Chapter 24

• Maliyla's POV
• As soon as I said those words, I felt a sense of relief, like somebody had lifted a weight off my shoulders after accepting his rejection. The sight of Erick falling to the ground was satisfying. Although I felt terrible for him, I didn't care if he lost his wolf, even though I knew he already had. I had never experienced freedom until that moment, and it was a feeling I never wanted to lose again. My strength was greater than I ever imagined, and I was proud of myself for standing my ground. The strength I had been searching for had been discovered. Watching Erick leave felt absolutely satisfying. There was no pain, no sorrow, nothing. Just pure bliss.
• But the joy of that moment was short-lived when we found out that Gisselle was Jonathan's mate. My heart ached for him. It wasn't fair to put him in that situation. Once Jonathan announced they were mated, silence fell over us. Though I wanted him to reject her, I knew it would harm his wolf, and Jonathan didn't deserve that. It was Hector who told Jonathan he needed to figure out what he wanted to do, the biggest complication being Gisselle had accepted to be Erick's Luna; although they hadn't marked one another, that didn't make any difference, Gisselle was still the Luna for the Blood Rose Pack.