Chapter 3

I gathered every gift Damian had given me over the past seven years and traded them to the witch for a scrying crystal.

That evening, I sat before the crystal and watched the two of them beaming at the party.

With so many people around, they restrained themselves, limiting their flirting to clasped hands and linked arms.

Halfway through the party, Amber handed Damian a glass of wine.

Through the crystal, I saw her slip something into the glass.

Damian drank it without a second thought. Within minutes, heat flooded his body and his head began to swim.

Amber feigned concern. "Damian, are you alright?"

His legs buckled and he sagged against her shoulder, fighting to suppress the desire surging through him. "I... I think my heat came early."

A triumphant smile flashed across Amber's face, but she kept up the worried act as she steadied him. "Let me get you to a room."

And just like that, they slipped upstairs to a hotel room.

The moment Amber laid Damian on the bed, she shed her gown, revealing the lace lingerie she had been wearing underneath.

She wrapped her arms around Damian's shoulders and leaned close to his ear, her voice dropping to a silken whisper. "Let me help you. Okay?"

Damian had never been able to resist Amber, and now, with the heat burning through him, every rational thought was gone. He pulled her beneath him.

There was not a trace of the revulsion he had always claimed to feel. The two of them surrendered to each other without restraint.

I had long suspected there was something between them, but seeing it with my own eyes still felt as if someone were crushing my heart in their fist.

I forced myself to keep watching. It was the only way to gather proof of Damian's infidelity.

They stayed tangled together all night while I sat before the crystal until I had cried myself dry.

Damian came home late. His legs wobbled beneath him, leaving little doubt about how he had spent the night.

The first thing he did was pack a bag.

"There's an important summit in a few days. Alphas from nearly every pack will be there. I'll be busy, so I won't be coming home for a while."

I knew exactly what he was doing. He was using work as cover so he could disappear with Amber.

I could not understand why he refused to end our bond when he wanted Amber so badly. If he agreed, the two of them could be together openly.

I didn't question him. I simply nodded.

Over the next few days, the crystal showed me everything. I watched them work their way through every corner of that hotel: the sofa, the bathroom, even the balcony.

What they did not know was that every second of footage would ruin them both.

The night before the summit, I drank the bond-severing potion. The moment it hit my stomach, searing pain tore through me. Sweat drenched my body, but the physical agony was nothing beside the pain in my heart.

The moment the bond snapped, I felt a weight lift from my body. It had been so long since I had truly felt free.

At that exact moment, Damian, in bed with Amber, felt a sudden, crushing pain in his chest.

He let out a stifled groan and nearly blacked out, but the sensation passed quickly.

"What's wrong?" Amber asked, sounding worried.

Damian found it strange, but he didn't think much of it. "Nothing. Just a sudden chest pain."

Amber smiled and kissed his neck. "That's what happens when you don't pace yourself. Your body can't keep up."

No man, least of all an Alpha, could tolerate having his stamina questioned. Damian pinned Amber to the bed, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "I'll show you exactly how well I can keep up."

Amber looped her arms around his neck and gave him a heavy-lidded look. "You're insatiable. That's already three times today. Don't you have the summit tomorrow?"

But Damian didn't care. All he wanted was to prove that he was far stronger than she gave him credit for.

"Forget tomorrow. Let's keep going. I'll show you what I'm really capable of."

Amber kissed him coyly, and the two of them lost themselves in each other all over again.

I sent a copy of the footage to a journalist friend of mine, then grabbed my bags and headed for the airport.

The next day, the Alpha Summit officially began. Damian arrived in a sharp suit, looking every bit the part.

Then the massive screen at the center of the conference hall lit up. What appeared on it wasn't a presentation or a proposal. It was a recording.

The color drained from Damian's face the instant he saw it.