One Year To Burn

Chapter 13

Venessa’s POV

A month slipped by, and history began to repeat itself almost beat for beat. Denzel was rarely around, just as before, but this time there were subtle shifts beneath the surface. In this life, Rayon was constantly in my space, an unrelenting presence, while Alesha had vanished from my path entirely. Fear had driven her away from me. No one was laying traps anymore, no one was pushing me into trouble. The pack members were kind, even fond of me, and none of them knew the truth that I was Denzel’s fated mate.

Jalisa, on the other hand, had lost the pack’s favor. They respected her only because she wore the title of Luna, not because she inspired loyalty.

All I needed to do now was change the story of the theft. Exposing her affair with Tyrell would be easier with everything aligned this way. They had grown cautious, elusive. Whenever Denzel was away, Tyrell was nowhere to be found either. We were still living on borrowed time, and I had no idea when or if we would finally win.

That uncertainty gnawed at me. Time was moving forward, relentless, and I still didn’t know what would happen when my time ran out.

“Tonight will be the second new moon, Venessa,” Nyla reminded me softly.

I didn’t need her to explain why. I knew. It was a marker. A deadline.

In the past, this was when Rayon and Denzel had been poisoned and attacked. The mixture had killed Rayon because he never received proper treatment. Denzel survived but barely. His wolf was weakened, his senses dulled. His sharp sense of smell and keen hearing had been damaged, and that weakness made the final poisoning easy. He should have sensed it the moment the cup was raised to his lips. Any healthy wolf would have. But his couldn’t and that failure cost him his life.

This time would be different.

With the relationship I now had with Rayon, I was sure they would let me see him. I would be able to help him. I just needed to be ready.

I slipped out of bed and dressed quickly. It was my day off, which gave me the excuse I needed to head into the woods. I needed herbs specific ones. I refused to let Rayon die again. I refused to let Denzel’s wolf be crippled.

Still, unease followed me. A sense that I had forgotten something important. The feeling scratched at the edges of my thoughts, sharp and insistent, but no matter how hard I searched my memory, I couldn’t grasp it. I prayed it would come back to me before it was too late.

As I moved through the trees, I noticed something else no one was following me. The realization tempted me. For a moment, escape felt possible.

What was coming was worse than what had already happened. I knew that. The knowledge pressed down on me until my resolve cracked, and suddenly I was running. My feet carried me toward the border, heart pounding, lungs burning.

I almost made it.

Lycans patrolled the area, their presence thick and unmistakable. Today would not be the day I escaped. I turned back, disappointment heavy in my chest. At least fortune granted me this much I found the herbs I needed near the border before returning. I could have tried another route, but I knew the truth of it. Leaving now would be selfish. Cowardly.

I would save them tonight.

Then, once Jalisa was out of his life, I would run.

As bold as that decision felt, it still hurt. He wasn’t mine. The bond made that truth unbearable, a constant ache beneath my skin. If I had known what awaited me after a year, I might have allowed myself hope. But the future was a void, and I couldn’t condemn him to the pain of loving me only to lose me.

Tears blurred my vision as I walked back. I might never have him. I might never have a life at all.

Back in my room, I prepared the herbs and waited.

Not long after I finished, Jalisa sent for me.

I froze.

This—this was what I had forgotten. The missing piece clawing at my mind all day. Fate had hidden it from me until now, until the moment I could no longer change it.

They wanted this to happen.

I drew in a steadying breath and braced myself.

In the Luna’s office, she ordered me to kneel.

“Good afternoon, Luna Jalisa,” I greeted, bowing my head.

She rose from her seat, crossed the room, and slapped me.

“It is Your Highness to you,” she snapped, fury sharp in her voice. I lowered myself further, pressing my forehead to the floor.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” I said. She stepped away.

“Why are you still here?” she demanded. “You rejected him. He doesn’t want you. So why are you still here?”

“I wanted to leave,” I replied carefully, “but he forbade it. You can ask anyone. He made me swear loyalty and join his pack. I have nowhere else to go, Your Highness. Please… I’m not interested in your husband.”

She laughed.

“But he is interested in you,” she said coldly. “He calls your name in his sleep. He dotes on you like a pet. Are you two f*****g?”

I shook my head. “I’ve never been with the Alpha.”

Her laughter rang louder.

“It’s His Highness to you. He is the next Werewolf King. Respect that and leave.”

“I can’t,” I repeated, panic creeping in. “I have nowhere to go.”

Too late, I realized how important this moment was how catastrophic. I remembered the injuries, but not this. Not this cruelty. Whoever sent me back had made sure of that.

Jalisa kept speaking, but I barely heard her. I knew what was coming. We had done this before.

“Please, Your Highness,” I pleaded, trying to change the past. “I don’t want your husband.”

She lifted my chin, forcing me to meet her gaze.

“If I scar your face, you’ll heal, so there’s no point ruining your beauty,” she said softly. “But I promise you this, Venessa I will make your life here so unbearable that you’ll run and never look back.

“Denzel is mine.

This pack is mine.

Everything here belongs to me and I refuse to share.”

Her slap sent blood flooding my mouth. Tears burned my eyes not from pain, but rage. I could have taken her. Easily. But I lowered my head. She stood in my place, and I had to endure her. Her hatred had cost me my life once already. It had damned me.

Because of her, I lived on borrowed time.

Because of her, my future was a question mark.

Because of her, I was chained to the passing of days, counting down, always planning, never living.

When the tears came, they wouldn’t stop. I heard her summon the guards.

“Flail her privately. Silver. On her back,” she ordered. “Do it before the Alpha returns. Then dump her in her room unattended.”

They hauled me to my feet. In the past, I had begged. This time, I stayed silent and walked with them willingly.