Alpha Jeremiah, my husband, had his lips pressed against Hannah Linston’s neck, his hands tangled in her hair. Her back was against his desk, her fingers clutching his shoulders as if she belonged there.
My knees nearly buckled.
“Alpha…” I whispered, but the word died in my throat.
The air grew heavy, my wolf growling low inside me, fury mixing with heartbreak. My wolf wanted to burst out, to tear the room apart, but I forced her down. I couldn’t let them hear me.
I stood there in silence, the dagger box trembling in my hands as I watched the two people I trusted most betray me in the cruelest way.
My breath came in shallow gasps. I wanted to scream, to break something, but then,
Hannah’s voice shattered the silence. “What about what happened a year ago?” she whispered, her tone trembling. “You promised me… no one would ever find out.”
Jeremiah’s back stiffened. “They won’t,” he said, his deep voice low and cold. “I made sure of it. The soldiers were paid well enough to keep quiet.”
Soldiers? My brows furrowed through the haze of shock. What were they talking about?
Hannah’s fingers tightened around his shirt. “You’re sure Zera doesn’t know? About that night?”
That night. My heart began to race again, a different kind of dread settling in.
Jeremiah sighed, his hand sliding down her arm. “She thinks the rescue failed. That Annie didn’t make it. The soldiers told her what I told them to say.”
I pressed my hand against my mouth, choking back a sob. What was he saying?
Hannah bit her lip, looking down. “But Annie… she could’ve been saved. You said they reached us at the same time—”
“I couldn’t let you die, Hannah!” Jeremiah snapped, slamming his fist on the desk. “I paid them to prioritize you. Do you understand that? You were bleeding out, and I couldn’t lose you.”
My blood ran cold. My wolf whimpered. My wolf’s voice echoed in my mind, Our pup… our Annie…
I stumbled back against the wall, unable to breathe. The dagger box slipped from my fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud.
But the worst hadn’t come yet.
Hannah’s voice trembled again. “And… her heart? You promised that was between us. Are you sure it’s kept a secret, alpha?”
Jeremiah exhaled shakily. “It still is. I made Zera sign the medical documents while she was mourning. She never knew what they were. No one knows about it, even the healers and doctors.”