Chapter 0304

Victor's confession hits me like a freight train. "I grew up without parents," he admits, his voice rough with buried pain.

My breath catches. This wasn't what I expected.

"What happened to them?" I press. If I'm sharing my past, he owes me his truth too.

"My mother died bringing me into this world." His jaw clenches so tight I hear his teeth grind.

"And your father?" I keep my voice soft. Something tells me this story won't have a happy ending.

Muscles ripple along his throat before he speaks. "Short version? My father challenged our Alpha's heir to a duel after that bastard got my older brother killed—the brother who was supposed to be our next Beta. The Alpha forbade it, but his son accepted. My father... in his grief, he killed the Alpha's only child." He drains his tea in one swallow before meeting my gaze again.

"The Alpha made me watch as he took my father's head. Called him a traitor. Blamed him for both deaths. Then he cast me out at twelve years old." A bitter laugh escapes him. "So yeah, I get why your mother worried about surviving alone at that age. I barely did."

My throat constricts. Our stories mirror each other—except he had no one.

"How did you make it?"

A ghost of a smile touches his lips as he stares past me. "Six months of starving in the woods before the Luna of a neighboring pack found me. Brought me food, clothes... even read to me. Those few months were the only time I ever knew what having a mother felt like."

There's more. I can feel it. "What changed?"

His exhale carries the weight of centuries. "The Alpha who banished me wanted more territory. More power. Another heir. He attacked her pack. I heard he planned to kill the Luna first—to weaken her mate before finishing him."

Victor's voice fractures. "I tried to save her. Got there too late."

Silence stretches between us, thick with shared grief. Finally, I ask, "Did her Alpha win?"

"No. Alpha Cassian executed him. But they thought I'd murdered Luna Isolde. Spent nearly twenty years hunting me for it." His fingers tighten around the empty cup. "I'd just gotten out of Sebastian's dungeons when I found you."

My brows shoot up. "Sebastian? Why were you—"

"Alpha Cassian and Luna Isolde's son. He took over the hunt after his father died."

Words fail me. His life makes mine look like a fairy tale. "How'd you get free?"

"Didn't. His mate—another Guardian—knew I was telling the truth. She convinced him. Gave me clothes, cash, and a bus ticket that led me straight to you." He leans forward. "Point is, Evelyn, I've known monstrous Alphas. But I've also seen good ones—like Sebastian and Adrian. Both mated to Guardians. Both decent men."

We sit in heavy silence, lost in our ghosts. Eventually, I voice the question that's been burning since he returned.

"Where did you go? You left so suddenly."

His eyes darken. "Overheard humans at the diner talking about animal attacks."

"Yeah, that was weird. Attacks everywhere, then nothing."

"Those weren't animals." His gaze turns lethal. "Vampires. Headed south to slaughter Sebastian and Adrian's packs. Take their Guardians as blood slaves. Sebastian's mate, Seraphina? A vampire prince kept her captive for seven years. I had to warn them." He exhales sharply. "Couldn't save Isolde... but I made damn sure her son got enough warning to protect his own."