<b>Chapter </b><b>76 </b>
E & Alexander
E
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The longer Iy there in that empty bed, the more bitter I became.
What had I expected? That Alexander would stay beside me, maybe stroke my hair while I slept? That he’d
wake me with gentle kisses and promises?
Goddess, I was such a naive little fool.
Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed and pulled on a robe, wrapping it tightly around myself. I wasn’t going to hide away in shame. And besides, I needed coffee.
But when I reached the main staircase, I heard voicesing from Alexander’s office. The door was partially
open, and I could make out several people inside. Curious despite myself, I crept closer.
“-why your car was used for the kidnapping…” That was Alexander’s voice.
I pressed myself against the wall beside the door, straining to listen.
“Alex, I swear to you, my car was stolen!” Sophia’s voice was desperate. “I reported it to the police yesterday
morning when I discovered it was missing from my driveway.”
“Convenient timing,<i>” </i>Alexander replied coldly. “Your car gets stolen the same day my wife is kidnapped.”
My wife. The way he said it… But I hardly dared to let myself wonder if I was wrong about him.
“I know how it looks, but I would never-”
“You pushed her out of a barn. You released a rogue at a public event. You destroyed her locket at the charity auction. If you want to hurt her, then just say that.”
“I never did any of that!”
“Alexander.” This was a new voice–Richard, Sophia’s father. “Perhaps we should discuss this more calmly.”
“It wasn’t Sophia,” Margaret, Sophia’s mother, suddenly chimed in. “It was us.”
The office went silent. My heart pounded as I inched closer to the door, pricking my ears to hear Alexander’s
response.
“What?” Alexander was deadly quiet now.
“Your father and I hired the man,” Margaret said. “We’ve been the ones who have been interfering in your
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marriage. The rumors, even having someone steal Sophia’s car to frame her. We did it all.”
“We thought if we could create enough problems, you would finally be able to get out of this loveless marriage. We all know you love Sophia more than E.”
My pulse suddenly went still.
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They intended to break us up. They spoke as if Alexander had been hoping to get out of our marriage all along… And he loved Sophia.
A small, traitorous little sliver of my heart didn’t want that to be true. But right now, I couldn’t be certain.
I heard a floorboard creaking and saw Margaret’s slender framee into view, clutching that pearl
ne she always wore. Her eyes flicked in my direction, but I inched back into the shadows before she
could see me.
“If you want to end this marriage,” she went on, “you should do it now. Before you fall any deeper into this
situation. If you wait much longer, you might be unwilling to reject her when the timees.”
I pressed my fingers over my mouth, hot tears pricking the backs of my eyes.
They were talking about Alexander rejecting me. Like it was a given. Like it was always the n.
“Alex, you must be logical,” Richard said. “You’ll need a strong Luna for your political career. Someone like Sophia, with connections and proper breeding. Not some sick girl who’ll be dead within the year anyway.”
“Whatever mistakes you made with her, they won’t matter<i>,</i><i>” </i>Margaret added. “Sophia will forgive you if you slept with E, won’t you, darling?”
Sophia sniffled. “Of course. It’s natural for mates to be physically attracted to one another–it’s not your
fault…”
I couldn’t listen anymore. Without hesitating, I turned and fled back up the stairs as quietly as I could.
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Alexander
“You don’t need to wait until the end of your campaign to reject her,” Margaret said. “Everyone knows you love Sophia more than E anyway; the starcrossed lovers story will generate even more interest in your campaign.” She gestured to Liam. “Isn’t that right, Liam?”
Liam, for his part, didn’t answer. Just continued to stand there in shock, just as he had been throughout this
entire pathetic conversation.
“I don’t want to reject her.”
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The words sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room, surprising even me. Liam snapped his head toward me. Gabriel’s eyes widened. Sophia’s face crumpled, and her parents just stared, mouths hanging open.
My confession took me by surprise just as much as it did the others, but it felt right. I didn’t want to reject E.
Afterst night… I wanted her to be mine. All of her.
“Alex, please,” Sophia whispered, rising to her feet. “You can’t mean that. We’ve loved each other since we were teenagers. We’re supposed to be together.”
“No, Sophia. We’re not.” I looked at her directly, making sure she understood every word. “You never had a real chance with me. It’s time you epted that and moved on.”
Sophia’s sobs filled the room, but I felt no sympathy for her. Not after what she and her family had put E through.
“You all need to pay for what you’ve done,” I said, turning to Richard and Margaret. “All else aside, hiring someone to kidnap my wife goes far beyond simple meddling.”
Margaret scoffed. “She was never in any real danger. That rogue was just going to rough her, up, scare her-”
“You had her drugged, tied up, taken to a barn in the middle of nowhere, and nearly raped.” My voice was hardly more than a growl. “And he intended to take pictures of the entire thing like some kind of
humiliation.”
“Alexander, please be reasonable,<i>” </i>Richard said desperately. “Our pack needs this alliance. We’ve invested
everything in maintaining good rtions with your territory. And ultimately, no real harm was done. E
wasn’t actually hurt.”
“But she was,” I hissed, feeling my wolf rise to the surface of my skin. “That was an incident that she’ll never forget for as long as she lives.”
Margaret and Richard exchanged frantic looks while Sophia whimpered in the background. My wolf raged, urging me to rip their throats out right then and there. But I controlled myself–for now, anyway, and only because Liam was standing there and the Alpha Council would have me sent to prison for life if they found
out.
Although to be fair, Liam would probably go to prison right alongside me.
Richard seemed to read my mind when I nced at Liam. He took a step forward and curled his lips into a
malicious sneer. “If this goes to the Alpha Council, it will create a massive scandal. We’ll have no choice but to tell them the truth–that E is dying because you refuse to mark her. How do you think that will look for
your political career? How do you think that will look for her?”
My wolf snarled. Threatening me was one thing, but E…
<b>Gal</b><b>, </b>23 Aug
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I wouldn’t stand for it. I couldn’t bear to see her hurt again.
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“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I said, my voice as cold as a winter frost. “You’re going on immediate parole; if you misbehave again, I’ll go to the Alpha Council myself about your crimes. And you must performmunity service for Ashw for the next two years, make public donations to a charity in E’s name, and act like perfect, upstanding citizens.”
“And,” Liam added, stepping forward, “if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I’ll make sure you face the full legal consequences.”
Richard’s eyes widened. “You can’t mean-”
“Yes,” Liam cut him off. “You’ll be rogues. All of you.’”
Sophia was still crying, but she frantically turned to her parents. “Please, Mommy and Daddy. Please do what they say. I don’t want to be a rogue-”
“Fine,” Margaret whispered bitterly. “We ept your terms.”
“Good.” I gestured toward the door. “Now get out of my house. All of you.”
They left quickly with Gabriel showing them out, Sophia casting onest desperate look over her shoulder
before the door closed behind them.
Liam and I stood in silence for a moment, both too stunned by what had just happened to speak. The
punishment didn’t feel like enough, but humiliating E publicly? If people found out about her illness, she
would be ruined.
Wolfless people in our society were rare and frowned upon. If it came out that she had an illness that made
her wolf dormant, then she would be seen as weak. People might even attack her–other suitors who might
want to get her out of the picture and take her ce as my Luna.
And her family… I already knew how they treated her. I hardly dared to think what they might say or do if they found out that she was sick. If she was their spy or weapon… Then they might dispose of her and
dispatch a new one.
The very thought of seeing her in pain, possibly even assassinated just as my own parents had been, made my heart clench in agony.
“We can’t tell E about this,” I finally said, breaking the silence. “Not yet.”
To my surprise, Liam nodded grimly. “You’re right. She’d be furious that we let them off so easily.”
“And she’d be right to want it. But right now, she needs to focus on her health, not on revenge.” I held my hand out. “Do we have a deal?”
Liam hesitated for a moment, staring at my outstretched hand. Finally, he sped it and gave it a firm
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shake.
“Your secret is safe with me,” he said solemnly.
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Chapter <i>77 </i>
<b>Chapter </b><b>77 </b>
E