Fractured Bond: Hiding the Alpha's heir

Layla POV"That flower goes there."Carla pointed with her pen like she was conducting an orchestra. She had been overseeing the decorations for the past two hours and showed no signs of stopping.I carried the pot of moonrose across the hall with both hands, set it on the podium, and immediately sneezed so hard I nearly knocked it over."Bless ya, Layla," she called without looking up from her notepad. "You gonna survive or should I bench you?”“I'm good,” I replied."Adjust the mask, babe. Those things aren't decorative."The nose mask was doing absolutely nothing. The pollen had already decided we were enemies. But honestly? I wasn't even thinking about what the plants were doing to me.My mind was on Draven and the text he hadn't replied to.I set the flowers down carefully and pulled my phone from my back jean pocket for what had to be the tenth time. Nothing. The screen glowed innocently back at me, mocking the ache in my chest.I told myself it was fine. He was swamped with

"You sneak." Mom's voice came out quiet. Which was almost worse than shouting."We took you in. Gave you a home. A family. And this is how you repay us?""Mom-""I am not your mother-""Julia." The Beta's voice cut across the room like a blade. Sharp and final. Mom went silent, her jaw tight. "We don't know anything for certain,” said the Beta. “Until we ask her directly.""The evidence is difficult to ignore, Gor-""Is it true?" He spoke over her, his gaze fixed on me. Still and careful. The way he looked when he was deciding something. "Are you sneaking around with the young Alpha?"The room contracted. My throat closed around every word I might have said.My hesitation was its own answer. Mom moved before I saw it coming. The slap cracked across my face and the force of it dropped me to my knees. My right hand flew up to press against the burn spreading across my cheek."How could you!" Her voice broke. "He belongs to Carla. Your sister's."He does not. He has never asked her ou

As I walked away, I feared and hoped he would stop me. He didn't. I felt his eyes on my back the entire length of the path and I did not turn around, did not run, and counted every step until I reached the Beta's property.I snuck into my cottage, sat on the floor with my back against the door, and put both hands over my mouth. I stayed very quiet until the shaking stopped.My phone lit up some time later.I was in bed by then, still in my clothes, staring at the ceiling and cataloguing the different textures of my own misery; the ache in my cheek, the splinters in my arms, the hollow feeling of having said true things for the wrong reasons.I reached for the phone.You don't have to tell me what happened tonight. But I need you to know. Whatever they said to you, whatever they threatened, this isn't over for me. I'll wait.I read it three times. Then I put the phone face-down on the mattress and pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes until the feeling passed.I didn't reply the

Layla POVThe wine tasted better than I expected. For the next hour, I allowed myself to be a girl at a party. Nothing else. No cottage or Beta's study. No handprint on my face. And certainly no text on my phone that I'd read a million times without replying to.Nash said something that may have been funny. I didn't even catch what he'd said over the music and soft voices around us. Yet the laughter just came without permission. I realized I hadn't laughed in days.We were returning to the dance floor when I saw dad approaching from the corner of my eye. His unhurried stride forced the server carrying a tray of drinks behind him to slow as well.When he came closer, I lowered my head respectfully. He smiled like earlier. The kind loving father in public. “Congratulations, my dear,” he said. “Thanks, dad.” I tried to return a real smile but kept seeing his face that day in his study.He must be very pleased with the sight of me dancing with Nash. Far from Draven. Only as he shook

Draven POVI looked at the phone for a long moment… then I answered.She didn't speak. Just breathed. Slow and deliberate. As though she was composing herself before she said anything. She breathed the same way that night in the woods when she told me it was over. And on that morning in the Beta's garden when she told me she was fine even though her cheek was purple.I waited for her to speak."Draven." Her voice was careful. "I need you to know that nothing-""George is a safe choice." The words came out level even though I hadn't planned them. "Isn't he.""That's not-""He knew everything about us. He was always there. Makes him the convenient choice." "Nothing happened." Her tone was firm and quiet. "I need you to believe that.""You're asking me," I said slowly, "to believe that you broke it off with me, went to your graduation party, got drunk enough to black out, woke up in my guest bedroom next to my best friend. And nothing happened.""Yes."The simplicity of the reply nearl