CHAPTER TWO: THE ALPHA'S BETRAYAL

Five minutes earlier, Vanessa had slipped into Gabriel's office. She found him collapsed in his chair, unconscious from exhaustion, his breathing deep and even. A cruel smile curved her lips when she heard footsteps approaching down the hall, Elena's footsteps.

Perfect timing.

Without hesitation, Vanessa unbuttoned the top of her blouse and straddled Gabriel's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. She positioned herself carefully, making the scene look as compromising as possible.

The door opened.

Elena stood frozen in the doorway, her face draining of all color as she took in the sight before her. Gabriel's secretary sprawled across her husband's lap, disheveled and intimate.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Elena's voice cracked as she surged forward, grabbing Vanessa's arm and yanking her away from Gabriel.

Vanessa let herself tumble to the floor dramatically, quickly arranging her features into a mask of shock and pain.

"Oh... Elena, why did you push me?" Vanessa cried, her voice trembling.

Gabriel jerked awake, confusion clouding his eyes as he tried to process the scene. His wife stood over his fallen secretary, fury radiating from her.

"Elena," he said slowly, his voice rough with sleep. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing?" Elena's laugh was bitter and broken. "How long has this been going on? Is this why you don't come home at night?"

Gabriel's face hardened as he moved to Vanessa's side, helping her up. "I've told you a billion times, nothing is going on between Vanessa and me!"

"Nothing?" Elena gestured wildly at the scene she'd walked in on. "You call that nothing?"

"Stop overreacting!" Gabriel's growl filled the room. His patience was gone, his temper frayed. He turned to Vanessa, who was still dramatically clutching her shirt. "If Vanessa hadn't convinced the Shadowmere Syndicate to help us, this entire pack would have been finished."

At the mention of the name, Elena's blood ran cold. Her eyes widened. "Wait... wait. Did you just say Shadowmere? But I was..."

Her words faltered, but Gabriel wasn't listening. His glare burned into her as he barked, "Apologize to Vanessa. Now."

"What?" Elena's voice cracked in disbelief. "You want your wife to apologize... to a homewrecker who staged a fall?"

Gabriel ignored her protest, bending down and helping Vanessa to her feet.

Vanessa leaned against him, feigning weakness, her lips curling in satisfaction where Elena couldn't see.

Elena's rage boiled over. She stepped forward and raised her hand to slap Vanessa across the face. But before her palm could land, Gabriel caught her wrist midair, his grip iron-tight.

"Enough!" he roared.

He shoved her back with force. Elena stumbled, her body crashing against the edge of the table. Pain exploded through her side as she crumpled to the ground.

Vanessa, seeing the way Gabriel reacted to Elena, clutched her stomach suddenly and gasped. "Oh, Gabriel, my stomach hurts so badly..." she whimpered before collapsing into his arms.

Gabriel's eyes widened. "Hang on, I'll get you to the hospital."

Without hesitation, he scooped Vanessa up, carrying her out the door. Neither of them noticed the small folded paper Vanessa deliberately let slip from her hand, letting it fall close to Elena's side as they left.

Elena, bleeding and in pain on the cold ground, reached for the paper weakly. She unfolded it with trembling fingers. The words written there stabbed deeper than any wound:

*"Elena, I'm pregnant."*

Her heart shattered. The world around her blurred as tears filled her eyes. Her body gave in to the pain and despair, and she fainted.

When Elena woke again, she was lying in a hospital bed. A doctor stood at her side, clipboard in hand. "You're lucky," he said gently. "A maid found you unconscious and called for help just in time."

Elena's hand instinctively went to her stomach. Her voice cracked with fear. "How... How is my baby?"

The doctor gave a reassuring smile. "Your baby is fine. But you need to rest, you've lost a lot of blood."

Relief washed over her, though her heart still ached.

Not long after, a familiar voice drifted from the other side of the room, separated by a thin curtain.

"The doctor said it's gastritis again," Gabriel's deep voice said.

Another voice, sweet and fragile, answered him. "I told you, you shouldn't let me skip dinner."

Elena froze. Her blood ran cold. She pushed herself upright, tugging the IV stand beside her as she staggered to her feet.

Then she heard it again, Vanessa's voice, dripping with gratitude. "Ah, thank you so much for staying with me, Gabriel. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Heart pounding, Elena gripped the curtain and yanked it open.

There they were. Vanessa reclined on the hospital bed, her head resting against Gabriel's shoulder. His arm was draped around her, though his expression looked more tired than tender. The moment Vanessa saw Elena, her eyes gleamed with malice, but she quickly masked it with a faint smile.

"Gabriel," she murmured, catching his hand and guiding it to her stomach. "I'm already feeling so much better now. Don't worry." She pressed his hand firmly against her belly, making it appear intimate.

Elena's world shattered all over again. "How could you do this to me, Gabriel?" she cried, her voice shaking.

Gabriel's head snapped up, his eyes wide. Quickly, he pulled his hand away from Vanessa's stomach as if burned. "Elena..."

But Vanessa was faster. With a pitiful whimper, she caught his hand again, forcing it back onto her belly. "Don't move, Gabriel. Please, just stay with me."

Elena's tears spilled. Her voice broke with rage and sorrow. "You let her have..."

Gabriel cut her off with a harsh glare. "Elena, what are you doing here? Haven't you caused enough trouble already?"

The words stabbed her harder than the fall ever had. Her face was drained of color. "You're not even going to ask me... why am I in the hospital?"

Before Gabriel could answer, Vanessa let out a sudden cough, weak and dramatic.

"Gabriel..." she whispered faintly, "I'm not feeling so well."

He turned back to her instantly, worry etched on his face. "Are you okay? Do you need some water?"

Vanessa shook her head, her lips trembling as though she were suffering. "Oh, God... I haven't been able to keep anything down all week. Do you think..." She glanced toward Elena with a sly smile. "Do you think Elena could make me some soup? I heard she's such an amazing cook."

Gabriel looked straight at Elena, his tone sharp and commanding. "Of course. Elena, you heard her. Can you make some soup and bring it back as soon as possible?"