chapter 1: THE ALPHA 'S FINAL BETRAYAL

AURENNA’S POV

The sound of laughter made me halt in my tracks.

I was walking through the corridor of the Alpha King's chamber with a letter in my hand. It was a request for peace talks from the Harrow settlements, that I had promised to deliver personally to Zevran before nightfall.

The corridor was quiet as it always was after midnight. I had chosen this time because I knew he would be alone in his private study with no guards, no advisers, no interruptions.

However, the voice I heard from behind the heavy oak door wasn't his. It was hers.

"She actually believed you." Lyssara's voice was filled with amusement. "Every single word. Even now, she still believes it."

I rested my hand on the stone wall to steady myself. The letter crumpled in my grip.

"She believes what she needs to believe." Zevran replied in a calm voice. "That was the whole purpose.”

"Three years," Lyssara said with a laugh. "Three years of watching her stand before her people and convince them to trust you. To open their gates. To put down their weapons. I have to admit, she did a good job.”

"She was useful," Zevran said. "That's different.”

Lyssara grew quieter. "You never cared about her? Not even at the start?"

"Aurenna.” He said my name as if it meant nothing. "She was convenient. Humans trust their own people more than reason. She opened doors that would have taken us years to force open. Entire settlements surrendered because she stood beside me and promised peace. And they believed her."

"And because they believed her, they made themselves vulnerable," Lyssara said.

"Exactly. The Keshar Ridge settlement, the lowland farming towns and the three river crossings that we wouldn't have taken without losing a third of our forces. All of it was handed to us because a human woman cried genuine tears before them and told them the war was over." He paused. "That was what made her effective. The best part was that she believed it too.”

Truly, I believed it. For three years. Three years of marriage. Three years of defending him. I had argued with leaders who called him a monster and a liar. I had walked into villages and convinced frightened people to put away their weapons. I had sat beside dying human soldiers and promised them their sacrifice would bring peace.

But there had never been peace. He had only changed the shape of the war and I had helped him do it. My heart shattered in a million pieces. Before I could think, I pushed the door open.

Both of them turned.

Lyssara perched on the edge of Zevran's desk. Her silver hair fell over her shoulders. She wore one of his robes as if it belonged to her. Zevran stood near the window with a drink in his hand.

In a blink, something flashed on his face. He was calculating.

"Aurenna." His voice remained calm.

"How long?" My own voice sounded strange. "How long have I been a tool?”

Lyssara darted her eyes between us with interest, like someone watching a show.

"You shouldn't be here at this hour," Zevran said.

"How long?"

He set down his glass. When he looked at me, there was no guilt in his eyes.

"From the beginning."

The letter slipped from my fingers. "So the marriage was never about peace." It wasn't a question anymore. "You never wanted peace.”

"Peace was never the goal," he replied. "You were. A respected human woman standing beside an Alpha King and calling it love. Your people trusted you. They lowered their defenses because you asked them to."

"And they died." I choked on the last word. I wrapped an arm around my stomach. "The Harrow settlements. Caldwell. Millhaven. They opened their gates because I promised they would be safe."

"They were necessary," Lyssara said.

I glared at her. "You don't get to speak to me."

"She does," Zevran said quietly.

I looked back at him. "You told me the war ended two years ago. You signed the peace accord in front of thousands of people. I was standing right beside you."

"The war simply changed form," he said. "The agreement bought us time. We needed the Eastern settlements and mountain clans to stop fighting. You made that happen."

"And then you slaughtered them."

He said nothing. He didn't need to.

My legs felt weak. "How many people died because they trusted me?" I whispered. "How many?" Memories flooded my mind; Faces, voices, promises.

"You didn't kill anyone," Zevran said patiently. "You only helped us reach them."

"That's the same thing." A tear slipped down my cheek. "You know it's the same thing."

"You should sit down," Lyssara said with a small smile.

Suddenly, a thought hit me. "I have to warn them." I turned to the door. "The Harrow delegation and the Eastern clans. If anyone is still alive, I have to try. I owe them that much.” I stumbled forward.

Zevran moved instantly with his superhuman speed. His hand closed around my arm before I could take three steps. "Aurenna. I can't allow that."

"Let me go." I struggled against him. "Let me go!"

"You're not leaving this palace tonight."

"You can't keep me here." I twisted free and drove my elbow backward. He caught it easily. "Zevran, people are dying. Whatever I was to you, whatever I am, you don't get to stop me.”

“You're not warning anyone." His voice hardened. "Even if you escaped, it wouldn't matter. The Eastern campaign began three days ago."

I froze.

Three days ago. Three days ago, we had shared dinner and we had spoken about the Harrow letter. He had poured my tea.

"You're going to kill all of them," I whispered. "Every human territory left."

"I'm finishing what should have been done years ago," he said. "Humans and wolves cannot share this world forever. I've simply made the process easier for you to accept."

"By lying to me.”

"By giving you a purpose you believed in. You were happier that way."

I stopped fighting and stared at him in shock. This face I had loved. This man I had trusted. Three years of thinking we were building a better future. Of believing the suffering meant something. They were all lies. I had been living a lie.

"I hate you."

He didn't flinch.

Without thinking, I grabbed a nearby candleholder and swung it at him.

He caught my wrist.

I fought back. I had trained for years. I was stronger than most people expected. But he was an Alpha King and I was only human. I had known that and loved him anyway, had told myself it did not matter because strength without cruelty was not a threat.

I fought until I had nothing left. When it was over, I was on the floor with my back against the wall.

His hand was around my throat, his face calm. "You could have lived comfortably through all of this," he said. "That was my plan. A good life. A respected position. All you had to do was stop asking questions.”

I tried to speak, but no sound came out.

Zevran crouched beside me. "Thank you, Aurenna. I truly mean that. You were exactly what we needed. You exceeded every expectation." He gently brushed my hair behind my ear.

The room began to blur. The candlelight faded. I heard Lyssara speaking, but the words no longer made sense. I heard Zevran answer her.

Then everything grew quiet.

A voice suddenly echoed through the darkness. A voice that wasn't Zevran's nor Lyssara's.

"You still have one chance, Aurenna."

Then everything went black.