moment he
saw her.
“L–Luna…” a soft whisper broke the stillness, filled with sorrow and restrained anguish.
Addison, her body heavy as lead and her vision blurred with blood, fought to lift her eyes. It took everything she had, but she managed to glance up, her eyelids. fluttering. When she recognized the familiar face, her cracked lips twitched faintly, trying to form a smile despite the pain.
“G…Gamma… Levi… I–I’m…” Cough! “Alright…” she rasped, each word a struggle against the pain wracking her body.
The lie was obvious, and it made Levi’s heart ache even more. Addison could barely breathe, yet she still tried to reassure him. She knew how deeply he felt her suffering. After her mate, there was no one closer to her than Gamma Levi–her loyal shield, her silent strength. He must have felt every moment of her torment, helpless to stop it.
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He couldn’t openly defy the Alpha or the Beta. Not yet. But when the dungeon fell quiet, when the guards
were gone and the risk was lowest, he came. Even if he couldn’t change anything yet, he would be here.
With her.
At first, Gamma Levi had planned to bribe the guards- just for a glimpse of his Luna, or perhaps a moment to speak with her. He never imagined he’d be given an opening like this. The healer’s sudden collapse had thrown everything into chaos, and for the first time, the cell had been left unguarded. He hadn’t expected it… nor had he expected the healer to care so deeply
for Addison’s life.
He’d always assumed that, aside from himself, everyone would be relieved to see her die. But
watching that healer pour every last ounce of strength into saving her–it nearly brought him to tears. For the first time in what felt like forever, he wasn’t alone in hoping she would live.
“Just hang on a little longer, Luna,” Levi whispered, his voice trembling with emotion as he gripped the silver
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chain shackling her.
Sizzle!
The moment his hand made contact with the silver, it
burned his skin, but he didn’t flinch. Not even a little.
The moment Gamma Levi’s hands touched the silver chains, a harsh sizzle echoed through the cell. The searing heat bit into his skin, and he almost recoiled from the pain–but he didn’t.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to hold on, wrapping his fingers tighter around the silver chain as he began to pull.
He didn’t have the key. It was with Beta Greg–who, being overly cautious, hadn’t even entrusted the guards with a spare. No, Greg knew exactly how close Levi was to Addison. He’d anticipated this–guarded against it. He feared Levi would try to rescue her, and rightly so.
Levi knew it too. That’s why he had no other choice but to rely on brute strength. But the moment the silver touched his skin, it was like his power began to
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drain away, his muscles growing weaker by the
second.
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