Auren POV


    Tarian stood and crossed the room to him. He sat down beside him. "Belle never told you who she was?"


    Fred looked at him with a frown. "I met her at a stripper''s club in human town. After that we just hit it."


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    Tarian took a deep breath in as Lucien continued to watch Fred with suspicion in his eyes. Tarian said, “Belle... she wasn''t who she said she was."


    "What do you mean?" Fred asked sharply.


    "She was someone dangerous, someone who tried to kill Alpha and Luna," he said in a low voice. "Her real name was Sable, and she was the daughter of one of the councilors in Shadowfang pack, Rizv Brown. She wasn''t Mirabelle."


    Fred''s mouth dropped open.


    "She used that name and that identity to get close to us."


    Fred''s face paled. "You mean she pretended to be Mirabelle?" He took his phone out and showed a photo of Mirabelle.


    "Yes, that one," Tarian sighed. He took his phone out and showed him the video of how he removed Sable''s mask that day. Fred was mortified.


    "Goddess!"


    Tarian put his phone back. "I''m sorry, Fred."


    There was an awkward silence as I tried to fit the puzzle pieces. It seemed like Sable had fooled him as well for her nefarious activities.


    "How did Tom die?" Lucien asked him.


    Fred hadn''t recovered. His hands were shaking. "She betrayed my trust," he murmured. After a while, he looked up at Lucien and said, "He had a heart attack.


    It was bizarre because he was healthy one day and gone the next."


    "I''m sorry about your uncle," Lucien replied. "If you want any help from us, let us know. We are here for you."


    He nodded slowly, his eyes glinting with unshed tears. "Thank you, Alpha. I''ll take my leave now." He got up, still dazed, and I felt pity for him.


    Tarian walked him out, murmuring something reassuring. I took a rough breath, staring out at him. Lucien came to me and held my hand, and took me back upstairs. "Really sad..." he murmured. I felt really sad for Fred. He was duped by Sable in so many ways that it was impossible to fathom his disappointment and how betrayed he must be feeling.


    However, something pricked at the back of my mind. How did Tom die in just two days of Sable''s departure? I sighed, shaking my head. My mind was full of doubts when it came to Sable. Now that she was no more, I was still disbelieving her intentions.


    Third POV


    Bram hadn''t been able to sleep that night. He was avoiding Maris all the time. It was impossible for him to have sex with her. She tried to cajole him initially, but now she didn''te after him. Perhaps she saw her worth now. She could go to hell for all he cared. She wanted power as the Luna. She got it, and she seemed happy.


    Sitting in his library, he finished his bottle of whiskey and got up to go to his room. He knew Maris would be asleep. He would silently slide in the bed and sleep with his pillow on his head so that he didn''t smell her disgusting scent. In the


    14:28 Sun, 20 Apr 5.


    morning he would wake up before her and leave.


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    It had been six months since he came to know about Auren''s twins. His rage was at an all-time high. He wanted to take revenge. It was time he acted on his n. The problem was that he wasn''t finding a gap in Lucien''s security. So every day he sketched his n in detail, hoping to find somecuna in his security. His spies were in constant touch with him. He wanted to smell Auren, inhale her scent, be with her in some way. Even if he was able to inhale her scent once a week, it was enough for him. But it wasn''t happening. His mind was slipping into craziness. He was afraid that he would eventually be moon crazy. So what was the best way to keep him sane?


    As he staggered to his room, he walked through the corridor. At the dead of the night, he was surprised to hear the giggles and murmurs filtering through one of the rooms. Maris''s scent was thick in the air. He followed the scent, and realized that it was mixed with a deeper, more masculine scent that wasn''t his. It was that of... Josh.


    His hands curled into fists as fury sted in his chest. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the door from where the smell wasing. He pushed the door open. It mmed against the wall.


    Maris jumped off the bed, clutching the sheet against her body. Josh stood as well, looking pale. Bram''s eyes flicked between them. Maris''s hair was tousled and her cheeks flushed. Bram sniffed the air again and growled. "You were having sex!"


    Josh''s chest was rising and falling like he had been caught sprinting.


    "What the fuck is going on here?" Bram demanded.


    Maris stammered, "It''s not what it looks like!"


    "It looks like you were fucking my Beta!" Bram roared. Josh bared his neck instinctively. Even though Bram no longer had a wolf, his Alpha presence carried weight. But Bram knew the truth-if Josh ever challenged him now, he would lose. Shoving that fear aside, he hissed, "You forget your ce, Josh. You''ve been fucking your Luna. Do you know what I can do? I''ll fucking throw you in the dungeons!"


    Josh looked at Maris. "I didn''t mean to disrespect you, Alpha."


    "Get out," Bram growled, a n forming in his mind. "And wait for my orders."


    As soon as Josh left, Maris blurted. "It was a mistake. I was just... felt neglected." Bram strode to her and clutched her throat with his hand. "Neglected? You married me for power. Don''t act like you''re the victim." Tears gathered in her eyes, but Bram shoved her on the bed and turned away. "If I tell this to my pack members, they will shred you two into pieces!"


    "No!" she shrieked. But Bram mmed the door behind him and went to his bedroom. A satisfied smirk came on his lips. Maris had given him the opening he needed.