Alpha Jeremiah’s steady breathing beside me once brought comfort. Now, it only felt like mockery. The bond between us, once warm and sacred, was nothing more than a thread strangling my heart.
When he shifted beside me, I pretended to be asleep. His weight left the bed, and the faint creak of the door followed. I waited until I heard his footsteps fade down the hall before sitting up. My wolf stirred inside me, uneasy.
He’s not just going out for air, she whispered.
I already knew.
I pressed a trembling hand over my mouth, forcing back the sobs threatening to escape. The moonlight spilling through the window painted the room in pale silver, a cruel reminder of the goddess I once prayed to, the same one who let my daughter die, who let my mate betray me.
My throat was dry, so I got up to get water. The hallway outside was dim, lit only by the lanterns at each corner. The moment I stepped out, a faint sound reached me, soft at first, then unmistakable.
A moan. Then another.
I froze. My pulse thudded in my ears as I followed the sound, unwillingly, like a wounded wolf drawn toward the scent of blood. It came from the guest room, her room. Hannah’s.
The door wasn’t fully closed. Through the small crack, I saw movements, shadows tangled in each other. My breath caught, and my knees weakened. I didn’t need to see more. I already knew.
I bit my lip so hard I tasted iron. My body trembled violently, and I turned away before I screamed.
Down the hall, my hands instinctively went to my belly. There was life inside me, tiny, fragile, pure. My baby. Our baby. But even as I touched my stomach, all I could think was how cruel the Moon Goddess must be to let a monster like Jeremiah father another life.
Tears slipped down my cheeks as I whispered, “You’ll be safe, little one. I swear to you, you’ll never live in his shadow.”
When the first rays of dawn broke through the window, I was still awake. My body ached from exhaustion, but I refused to let myself rest. Not when I had to face him again.
Jeremiah came into the room, already dressed. He smelled of soap and pinewood, but underneath that, I could still catch her scent clinging to him. My stomach turned.
“Zera,” he started, clearing his throat like he wanted to sound casual. “We need to talk.”
I met his gaze from across the room, my voice steady despite the storm inside. “About what?”