Tamara's POV The moment my eyes fell on the vial, I felt my stomach drop. The small, dark vial, held up for everyone to see, seemed to glow with a spotlight on my worst nightmare. I couldnât speak. How the hell did they get it? How did they know?I swallowed hard, my voice caught somewhere between my chest and my throat. âI... I donât know what that is. I mean, I... itâs not mine,â I managed to stammer, forcing my words out, hoping that somehow theyâd sound convincing even though I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks.I couldnât look at Dante. I knew if I did, Iâd see the questions in his eyes, the suspicion, the confusion. And I wasnât ready to explain thisâespecially not here, in front of everyone, with Lord Jarek smirking as though he had just unraveled the secrets of the universe.But before I could say anything more, Danteâs voice echoed through the hall, startling everyone into silence. âEnough!â he roared, his voice as hard as steel, filled with fury. âWe are here to inves
Tamara's POV Danteâs hand was like iron around my wrist as he dragged me out of the courtroom, his fury radiating off him in waves and everyone around us backed away immediately. I barely had time to process what had just happened before Reuben stormed after us, his face twisted with anger. âYou have no right to disrupt the court like that, Dante!â Reubenâs voice echoed through the empty hallway. âWhat the hell are you doing?â Dante spun on his heel, his grip on my wrist loosening but his fury growing. âWhat am I doing? What the fuck are you doing, Reuben? That wasnât a court hearingâit was an illegal setup against my fiancĂ©e!â Reubenâs eyes narrowed. âThatâs just ridiculous. We were simply following protocol. Tamara has questions to answer. You canât just storm in and stop the process.â âQuestions based on fabricated evidence!â Danteâs voice was a growl now, sharp enough to make me flinch. âLord Jarek couldnât even explain how he got that vial, and you expect me to belie
Tamaraâs POV For the first time since Iâd met Dante, this waacthe first time i saw something crack in his armor. This was the first time that he showed he could feel really shitty too. As we sat in the car, his posture stiff, his face grim, there was a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes that struck me harder than any harsh word or glare heâd ever thrown my way. It was raw, unguarded, and it made my chest tighten. He looked like a young boy in so much pain. Dante had always been so strong, so unshakable. Seeing him like this, like the weight of the world had finally pressed too hard on his shoulders, made my heart ache. The drive to the hotel was quiet, the air heavy with unspoken words. I didnât push him. I just held his hand, tracing my thumb over his knuckles. When we finally arrived, Dante got out without a word, his shoulders tense, his jaw clenched. As soon as we entered the room, I turned to him. âCome on,â I said softly, taking his hand and leading him toward the bath
Tamara's POV I sat across from Dante, the low flicker of the fireplace casting shadows across his face. His jaw was tight, his eyes distant, as if he were somewhere else entirely. I could feel the weight of what he was about to say before he even opened his mouth.âI want to know everything,â I said, my voice steady. âFrom the beginning. How did my mother even have any connection with the North?âDanteâs gaze flicked to me, then down to his hands resting on his knees. He hesitated, and I could tell he was choosing his words carefully.âTamara,â he started, his voice low and cautious, âwhat Iâm about to tell you... some of it might not be fact. A lot of it is based on what I was told or things I pieced together later. Thereâs no way to confirm everything.âI frowned, leaning forward. âi know Youâre trying to protect me again,â I said, my tone more frustrated than I intended. âBut I donât need that, Dante. I need the truth, no matter how ugly it is. I can handle it.âHe studied me for
Tamaraâs POVI woke up early the next day. Dante was still fast asleep beside me, his arm draped protectively over my waist. His breathing was steady, peaceful, and I smiled to myself as I carefully slipped out of bed. For everything heâd done for meâhis patience, his careâI wanted to show him that I could be there for him too.I tiptoed to the kitchen in our suite, determined to make breakfast. It definitely wasnât my strongest skill, but I was set on doing something special. Pancakes, eggs, and a pot of fresh coffee later, I carefully arranged everything on a tray and carried it back to the bedroom.âMorning,â I said softly, nudging Danteâs shoulder with my free hand. He stirred, his lashes fluttering open, and when his gaze landed on me, his lips curved into a sleepy smile.âWhatâs this?â he asked, his voice still rough from sleep.âBreakfast,â I said, setting the tray on the bed beside him. âLike you did for me before, remember?âDante pushed himself up, his eyes crinkling with am
Tamaraâs POVI stared at Dante, completely speechless. The space around me felt smaller somehow, the air heavy with the weight of his words. He knew. All this time, he knew the vial was mine, knew I had secrets, and yet he never said a word.âIââ I started, but my voice faltered. âYou knew?âDante nodded, his expression calm but serious. âIâve known for a while, Tamara.âMy stomach churned. âI... Iâm so sorry,â I said, my voice barely above a whisper. âI shouldnât have kept secrets from you. You didnât deserve that.â I looked down at my hands, guilt pooling in my chest. âBut having secrets doesnât mean I donât love you, Dante. It doesnât mean Iâm not loyal to you, I swear by the goddess that your the love of my life and I would never ever do anything to hurt you or your mother.â I pleaded with tears beginning to form in my eyes.Dante surprised me by reaching out and tilting my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. His dark eyes were steady, unwavering. âOh sweetheart, I know that,â h
Tamara's POVThe silence was unbearable. Dante hadnât moved, hadnât spoken. His hand was still wrapped around mine, but his grip was so still, so tense, it felt as if he were frozen in place. My heart thudded against my ribs, and every second that ticked by only made the knot in my stomach tighten.âDante,â I whispered, my voice trembling. âPlease, say something. Anything.âHis dark eyes snapped to mine, intense and unreadable. âWhat do you mean, âwhen you diedâ?â he asked, his voice calm but laced with a quiet demand.I sucked in a shaky breath, my mind racing. How could I possibly explain this? My fingers trembled in his, and I pulled my hand away to clasp them in my lap, as if holding onto myself would steady my nerves. âThis is⊠this is my second life,â I finally said, the words tasting foreign on my tongue even after all this time.His brows furrowed, and I could see the questions forming in his eyes. âyour Second life?âI nodded, swallowing hard. âYes, I died, Dante. In my past
Tamaraâs POV I stared at Dante in shock, his words replaying in my head like a broken record. "Itâs my fault that you and your baby were killed." âWhat are you talking about?â I finally asked, my voice trembling. âHow could it be your fault? Dante, we only met once in our past lives. And that was⊠on the battlefield.â His head snapped toward me, his eyes wide in shock. âWe were at war?â I hesitated, biting my lip. I hadnât meant to say that much. âYes,â I admitted softly. âBut it wasnât what you think. Jack told me you were attacking our pack. He convinced me that if I didnât act first, youâd destroy us.â I lowered my gaze. âSo, I sent my people to fight you.â Danteâs jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as realization dawned. âJack lied to you,â he said, his voice full of bitter certainty. âHe played us both.â I nodded, my throat tightening. âI only found out too late. By thenâŠâ My voice cracked, and I looked away, unable to meet his gaze. âBy then, everyone I loved was already g
Kayla's POV After breakfast, I insisted on helping the staff with choresâcleaning the tables, washing dishes, folding laundry. I needed to do something with my hands that would keep my thoughts from spiralling intodark thoughts.Plus I was eager to start helping the children as fast as possible. The funny thing was that the kids followed me around, asking questions about where I came from, if I had a wolf, if Iâd ever seen the Alpha in real life. I smiled and answered as vaguely as I could, not ready to explain the chaos Iâd run from. But for the first time in days, I felt a strange sense of peace.Like I was right where I should be. I was hanging laundry out back when one of the staffâElara, a tall woman with sharp gray eyes and a strong buildâapproached me. âYouâre quite the helper Miss Kayla,â she said, nodding with a basket on her hip. âI needed something to keep me busy,â I replied. She glanced around before adding, âYou know, Lady Anna swears youâve been here before.â
Kayla I ended up spending the night at the Orphanage and it was one of the most restful nights I've had in weeks.Sure, I might have had one or two night mares where I saw Adrian kissing Candice in her room while my body wrecked with painful sobs, but hey, it was better than the nightmares I usually had about the darkness that was trying to take control of me.I knew that I would finally be able to get rid of the problem when I finally get to the Oracle's sanctuary, but I just had to wait until the guards weren't searching for me so persistently.To be honest, I'm surprised that Adrian was putting that much effort into finding me now when he had been ignoring me for the last few days.Hadn't Candice satisfied him enough? Or was he so greedy that he wanted the two of us at the same time?Men! I should have known better than to let myself trust them again. Especially after how Xavier treated me.I had stupidly let myself become a fool for love again! How pathetic!I definitely won't le
Kayla's POV I really didnât know where I was going at first. Not really. My feet just kept moving, dragging me farther away from the palace, from the pack... from Adrian. Every step felt more gut wrenching than the last, like my body wanted to turn back even though my heart refused to. Where do I go? I paused in the shadow of an old bakery, pressing my back to the cold brick wall as I hugged the jacket tighter around me. My breath was beginning to puff visibly in the cold evening air, and the wind cut through my clothes like icy knives.I would go to mountain, I finally decided. It was the only place I knew where I would be accepted by someone.I obviously couldn't go back to Xavier's pack but it was the only other place I knew, so the Oracle's sanctuary was my best vet.Plus If there was any place I could find answersâor strengthâit was with her. Maybe I could even finish my training. Maybe I could finally understand why I was⊠this. Why I couldnât control my power or trust my
Kayla's POVI sat on the cold marble floor, clutching one of Adrianâs shirts to my chest, tears streaming down my face like a damn faucet I couldnât turn off.How could he do this to me? After everything. After all his promises to always fight for me. To never let me feel alone again.He spent the night with her.Candice.It took one fight, one misunderstanding, and he ran straight to her. I didnât even need to ask anyone. The moment Connor hesitantly told me the truth, I saw it. Clear as day. The shattered pieces of my heart lay scattered around the room like the vases Iâd broken last night.The bed smelled like him. The sheets, the pillows â all of it haunted me. His scent, his warmth... gone. Just like that.âHe was never going to choose you,â the necklace whispered in that low, silky voice that made my skin crawl. âMen like him choose women like Candice. Pretty, obedient. The kind that donât challenge them.ââShut up,â I muttered, dragging myself up to the bed to unzip the duffe
Adrian's POV I tried hard to remember last night but my head soon began to hurt from the effort and I still came up blankPanic was quickly beginning to seize me until I suddenly heard Candice's voice. "Relax Alpha," she said from across the room, her legs tucked under her in a chair by the window with a mug in her hand. "You don't need to try hard to remember what happened last night.""Huh?" I asked in confusion.Candice smiled. "I can read your emotions on your face, and what I meant to say was Nothing interesting happened." I blinked blearily at her. "What...?" "You passed out last night after drinking that extra bottle I told you not to drink," she said simply. "I didnât want the entire palace gossiping about how their great Alpha canât hold his liquor so I brought you to the guest room in my quarters. I just brought coffee for you this morning." She gestured to the tray on the table. I let out a breath of relief. I didn't betray Kayla because nothing had happened between us
Adrianâs POVI'm an idiot, I know that. I'm an idiot who's hopelessly in love with a woman but still too scared of his feelings for her.These last few days have really wrecked my mental state and drinking with Candice made me forget my worries for just a few hours.But even that, didn't last long. Because once my eyes landed on Kayla, everything came flooding back.She had made lunch and brought it to me, which meant that she had been thinking of me and probably tried to reach me earlier but I had blocked her.I just wanted time to process thoughts without interruptions or guilt. But that turned out to be impossible because the second I saw the look on Kaylaâs face when I refused the food she brought, a bitter knot formed in my stomach. Her smile faltered and was replaced by something smaller, tighter. Hurt. She held the tray down carefully, almost as if she were afraid it would shatter if she moved too quickly.Then she offered to make dinner but I turned it down too and I could
Kayla's POV "It's not any of your concern Kayla. I suggest you drop it... for your own good."What nonsense was he saying. Xavier was my ex husband and very obvious enemy of Adrian. What did he mean it was non of my concern?I was very confused now. Didn't Hector say he had nothing to do with Xavier? Didn't he say he was going to change his relationship with Adrian for the better? What was he hiding now? I pressed on. âYou know meeting with him, especially after everything that happened, is only going to make things worse with Adrian. Do you really want to make things more complicated?â He turned his head toward me, his expression hardening slightly. âI donât care anymore what Adrian thinks. Heâs never cared about what Iâve done, and he never will. Besides, I donât see the problem with talking to someone who actually listens to me.â I felt my heart twist in my chest. âI know youâre upset, Hector, but you promised meâeven before I stopped Adrian from banishing youâthat youâd stop w
Kayla's POV I couldnât get Xavierâs smug face out of my mind as I stormed down the hall. I needed to get away from him. From all of it. Adrian, Candice, Xavier... everything felt like it was crashing down. But I still had something to do. I walked briskly toward the holding cells, tray of food in my hands, trying to ignore the flutter of doubt and anger in my chest. I had come this far. I wasnât going to let Xavierâs words, or my own jealousy, ruin everything. When I reached Hectorâs cell, I paused for a moment. The guards were standing nearby, looking bored as usual. They didnât even seem to notice me at first, so I took the chance to slip past them. But then one of them suddenly stepped in my path, a scowl forming on his face. âWhere do you think youâre going?â he sneered. I blinked. âExcuse me?â âYou canât bring food to him,â the guard snapped, his tone rude and dismissive. I frowned. âActually, I can. And I will. Iâm Lady Kayla the Alphaâs fiancĂ©e, and Iâll bring food to
Kayla's POV My heart sank at Adrian's words. He didn't even want to talk to me this morning but he was here laughing his ass off and eating with Candice.I forced a smile, but it didnât reach my eyes. âOf course,â I muttered. âI didnât mean to interrupt.â Candice beamed at me, clearly in a much better mood than I was. âItâs good to see you again. Iâve really missed you,â she said, taking another bite of her food. I stood there, frozen, trying to ignore the bitterness that crept into my thoughts. Why was she so comfortable here? Why was she eating with him like they did this every day? And why had Adrian invited her to his office when he wouldn't even talk to me?Candice noticed the awkwardness and tried to bridge the tension. "Come sit with us! We have so much to catch up on, but we also have all the time in the world since I'm back living at the palace now!"That made me freeze.âWhat?â I asked, voice a little higher than I intended.Candice beamed. âAlot happened when you were aw