Chapter 4: The Road to Redemption

The night air was thick with the scent of blood and smoke as Luca led Isabella out of the estate. The chaos of battle still roared behind them, gunfire and the desperate cries of dying men fading into the background as they moved further away. The forest loomed ahead, dark and vast, promising safety if they could just make it past the treeline.

Luca’s grip on her hand was firm, his warmth grounding her despite the whirlwind of emotions raging inside her. She was free. After years of captivity, years of suffering under Moretti’s rule, she was finally free. And yet, the weight of everything she had endured clung to her like a second skin.

They reached the edge of the woods, where Luca’s men were waiting. Black SUVs were lined up along the dirt road, their engines purring, ready for a quick escape. Matteo, Luca’s second-in-command, stepped forward, his sharp eyes scanning Isabella before nodding respectfully at his Alpha.

“Everything’s clear, boss,” he reported. “Moretti’s forces are either dead or scattered. His reign is over.”

Luca barely acknowledged him, his entire focus on Isabella. She stood before him, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her face, highlighting the exhaustion in her features. But she was strong—he could see it in the way she held herself, in the fire that still burned in her eyes.

“We need to get you out of here,” he said gently. “You’re safe now.”

Safe. The word felt foreign to Isabella. For so long, safety had been a distant dream, something she convinced herself she would never have again. And now, standing here with Luca, she wasn’t sure how to accept it.

“Luca…” Her voice was barely above a whisper, uncertainty lacing every syllable. “What happens now?”

He reached out, his fingers brushing against her cheek, his touch feather-light as if he feared she might disappear if he wasn’t careful. “Now, we go home.”

Home.

She had almost forgotten what that word meant.

Luca led her to one of the SUVs, helping her inside before sliding in beside her. The door shut, sealing them in a world of silence, away from the violence they had just escaped. As the car pulled away, Isabella let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

She was leaving Moretti’s estate. For good.

Flashback: The Night Everything Changed

The moon hung high in the sky the night Isabella was taken. She had been seventeen, innocent and full of dreams, never imagining that her life could be ripped apart in an instant.

Luca had promised her a future. They had been sitting by the lake behind his family’s estate, their fingers intertwined as they whispered about the life they would build together. He had kissed her that night, sealing a vow between them that no force in the world should have been able to break.

“I’ll always find you,” he had whispered against her lips.

But he hadn’t.

When she was dragged from her home, sold like property to Moretti’s pack, she had screamed for Luca. Cried for him. Begged for him to come.

But he never did.

For years, she believed he had forgotten her. That he had moved on, that his promises had been empty. She hadn’t known he had spent every waking moment searching for her. She hadn’t known the blood he had spilled to find her.

Present Day

The car rumbled over the uneven road, pulling Isabella from her thoughts. She turned to look at Luca, taking in the hardened lines of his face, the quiet storm that raged in his golden eyes.

She wanted to be angry. She wanted to demand why he hadn’t come sooner, why it had taken so long. But the words died in her throat. Because she saw it—the pain, the guilt. He had never stopped looking for her.

Luca felt her gaze and turned to her, his expression softening. “What is it?”

Isabella hesitated before finally speaking. “You said you would find me.”

His jaw tightened, and he reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. “I did.”

A lump formed in her throat, emotions threatening to consume her. “You took too long.”

“I know.” His voice was raw, filled with a remorse so deep it sent a shiver down her spine. “But I’m never letting you go again.”

She wanted to believe him. She wanted to let herself sink into the warmth of his words, to trust that this time, things would be different. But the scars on her heart were deep, and trust was not something that came easily anymore.

Still, as she leaned her head against the window, watching the trees blur past, she couldn’t ignore the tiny ember of hope that had begun to flicker within her chest.

She was free. And for the first time in years, she wasn’t alone.

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