Chapter 33
Travis
The walls of my room felt smaller tonight—like they were closing in on me.
It had been like this ever since the bonding ceremony. Since she walked in.
My mother.
The woman I’d believed was dead my whole life.
A lie my father—the man who was supposed to protect me—fed me without blinking.
Alpha Samuel.
I sat at the edge of my bed, elbows on my knees, hands clenched so tight my knuckles were pale. My jaw hurt from how long I’d been grinding my teeth.
I hadn’t spoken a word since the ceremony. Since everything was flipped upside down.
Since I saw her face.
Ariel.
That name had always been like a ghost to me—sometimes a sad bedtime story my dad would mention.
But now, she wasn’t a ghost. She was real. Alive.
And beautiful. Strong.
I couldn’t stop thinking abou
