Chapter 5

I quickly pulled myself together.

After dealing with Peter's body—wrapping him gently and placing him in the garden we had loved to play in—I treated the bruises on Ella's face with healing salve.

Each purple mark on her perfect skin made my rage burn hotter.

I coaxed her to sleep with her favorite lullaby, my voice shaking with suppressed emotion.

I moved efficiently through our home, packing everything that belonged to us. Then I contacted my father to discuss everything that had happened recently.

His fury was immediate and volcanic. Alpha Kings do not take kindly to threats against their bloodline.

I also had my father's trusted beta help me draft a mate bond dissolution agreement and submit it directly to the Alpha Council.

The legal proceedings would begin immediately.

After completing all this, I noticed my phone had been vibrating constantly with messages from Alexander.

I read them with growing disgust.

"Raven, how is Ella? I'm having my beta assistant send over premium healing herbs. Tomorrow Ella's face will definitely be completely healed."

As if expensive herbs could undo the trauma of what she had experienced.

"How is Peter? Can he still be saved? I've contacted the best healer to treat him."

Peter was dead. Murdered. But Alexander didn't even know that because he hadn't bothered to stay and check.

"I had arranged for Amber to have an abortion years ago, but I didn't expect her to escape. She secretly gave birth to the child behind my back."

More lies. More excuses.

"I swear, after we bonded, I never betrayed you."

"Alex, Alex, Connor wants daddy to tell him a story."

Amber's voice appeared in the voice message, sultry and possessive.

I knew she was doing this on purpose. She was deliberately provoking me.

Once, "Alex" had also been my exclusive nickname for him.

I remembered the young him standing in training camp sunlight, turning when he heard my voice call that name.

His eyes would fill with pure joy, as if hearing his name from my lips was the greatest gift in the world.

Then Amber appeared in our lives. As an Omega, she possessed tenacity and intelligence that rivaled any Alpha's.

I greatly admired her strength, her refusal to be defeated by her circumstances.

We went from master and servant, to friends, to the closest of companions.

She also learned from me, began calling him "Alex" in that same affectionate tone.

Alexander had been quite displeased about this. He even corrected her face to face one day.

"'Alex' is Raven's exclusive nickname," he had said firmly. "You should call me something else."

His tone was serious, carrying an Alpha's unquestionable authority.

Usually sunny Amber's eyes suddenly reddened with hurt.

I rushed to defend her, thinking Alexander was making a big deal out of nothing.

"It's just a name," I had scolded him. "Don't be so possessive."

Until one day, Alexander looked troubled and took my hand, asking me not to call him "Alex" anymore.

"Why?" I had asked, confused.

He said he still preferred when I used a special nickname for him, something that was just ours.

So I began calling him "honey" in private, thinking I was preserving something special between us.

His ears would turn red when I said it, but deep in his eyes seemed to hide a complexity I couldn't understand.

Only now do I understand the truth.

The exclusive nickname "Alex" already belonged to Amber by then.

It had become a mark of his betrayal, a secret intimacy I had unknowingly handed over to his lover.

All those years I'd trusted them both. All those times I'd defended their friendship, encouraged their interactions, praised Amber's strength and intelligence to Alexander.

I'd been the fool orchestrating my own betrayal.

Sleeping Ella whimpered in her throat, trying to get closer to me, as if having nightmares.

I gently stroked her hair, whispering softly in her ear: "Mommy will always be with you. I'll never let anyone hurt you again."

Ten years of feelings, completely shattered in lies and betrayal.