She pretended like she did not hear me, but I wasn’t taking her silence for an answer.
I raised one brow in surprise at her defiance.
The moment I held her in my arms, she lowered her gaze, avoiding mine as if the truth itself burned her tongue.
“Arabella, don’t make me repeat myself.
Who is Alpha Victor to you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, though anger threatened to break through at any second.
“He… is my ex-mate,” she responded.
My eyes dimmed at the sudden revelation.
I had always known there was a story behind Arabella when I first met her, something broken and hidden beneath her strength, but I never imagined it would be connected to Alpha Victor.
A small frustration bubbled within me, sharp and restless, but when I looked at her properly, I saw it, her exhaustion, the tears threatening to fall, the quiet pain she was trying so hard to suppress.
Without another word, I guided her gently to the bed and laid her down.
Then I climbed in beside her, pulling her into my arms, holding her close as if that alone could shield her from whatever memories haunted her.
“Tell me what happened.
I want nothing but the truth,” I said softly.
She nodded.
“We were mates, destined by the Moon Goddess.
When we found out, we were so happy… because we were childhood friends.
The Moon Goddess must have seen our hearts and known we had always wanted to be each other’s mate,” she said, pausing as if reliving the moment.
I tightened my hold on her as she spoke.
The thought of her belonging to someone else felt wrong, unnatural, like a violation of something sacred.
Midnight was already restless in my mind, pacing like a caged beast, growling, declaring how he would shred Victor if he ever came near her.
She is ours.
Ours.
He kept repeating it.
“Go on,” I urged.
“My lord… not too tight.
You’re squeezing me,” she murmured weakly.
That was when I realized I was holding her too tightly, almost suffocating her.
“Sorry,” I said immediately, loosening my grip, though I didn’t let go completely.
“When we found out we were mates, like I said, we were happy.
I was even happier… because I had always wished for the Moon Goddess to bless me with a mate so I could escape my family and their cruel treatment,” she continued.
“He treated me well… until we went for the fertility test.”
Her voice faltered.
“My fertility came out as F-rate… the lowest.
impossible to bear pups.”
I noticed her hands trembling as she spoke.
Without hesitation, I took them in mine, holding them firmly, grounding her.
I pressed a gentle kiss to her head, knowing exactly how devastating such a result could be.
For a wolf or a lycan, there was hardly anything more cruel than being told you couldn’t bear an heir.
Society was merciless about it.
Many didn’t survive the shame.
“I saw the light dim in his eyes,” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I started crying.
I couldn’t take it.
I knew he was going to leave me.
How could an Alpha stay with someone who couldn’t give him an heir?”
Her voice cracked.
“But… to my surprise, he consoled me.
He told me he didn’t care about my fertility.
He said he wanted me, that he would stay with me.
He talked about adopting a child… or choosing an heir from within the pack.”
Her lips trembled slightly.
“I believed him.”
My jaw clenched.
“I went home and hid the test results from my stepmother and stepsister.
I didn’t want anyone to know.
I wanted everything to go on as planned… our wedding, our future,” she said.
Her expression darkened.
“But everything changed.
I started seeing less of him.
He became scarce… distant.
Every time I asked why, he gave the same excuse—he was the Alpha, he had responsibilities.”
She let out a bitter, hollow laugh.
“When he missed my birthday, it was the same excuse.
When he missed our one-year anniversary… the same excuse.
When he missed my father’s death anniversary…” Her voice broke slightly.
“That time, I was the one making excuses for him.”
A sharp pang hit my chest.
“He’s the Alpha, the pack comes first,” she mimicked quietly.
“That’s what I kept telling myself.”
What an absolute bastard.
“When we started the wedding preparations…” she continued, her voice growing steadier, though laced with pain, “I did everything on my own.
The flowers, the decorations, the venue… even my wedding dress.
I planned everything for months.
I thought it would be our moment… the moment everything would finally make sense.”
She swallowed hard.
“I believed that once we got married, things would change.
That I would finally have him, that we would live together, that I wouldn’t feel so alone anymore.”
She let out a shaky breath.
“But I was wrong.”
I felt my grip on her tighten again, though this time I controlled it.
“The wedding day came.
I wore my dress… and Sophie walked me to the altar,” she said, her voice now distant, like she was watching it all happen again.
“And right there… was Victor.”
She paused.
“Getting married… to my stepsister.”
Silence fell heavily between us.
“On my wedding day,” she added quietly.
“The wedding I spent months planning… for him.”
My blood boiled.
“It hurt,” she whispered.
“It hurt so much… but what hurt the most…”
Her voice dropped, barely audible.
“He rejected our bond that same day.
Publicly.
And declared me a breeder.”
A dangerous growl rose in my chest, but I suppressed it.
“I should have known,” she continued bitterly.
“Sophie warned me about him.
She told me something wasn’t right… but I was too blinded by love to see it.”
She laughed again, but there was no humor in it.
“I ended up heartbroken… and Sophie…” her voice softened with guilt, “Sophie was thrown into jail because she fought Victor for me.”
I began gently patting her back, trying to comfort her, though rage simmered beneath my calm exterior.
“It’s not your fault,” I told her firmly.
She shook her head.
“Victor is to blame for everything,” I continued, my voice turning cold.
“And trust me… he will pay for every pain he caused you.”
As I held her, Midnight surged forward again, furious and uncontrollable.
“That bastard!” he roared inside my head.
“How dare he treat her like that?!”
“Let me out,” he demanded.
“Let me kill him.
He deserves to die.”
“You’ll have your time, Midnight,” I replied inwardly, keeping my thoughts firm.
“You can’t kill him now.
He’s two weeks away from us.”
“We could have killed him before,” Midnight snapped.
“If not for Lucien stopping us, he’d already be dead.
What if he comes back to claim her as his?”
The thought alone sent a wave of rage crashing through me.
“He wouldn’t dare,” I muttered.
“You know she’s his mate,” Midnight growled.
“By law, she belongs to him.”
“I’ll kill him before he ever gets the chance to make that claim,” I answered coldly.
Midnight stilled… then agreed.
My attention returned to Arabella.
At some point, she had shifted closer, curling into me.
I watched as she nuzzled against my chest, her nose brushing lightly against me as she inhaled my scent.
For a moment, I was confused… surprised.
But then I noticed, her breathing had evened out.
She was asleep.
A faint softness crossed my face.
It seemed my scent affected her too.
Carefully, I pulled her closer, and she relaxed further, sinking into a deeper slumber in my arms.
When I was certain she was fully asleep, I slowly slipped out of bed, making sure not to wake her.
I covered her properly and took a moment to look at her peaceful face.
So fragile… yet so strong.
Then I turned and left.
As I opened the door, her maid stood outside.
She must have returned earlier but stayed away, knowing I was inside.
She curtsied respectfully.
I gave a small nod in acknowledgment before walking past her.
I needed to blow off some steam.
And I knew exactly where to go.
I mind-linked my Beta, ordering him to meet me, as I made my way toward the dungeon.
I tried to stop thinking about what Arabella had told me, but I couldn’t.
The thought of her belonging to someone else was making me go crazy.
As I walked past the hallway, I did not realize I was leaking out my pheromones, but the corridor appeared empty and devoid of anyone.
The anger I felt made me oblivious of my actions, my eyes were red and bloodshot.
The first time I’m choosing a breeder, I find out she was already mated.
I did not ask her if she had slept with Victor, because I knew she would have; after all, he was her mate.
The thought that another man had touched her before me made me even angrier, and that man was Victor.
I clenched my fists, walked, my jaw tight, breathing uneven.
I could not bear it, not for a moment at all.