Goodbye, My Mate

Chapter 155

Leah's POV

"I... Nina Lilith Thortone of the Moonhowlers Pack... accept your rejection..." Nina whispered, her voice a mere ghost of its former strength.

Finn crumpled beside her, his body wracked with pain. Desperation and agony filled his eyes as he clung to her, his frame trembling.

Nina drew upon the last vestiges of her life force and gazed at me, her eyes clouded with a mixture of resentment and gratitude.

"For a long time, I wanted to kill you..." she muttered, extending a frail hand toward me. "But I changed my mind... You were the only one... who tried to help me... I hate you... for being so kind..."

The guards pounded on the door, their kicks echoing ominously through the room. The piano trembled with each blow, its structure threatening to give way.

I grasped Nina's withered hands tightly. "Swear... Take good care of him... Don't ever hurt him... Don't let anyone hurt him... He has endured too much already..."

"I swear," I vowed, my voice steady. "I will take good care of Finn. I will never hurt him, and I will never let anyone else harm him."

The moment I finished my promise, Nina's hands fell from mine, lifeless. Finn's wail of despair shattered the air, a raw, primal roar erupting from deep within his soul, ripping through the silence like a knife.

"Finn, we need to go," I urged, urgency tinging my voice. There was no time to lose.

Finn gathered Nina's body, wrapping her gently behind his back. I frowned but didn't stop him. He wasn't ready to let go of his mate yet. Besides, leaving Nina to rot among those who caused her so much pain was unthinkable.

Finn leaped out of the window first. As I prepared to follow, a hand seized my leg. I glanced down to see Alpha Kyle, clinging to life with his last strength.

"What are you going to do... with this place?" he rasped.

"I might as well burn it," I replied, my voice cold.

"No... Your brother... built this market..." he wheezed.

Hatred blazed in my eyes as I kicked his hand away. "You're a liar. Lucian would never do this."

"No..." he murmured weakly. "The other one..."

"Leo was sent away long ago. He wouldn't have..."

"No... It was Lycidas..."

Shock coursed through me. Lycidas? The banished child? The flamboyant werewolf prince who took the human movie industry by storm? The rising superstar Lycidas?

It couldn't be true.

Just as I was about to press him for more answers, Alpha Kyle drew his last breath. The guards were on the verge of breaking through the door, so I shot a dark look at Kyle's lifeless body and leapt out of the window.

I didn't believe a word of Alpha Kyle's tale. Not a single word. But his revelation confirmed my suspicions about this slave market - it was crafted by someone with exceptional aesthetic taste. And when talking about aesthetic taste, who could rival a Lycan prince?

Paranoia gnawed at me. Why would Lycidas build a place like this in Mediland? Did my father know about this? What role did Lycidas play in this twisted circus?

These questions swirled in my mind as Finn and I knocked two guards unconscious. We stripped off their uniforms, disguised ourselves, and slipped out amidst the chaos. We raced through the frenzied marketplace until we reached a quiet clearing. Finn gently laid Nina's body on the grass.

"Please wait for me here. I'll be back," he murmured to her.

"Where are you going?" I grabbed his arm.

"It's none of your business," he replied coldly. "Stay out of my way."

Anger and sadness flickered in his eyes like twin flames.

"You're going back there, aren't you?" I exclaimed. "Are you insane? They'll kill you!"

"You don't understand, do you?" Finn's voice was low and menacing. "You don't understand how much I hate you and how I want nothing to do with you."

My fists clenched involuntarily. My heart pounded, each beat a hollow echo through the pain. Heartbreak was a cruel master, sharp like shards of glass tearing through the remains of my world.

"But all I want is to be with you and love you..." I whispered brokenly.

He cut me off, his tone icy. "You know nothing about love, Leah. You're still like a rebellious teenager who doesn't grasp the gravity of life. Go back to your father, your brother, and your husband. I don't ever want to see you again."

"But what about our baby..." Tears threatened to spill as I clutched my chest.

"That's not my child!" Finn's voice was a raw bark, his face twisted with a sorrow that bordered on madness. "It's physically impossible! All male slaves here are forcibly vasectomized to serve female customers without consequences! It's impossible for you to bear my child!"

My world spun around me. Finn couldn't be the father of my baby. Only one possibility remained—I'm pregnant with Lucas Farrow's child.

My mind raced. Suddenly, everything fell into place. The father of my child is my mate, my second chance, my husband. It was all according to the Moon Goddess's plan. No wonder Lucian allowed Finn to stay by my side. No wonder Lucas permitted Finn to be with me that day in the car.

They knew Finn could never impregnate me.

Finn's shout snapped me back to reality. "Stop manipulating my life! Stop lying to me! You and your family have made my life miserable and pathetic! I hate you! I despise you! You'd better leave before I change my mind..."

"Your last name is Farrow," I said calmly. "Who's your father, Finn?"

"Stop asking me questions!" Finn roared, punching a tree trunk so hard it crashed to the ground. His eyes were dark, stormy, like a turbulent sea. His hands shook with barely controlled fury, knuckles white from the strain.

I didn't flinch. He was weakening after his mate's rejection. He couldn't hurt me anymore.

In a steady voice, I asked, "Finn, are you Lucas Farrow's brother?"