CHAPTER FOUR - SHADOWS OF ENVY

He placed his hands on mine, I adjusted gently in discomfort, separating my hands from his and tightening around the handle of the seat. He sat in opposite direction facing me, eyes steady and unpleasant for me.

“You don’t have to look at me that way,” i muttered, breaking the silence first.

His lips moved at the corner. “What way?”

“As if I am damaged like you’ll break me if you speak out loud.”

“Maybe you are,” he said in a low tune. “You’ve been broken before.”

My chest raced at the truth buried in his tone. “And you think you can heal me?”

“It’s not about healing you, Leah. I just want to stand where no one else did when you shattered.”

My breath skipped a beat. Why did he always say things that seize my past defenses?. I thought to myself.

I forced myself to laugh bitterly. “That’s rich. A Beta who plays hero for an Omega no one wanted.”

“You think I see you as less?” He came closer, his voice smooth. “I see you as everything I’ve been searching for.”

I stared suddenly to the floor. Tears filled at the corner of my eyes, but i held it in.

“Don’t. Please do not say things like that. You are clearly not sure of what you are demanding for.”

“I do,” he cutted in. “I know exactly what I’m asking.”

There was silence for a while, broken only by a soft scoff cut through the fragile moment. The shadows near us we never noticed.

We both turned sharply.

It was Theresa.

Her presence seemed to dim the fire itself, though once upon a time she had been my brightest comfort. Back in my old pack, Theresa had been more than a friend, family, a sister when i had no one else.

When i ran away from James’ cruelty, Theresa had followed weeks later, claiming she too wanted a fresh start in the city too.

At first, nothing seemed inappropriate. We met often, laughed over simple meals, shared gossip of old memories and worked at same restaurant. But it was during one ordinary brunch at a small café that Theresa’s heart changed.

Dan had walked in, his presence pulling the air as it always did. He came for me but he had always come for Theresa.

And Theresa, seeing him for the first time after their breakup which I had no clue they ever dated, felt the floor slip beneath her. The way his shoulders carried unspoken strength, the way his eyes softened only when they rested on me Theresa fell again, fast and hard.

She tried everything afterward. Smiles too wide, questions too sweet, hands that lingered. But Dan never looked her way. His stare was unwavering, always directed at me, even when i pushed him aside.

Why her? Why the rejected mate, swollen with a bastard child, when she was whole, beautiful, and willing? That has been Theresa’s thought.

Jealousy grew and developed, silent but steady. By the time after my child delivery and was discharged, Theresa’s envy had already increased. Still, she visited with flowers, playing the role of a supportive friend.

But at our workplace, few month later after my childbirth, she saw Dan again for the first time in months. Sitting opposite me, his hand wrapped around mine, his voice echoing around her through every wave of pain.

In that instant, envy burned into hatred.

Now, her smile was sweet but her eyes brimmed with venom.

“Beautiful speech, Dan.”

I stiffened, without conscious thought withdrawing my hands. Dan’s jaw tightened, though his voice stayed calm. “Theresa. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Shouldn’t I?” Theresa said staring right at me, with eyes sharp as a blade. “I heard the whisper. A Beta devoting himself to a fallen Omega. How poetic.”

“Enough,” Dan snapped.

Theresa shakes her head, acting innocent. “What? Did I say something wrong? Or is it the truth you’re afraid of hearing?”

My voice trembled but held open resistance. “Theresa… we came to work together this morning with joy. What happened to that friend?”

Theresa laughed low, bitter.

“That friend disappeared the day I realized you always take what others denied. You got his attention, Elara. His loyalty. His heart. And what did you do? You rejected him, same way you were rejected. Yet he stayed. I just don’t know what he sees in you.”

“I never asked him to”

“But he did!” Theresa said immediately, her eyes glancing straight into mine with hatred.

“And that’s all that matters, isn’t it? That somehow, even when you don’t want it, the world bends to give you what others long for.”

Dan’s voice was steel. “Leave our presence.”

Her smile delayed, turning into a sneer. “Gladly.”

She turned sharply, her footsteps echoing as she walked toward her work stand. Neither Dan nor me stopped her, we thought it was anger, nothing more. Just another friend too bitter to stay.

“I honestly don’t understand why she is soo obsessed with you.” I said turning my head in disappointment.

“And why don’t you want to give her a chance, I was never interested in you?” I said looking at Dan.

He immediately turned over else where like he is ignoring me.

“Are you hiding anything from me ?” I asked as I turned his face towards mine.

He frowned in regret and said “To be honest, she’s my ex girlfriend, we only dated for 3 months. I tried enduring things she’s capable of, till I found out she slept with my best friend, so I ended things with her.”

I signed as silence broke in again between us.

“So what’s your response to my offer?” He said, breaking the silence.

Deep in my heart, I have already fallen for him but I wanted to give myself a chance not to. Thinking of my son, I decided to give in because I wouldn’t want to see him suffer nor fatherless.

“Yes…. I have decided to start a new life with you.” I said looking at my son for a moment. “I don’t want him to suffer like I did, I want him to grow up with love and care.”

“You made the right decision Leah, and I promise not I let any harm come to you both.” He said as we both smiled.

Outside, Theresa paused beneath the pale wash of moonlight. Her chest soo heavy, fury clawing at her ribs. She reminded herself, she had come to be the friend she once was. But seeing Dan close to me, the care and love filled in his eyes, the loyalty in his stance, something in her damaged beyond repair.

She folded her hands in grief, her nails dug into her palms as she murmured to the night.

“If she won’t lose him on her own, then I’ll help her myself and make sure she looses him.”

Her eyes shined with cruel resolve.

“I think it’s time, the Alpha needs to know the truth, Leah’s secret, the mate he rejected bore him a son.”

And with that thought, Theresa left with grief, envy, anger and sadness. Her heels cutting through the silence, her heart already holding onto a betrayal no one could ever imagine.

What will Damien do when he discovers his rejected mate bore him a son… his bloodline…. An heir?