Giovanni’s POVThe silence in the room was suffocating, thick with rage and unspoken promises. My fists curled at my sides as the weight of the truth bore down on me.Aaron stood rigid beside me, his breathing heavy, his jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack.Zoraya was our sister.And Estrella had stolen her.Had tortured her.Had broken her.And Elena—her daughter—had played a role in it too.I exhaled sharply, trying to calm the storm raging inside me, but it was impossible. Every time I pictured the way Zoraya had collapsed the moment she saw Elena, the sheer terror in her eyes, something dark and violent stirred within me.“She was our sister,” Aaron finally said, his voice low and laced with fury. “And we left her there.”His words hit me like a punch to the gut.We hadn’t known. We couldn’t have known. We were still kids, But that didn’t matter now, did it? Because while we had been living our lives, Zoraya had been suffering at the hands of our own Aunt..Mothe
Giovanni’s POV The world around me seemed to blur as I stared at my mother, her words echoing in my mind. “Because she is your sister.” Sister. Zoraya was our sister. I opened my mouth to speak, to question, to demand answers, but no words came. I turned to Aaron, hoping he would say something, but he was just as stunned. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, his jaw set tight as he struggled to process the revelation. “Mother,” I finally managed to say, my voice hoarse. “How… how is this possible?” Mother exhaled, looking down at her hands as if she were gathering the strength to relive a past she had buried for too long. Then, lifting her gaze, she met our eyes with a sorrowful intensity. “It’s a long story,” she said softly. “One filled with pain and betrayal. But you deserve to know.” She gestured for us to sit, and despite the storm raging inside me, I obeyed. Aaron remained standing, his body rigid, his eyes burning with emotions he wasn’t ready to voice.
Zoraya’s POV The days were passing, and yet, the weight in my heart never lessened. No matter how much I tried to accept my circumstances, there was always something clawing at my mind, reminding me of what I had lost, of what had been taken from me. But amidst the darkness, there was light. And his name was Axel. I didn’t know how or why, but he never left my side. He stayed through my silence, through my uncertainty, through the nights where I struggled to sleep, haunted by memories I wished I could forget. Today was no different. As I sat by the window, gazing at the world beyond the palace walls, I felt his presence before I even saw him. “You should eat something,” Axel’s voice was soft but firm as he stepped inside. I turned my head slightly to look at him. His golden eyes studied me with concern, and when I didn’t move, he sighed, setting the tray of food down on the small table beside me. “Zoraya,” he murmured, crouching beside my chair. “You need to take
Zoraya’s POVThe next few days passed in a blur. I wasn’t sure how to feel about everything. The warmth of Axel’s presence, the way he stayed close, as if afraid I would disappear. The way Queen Melody always seemed to be watching over me with a careful, protective gaze.It was overwhelming.For the first time in my life, I wasn’t alone.But I didn’t know what to do with that.I wasn’t used to people caring. I wasn’t used to waking up and knowing someone would be there.Even though I had spent years in Jayden’s pack, I had always been alone. An outcast. A shadow.And now?Now I had a mate who swore to stand by me. A mother who looked at me as if I was the most precious thing in the world.And an unborn child growing inside me.A child I had yet to accept.A child I wasn’t sure I could love.I sat on the bed, staring out of the window when I heard the soft knock on my door.I turned my head slightly as Queen Melody entered, her expression warm but cautious.“How are you feeling?” she a
ZorayaAxel’s hand was warm against mine, his touch grounding me as I struggled to hold back the flood of emotions swelling within me. I hadn’t expected him to do this—to acknowledge my unborn child with such tenderness. I had feared disgust, rejection, even silent resentment. But instead, I was met with understanding.“I don’t know what the future holds,” he murmured, his voice steady, “but I know one thing—I want to be in it with you.”Tears stung my eyes again, but this time, they weren’t just tears of sadness. There was something else there, something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Hope.I looked at Axel, trying to understand how someone like him could exist. A man who could accept me despite my past. Despite the child that wasn’t his.But was it fair?I wasn’t whole. I wasn’t the kind of woman a powerful Alpha like him should be tied to. I was broken, carrying the consequences of my past, the product of Jayden’s cruelty.Why would Axel want me?As if reading my thoughts, he tighte
ZorayaAxel’s arms around me felt like the safest place in the world. For so long, I had been alone, unwanted, discarded like I was nothing. But here, in his embrace, I felt something I never thought I would—a sense of belonging.His words echoed in my mind. You are not secondhand to me. You are not ruined.But how could I believe that?I had only been with one man before, and that was Jayden. And I knew now that whatever he had done to me that night had led to the child growing inside me.A child born from a man who never wanted me.A child from the same lips that had whispered sweet nothings to me in secret but called me an animal in public.Silent tears streamed down my cheeks as I clung to Axel. My body trembled with emotions too overwhelming to contain. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to accept that he truly meant what he said.But how could I, when the scars of my past were so deep?I pulled back slightly, my eyes searching his. Axel’s expression was unreadable, his blue eyes