MTL - Approach - Chapter 71

Ethan Blackwood wasn’t used to being defied. As the CEO of a global empire, he crushed obstacles with a single glance. But when Lily Anderson stood before him, her chin lifted in quiet defiance, and something in him snapped. “Sign the contract,” he said, his voice like ice. “30 days. You’ll obey every command. After that, you’re free.”She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she gripped the pen. “And if I refuse?”His smirk was cold, but his eyes burned. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life paying off your father’s debts. Your choice.”Trapped, Lily signed. But she vowed one thing: she wouldn’t let him break her.From the first day, their clash was electric. He demanded perfection; she gave him rebellion. “You think you can control me?” she spat, after he criticized her for being late.Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I don’t just control you. Lily, I own you.”But as the days passed, the lines between them blurred. Late nights in his penthouse turned into whispered conversations. His cold demeanor cracked, revealing glimpses of a man haunted by his past. One night, after a heated argument, he pinned her against the wall, his breath hot against her ear. “Why do you fight me so much?”Her voice trembled. “Because I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose myself to you.”Their connection deepened, but danger loomed. Secrets from Ethan’s past resurfaced, threatening to destroy everything. When Lily discovered the truth behind his obsession with her, she confronted him. “Was I just a pawn in your game? A way to settle an old score?”His eyes darkened with pain. “You were never just a game, Lily. You’re the only thing that’s ever felt real.”As the final days of their contract approached, their bond was tested like never before. Enemies closed in, and trust hung by a thread. Could they overcome the shadows of their pasts, or would their love crumble under the weight of secrets and pride?

“You hate me,” Lily mouthed through trembling lips.Zayn leaned closer, his voice low and bitter. “No. Hate is too cheap. I want you to feel what I did. Every scream. Every loss.”She didn’t flinch. She was tired of pleading. She just looked at him with eyes full of quiet pain.So why did it feel like his heart was shattering?Lily Brightpaw was born the daughter of an Alpha, but she never lived like one. Mute from childhood and unable to shift, she was treated as a curse by her family. Blamed for her mother’s death and beaten into silence, Lily grew up unloved and unwanted. She believed the Moon Goddess would send her a mate who would rescue her but she was wrong.The night her pack fell, Lily was dragged from a shack and thrown at the feet of her new Alpha, Zayn Knightmoon. He was the man her family enslaved. Now he is the alpha who rules over her and he wants revenge.Zayn lost everything. His father. His mate. His pack. All at the hands of Lily’s family. When he realized Lily is his second chance mate, he rejected her without hesitation and swore to make her suffer. But the more he punished her, the more he saw the truth: Lily was nothing like the monsters who raised her. She’s a victim too and broken… like him.Zayn found himself torn between vengeance and a bond he never asked for. Will Lily’s suffering be enough to quiet the ghosts of his past or will revenge destroy them both?

I am the only person free from the control of the Status Window.

*

Just a word from me, and my status window is gone.

To be more precise, an error occurred when I took over the possession of the body.

“Ah, why didn’t the dragon drop a single artifact?”

Thanks to this, I am gradually distanced from humanity.