She carried a tray with a small bowl of soup, steam curling faintly in the air. “I thought you’d be hungry,” she said sweetly, setting it down beside me. “You must be weak.”
Her voice was sugar and poison all at once. I stared at her, too tired to mask the hatred in my eyes.
“I wanted to help,” she continued, crouching down, her perfect curls framing her delicate face. “I told Alpha Jeremiah you didn’t deserve to die in here. We used to be friends, Zera.”
“Used to,” I said quietly.
She smiled—cold and knowing. “You know,” she whispered, her tone changing, “I was wondering when you’d find out that I know you’re already aware of the truth.”
My stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”
Her eyes glittered with triumph. “The Alpha’s office. You were there, weren’t you?” She leaned closer, her scent—roses and deception—burning in my nose. “You know the truth now. That it was my safety Alpha Jeremiah prioritized that night… and because of that, your daughter died.”
I felt the air leave my lungs. My wolf snarled inside me, furious and wild, but my body refused to move. Hannah smiled wider, lowering her voice.
“And do you know what else?” she whispered. “Annie’s heart… it beats in me now. Oh! You also overheard that, my bad!”
My blood turned to ice. My gaze snapped to her chest. “You—” The word broke off, trembling.
She tilted her head. “How does it feel, knowing a part of your child keeps me alive?”
I stood, shaking, rage overtaking exhaustion. My hand itched to strike her, to claw that smug smile off her face, but before I could move, she did something I never expected.
Hannah picked up the knife from the tray and sliced her arm open.
The metallic scent of blood filled the room. I gasped as she shoved the knife into my hand, her eyes wide with feigned terror.
Then she screamed. Loud. High-pitched. Shattering.
The door burst open almost instantly.
Alpha Jeremiah stormed in, his aura suffocating the room. “What the hell—” His eyes landed on Hannah, bleeding and sobbing, then on me—with the knife in my hand.
“It’s not—” I started, but he didn’t let me finish.
He struck me. The sound of the slap echoed through the walls. My head snapped to the side, and I tasted blood. Before I could steady myself, his foot drove into my stomach, knocking the breath out of me.
“Alpha—stop!” I tried to scream, curling over the pain. “I didn’t—”