50

“He doesn’t look at me and see a substitute, Cedric.”

“Do you love him?”

His question takes me aback. “What if I do?” I demand. “What if I do love him? It’s got nothing to do with you. It has been eight years, Cedric. I owe you nothing. You have your princess. Go home to her.”

“You love Erik.” He says the words out loud as if he needs to hear them. “Why? What does he have that I don’t? I can give you everything. Status, wealth.”

“Can you give me back my pride? Can you erase what Bella did to me? Can you go back in time and heal my wounds?” I glare at him. “Till the very end, I believed in you. I thought that maybe, just maybe, she was lying. But the seal on the letter—Rothan confirmed it. And how could Bella have done everything she did to me if not with your consent? No, you were complicit in it. And even now, you want me to pay for daring to give birth to your child and tainting your bloodline, don’t you? That’s why you’re here. You’re angry I didn’t die the way you wanted me to—”

“That’s enough!” he roars. “Enough! I never did anything—Yes, I admit I was a bastard to you in the beginning, but I was changing. You changed me! I cared for you, and if you still can’t see that, then that’s on you!”

“You called me a tool!” I scream at him, agony sweeping through me. “I heard you tell Bella I was nothing but a tool. So, why the hell are you standing here, Cedric?! You have the real thing now. Go to Vivian! Fuck her! Have your children with her!”

“She is not you!”

We stare at each other, our chests heaving.

My body trembles with rage and grief. “I won’t—I won’t let you hurt me again. I have far too much to lose this time around. Just get out of my house.”

I don’t know if I expected him to argue with me any further, but he doesn’t. Getting to his feet, he gives me one last look. “Eight years, Leanna. I’m willing to accept my blame in everything that happened, but I’m not going to let another man take you. If Erik so much as looks at you—I don’t care if I have to wage war against the Human Wolf Kingdom, I will not hand you over to him. You can fight this all you like, but you’re still my mate. That’s never going to change.”

With that, he walks out the door, leaving me trembling behind him. How dare he make a threat like that?! Who does he think he is?

I hear the front door close, and I struggle to my feet, only to collapse with a pained whimper. My abdomen hurts.

Curling up on the floor, I groan loudly.

There are hurried footsteps, and Maya rushes in, her face white. “What are you doing down there? What did he do to you?!”

“N–Nothing,” I gasp out. “Help me up!”

She supports my weight, and when I’m finally sitting on the bed, I ask, “Where is Finn?”

“He’s sleeping again. Your ex didn’t want him to see you like this. Cedric kept him occupied for a while till he fell back asleep. That brute has been by your side since then. What did you ever see in a beast like that?”

I ignore her question, trying to think past the pain. “What time is it?”

Mays checks her watch. “Three in the morning. I’ve been napping with Finn. I didn’t want to leave him alone.”

You left him alone long enough for Cedric to figure out that Finn is his son, I think bitterly. There’s no way I can undo that damage. I don’t think Maya realizes what has occurred.

“What are you even doing here?” I look at her weakly now, all the anger and excitement drained from me.

“It’s a long story.” She sighs. “Healer Jerry is on his way, though. I just got a call from him.”

As she catches me up on what happened, I’m only half listening. If Cedric is serious and decides to wage war against the Human Wolf Kingdom, I don’t think Erik will go to bat for me. What am I going to do? How do I get out of this situation? I could take Finn and run. That’s one option, but now that Cedric knows about his son and the fact that I’m alive, I have a feeling he’s not going to give up. He’ll track me down to the ends of the Earth if he has to.

I close my eyes. What have I gotten myself into?

When Healer Jerry arrives, he’s not alone. Erik looks pissed. “Tell me it’s not true,” he says.

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” I mutter as Jerry studies my wound and gives Maya an admiring look.

“That’s excellent bandaging,” he tells her.

Maya smiles at him, clearly pleased.

Erik doesn’t pay attention to them, his eyes on me. “You were ambushed?”

“It must’ve been some angry client,” I begin, but he clicks his tongue.

“Don’t be an idiot, Leanna. Your attackers were shifters and highly trained assassins. If Cedric hadn’t shown up when he did, I don’t think you would be sitting here talking to me right now. Did you recognize them?”

I frown, thinking back to the events of the night. Suddenly, the whole situation seems odd. “They knew exactly where I would be. Almost as if I had been set up.”

“What do you mean?”

I ignore Erik’s question and look at Maya. “Can you get my tablet from the living room?”

Maya fetches it, and I feel Jerry’s healing energy flood me as I flip through my records.

“Here.” I show Erik my latest consultation. “Two days ago, I received a call from a woman who claimed her brother was spilling secrets to a rival company, and she needed proof of it. She told me the time and place. But she also told me to let her know when I would start my investigation. I wasn’t going to start until next week, but she called me again this morning and told me he would be at a specific location tonight. That’s why I went. But I didn’t manage to find anything. It was a waste of time, and as I was leaving, I realized I was being followed. Two of them were on the rooftop of the building I was standing next to, and the others started coming from all directions.”

“You never met this woman in person?”

I shake my head. “It’s not uncommon to have clients reach out to me through a phone call. Not everybody likes to reveal their face. But this was definitely a setup.”

Erik looks furious. “Cedric came to the palace right as Jerry and I were leaving. He told me where to find the bodies of the men who attacked you. The smell of blood was strong there, but somebody had already removed the corpses. Leanna, I believe the intention behind the attack was to kidnap you.”

I’m shocked. “Kidnap me? If this is because of the task force you’re setting up, Erik, I can’t—”

Erik gives me a sharp look. “The information hasn’t been revealed. Your name is going to be confidential. You will only be working with one person who will act as the liaison between you and the task force. I am protecting your identity, Leanna.” He sighs, deflating and releasing some of the tension in his shoulders. “We’re lucky Cedric saw you when he did. Who knows what would’ve happened if he hadn’t come along at the right time?”