Chapter 11

I stepped into my office, barely able to catch my breath. My heels clicked against the tiled floor, each step echoing the unease that had lodged itself in my chest since last night. The silence of the office felt heavier than usual. There were no colleagues around—just the hum of the air conditioner and the smell of paper and stress.

Dropping my bag onto the desk, I sank into my chair. My fingers automatically reached for the stack of pending files, but my thoughts weren’t with the documents. They were back at home. With Jayden’s confused eyes. With Jonathan’s fake smile. With Luna Samira’s name on that damned emergency contact form.

I rubbed my temples, trying to push the chaos away. If I just worked hard enough, maybe I could numb it all again. Drown out the lies, the manipulation, the panic clawing at my insides. Maybe if I worked hard enough, I could stop feeling so small in my own life.

I had barely flipped through two pages when a knock, firm and deliberate, rattled the door. My head snapped up.

"Come in," I called, my voice sounding steadier than I felt. I had learned how to mask pain a very long time ago, especially in front of others. What I hadn't expected was who walked in.

The door opened—and in stepped Alpha Conan, flanked by two guards. I shot to my feet, stunned. My heart stuttered in my chest.

"Alpha—" I bowed slightly, unsure why he was here. Why here? Why now?

He scanned the room, his expression unreadable. Then, he gestured briefly to the guards. "Wait outside."

The door clicked shut, and suddenly it was just the two of us.

I swallowed hard. The last time I saw him, I’d broken down in front of him. Told him things I hadn’t said aloud to anyone else. And now, he was here stepping into my space like he belonged in it. Not that I bothered, it was only odd.

"There’s been an incident," he said finally, his voice low and calm. "In a neighborhood close to your home. Nothing major yet, but it raised concern in the council. It affects pack safety."

I nodded, forcing myself to stay still. “Was anyone hurt?”

"No. Not yet. But they've offered to place specialists that are watching more closely now. Which means, we need to be more careful."

He walked around slowly, scanning the office like he needed to memorize it. I stood with my hands at my sides, the tension curling at the base of my spine.

Was that really why he came here? Because of the neighborhood?

Or was it because of Jonathan? Me? The ring? Did he suspect that I was slipping?

Alpha Conan turned to face me again, eyes gentler now.

"How are you doing, Maya?"

The question caught me off guard. So soft. So human.

My lips parted, but I didn’t know what to say. That I was falling apart? That I hadn’t slept in two nights? That my son was being brainwashed and my husband kissed me with the same mouth he whispered lies into?

I inhaled shakily. "I’m... surviving. One day at a time."

He nodded, and the silence between us thickened.

I don’t know what made me say it. Maybe it was the way he was looking at me, or how tired I was of pretending.

"How do you feel," I whispered, "about your wife cheating on you?"

He blinked, but didn’t flinch.

"I imagine it should hurt," he said, moving closer until he was leaning against the edge of my desk. "But I didn't choose her, so it doesn't. Not in the way that makes betrayal feel like a dagger."

I stared at him.

"So it doesn’t matter to you?"

"It matters," he said, "but not because I miss her. It matters because our pack is watching. Because every lie she tells makes the ground beneath us less stable. Because Jonathan is helping her destabilize the only thing I’ve spent my life protecting."

My breath hitched. Hearing it from him—what I’d feared but hadn’t confirmed—it made my knees weak.

"So you do know," I said quietly. "That he’s helping her."

He nodded once. "Yes. I know more than I’ve told you. But I can’t move without proof. Not yet."

A part of me wanted to cry. The other part wanted to scream. "What if I lose Jayden before you get your proof? What if—"

"You won’t lose him," he said, cutting me off. "That child knows who his mother is. Deep down, no amount of ice cream or lies can erase that."

My shoulders slumped. I sat back down, letting the chair carry the weight I’d been holding up for too long.

He watched me in silence. Then, his voice dropped.

"Can I ask you something?"

I looked up. "Of course."

"Why haven’t you broken yet?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Most people would’ve packed up and run. Or stayed quiet. But you keep pushing. You keep looking them in the eye and pretending. Why?"

The question hit deeper than I expected. I looked away. "Because Jayden deserves better. Because if I break now, I lose everything. Because someone has to remember the truth."

He was quiet again, and I felt the weight of his gaze.

Then I asked the question I’d never dared to before.

"Did you ever see her... as a woman? Samira. Not just your Luna, not just your political match. Did you ever look at her and think, 'I could love her'?"

The words floated between us, fragile and dangerous.

He straightened slowly, folding his arms.

And then—just before he opened his mouth to speak—the door creaked open slightly. One of the guards leaned in.

"Alpha, the council is waiting."

He gave a single nod.

"We’ll talk later," he said, his voice low. Then he left, the door shutting behind him.

And I sat there, alone, with my question still hanging in the air.

Waiting.

And my skin buzzed with a forbidden energy.