LOGINHayden's POV “What?!” I frowned, struggling to process her words. That made no sense. Maggie’s daughter had confirmed Abby pushed Marbel off the stairs. Abby knew that, that was why she fled. The maid’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. “Miss Abby pushed her, but she didn’t die then. It was Miss Valentina… she pressed a white handkerchief over Miss Marbel’s nose until she suffocated.”My blood ran cold. I stepped closer and grabbed the girl’s clothes, lifting her off the floor. “Why?” I ground out through clenched teeth. “Why are you only telling me this now?”“I’m sorry, Alpha… I was afraid,” the girl whispered.My head went haywire. “Afraid? Afraid of saying the truth?” I dropped her gently, seeing she was already choking back tears. “Did I ever mistreat you? Or did I ever punish anyone without cause?” I snarled.“No, Alpha…” she trembled.“Then why? Why didn’t you speak up and let everyone believe Abby killed her?”She sobbed silently. Then Maggie’s voice came softly, cau
Hayden’s POV Valentina flashed a sickeningly sweet smile, her face still damp from the fake tears she shed. “I—I was on a call…with a friend.”I stared at her, wondering if she truly thought I was that stupid. Had she forgotten I was an Alpha? I could hear and smell things far beyond this range. If she had been on a call, I would have heard it. But she hadn’t been.“Really?” I said coolly.“Yes. I have no reason to lie to you.” Her expression remained perfectly composed, practiced.I kept my eyes on her, ignoring the way she blushed under my gaze. My jaw flexed as I studied the woman behind the fake composure.Derek’s mockery words echoed in my head, about Valentina tormenting Abby right under my nose while I did nothing. Had I truly been so careless? So blind? That something like that could happen in my own house? But…Valentina wouldn’t dare, not when she knew I would never choose her. The only reason she had stayed in my pack then was the child between us. And she knew it.Still…
Hayden's POV(Five days ago)“Abby,” I called, walking toward where I knew she was hiding. “Gotcha!”I caught her and pulled her into my arms, spinning her around as laughter spilled from both of us.“I don’t ever want to lose you again,” I murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her nose.Giggling voices broke through the moment. I turned to see Amy and Asher racing through the house, their laughter filling the air, and a smaller baby crawling after them.My chest fluttered with warmth.I turned back to Abby, but she was gone.“Abby?” I called, smiling. “Are you hiding again, darling?”Silence.“Abby?”A cold fear slid down my spine. “Abby!”My eyes jerked open to blinding lights and blurred figures hovering above me.“Alpha?” Lucius’s voice cut through the haze.My head throbbed as I tried to focus.Where am I?Then memory slammed into me. Derek’s trap.Chains. And how Abby saved me.I tried to sit up, but a sharp agony ripped through my torso, slamming me back onto the bed.“Argh!” I gro
Abby’s POV After the conference ended, a wave of relief washed over me. Hayden and his men would finally leave this place. Yet, a gnawing worry lingered. I still didn’t know if Hayden was truly alive.Of course, he must be. There had been no reports of such online. The news only covered his company, which was facing challenges because of the scandal, but nothing about him personally.As the day passed and he still didn’t show up, I concluded he must have returned to Europe. Maybe he was finally letting go of punishing me for Marbel’s death because I saved him… or maybe he had to attend to his business.Either way, I was glad he was away from this place. Even so, part of me still wanted to know he was alive.The days that followed felt like hell. No sales at all. Food kept spoiling. I tried advertising little by little, even using the same strategies I had when I first opened the place, giving discounts, but nothing worked. Only a few of Derek’s pack members came in.It was the opposi
Abby’s POV My legs trembled, weak from standing too long, but Ruby kept me upright, her arms still wrapped around me.“I can help numb the pain in your chest, if you want me to,” she whispered.I shook my head. Tears slipped free anyway. Ruby had always helped ease the weight in my heart with her spells and potions whenever the pain became too much, whenever sleep refused to come.Not tonight.Tonight, I needed to feel every dreadful piece of it.For the first few weeks after I arrived here, I couldn’t sleep. Nightmares stalked me. Marbel lying in a pool of blood, Clara dying in front of me, the wild animal that nearly tore me apart. Every nightmare chased me awake, every horror tied back to one name.Hayden.For the past three years, I had convinced myself I hated him for everything he put me through. But watching him hover seconds from death shattered me all over again. How could I still feel this way when I knew he had never cared about me?And Derek…I had always believed he was
Abby’s POVLaughter drifted to my ears and I limped toward the sound, groping through the darkness with my hands. The voices grew clearer, and a sliver of light leaked from beneath a door.“Over there,” Carla whispered urgently.I stumbled forward and pushed the door open. Derek’s hand froze mid-air, his head snapping toward me.“Who the hell…” His voice caught. “…Abby? What are you doing here?”My gaze flew past him, and my stomach dropped so hard I thought I might vomit.Hayden hung from suspended chains. His body was battered and soaked in blood, his head lolled forward against his chest like he'd already given up.“What are you doing?” I screamed. The sound ripped out of me, ugly and broken. “What the hell are you doing, Derek?!”His eyes were bloodshot, wild. “Abby, stay out of this.”“No.” My throat burned. “I won’t let you kill him.”He scoffed bitterly. “Why? You still have feelings for him? After everything he’s done to you?” His voice cracked. “I’ve always treated you right,