006_The Alpha's Proposition

Elora's POV

I felt the color drain from my face as my eyes remained locked on the digits.

"Do you know the owner of the number?" He asked. He seemed to have noticed the look on my face.

"I... I'm," My voice trailed off as my mind went blank. I wasn't sure what was happening.

All I knew was that I started walking, and before I knew what I was doing, I was in front of our home.

I was about to go in when someone held my hand.

"This is?" The old Beta asked.

"My home," I muttered, turning to them.

The Alpha frowned. He seemed to have understood what I was trying to say.

"Do you need help? Maybe we can come with—"

"No," I muttered, cutting him off. "I want to confirm it for myself."

I tried to go in again, but the Alpha held my hand, his grip gentle against my skin.

"Remember, we still don't know what we're dealing with. So if you see anything that seems off, just come out, tell us and we'll handle it together. Don't do anything irrational. Understood?"

I barely heard what he said. It was like I was a puppet being controlled by the strings of my own emotions.

I needed to confirm if he was home—that’s all. He was supposed to arrive later in the evening, and I a lot later in the night.

As I pushed through the door, my breath hitched. Zeke's shoes were on the floor, with a woman's clothes that had been torn apart.

A part of me wanted to turn around, while the other wanted to keep going. And I did the latter.

I kept going.

The moment I got close to his door, I heard moans—raw and frenzied—coming from inside.

The door was slightly opened, and I couldn't help but peer into it.

And then I saw them—Zeke and Charlotte—together, sweat breaking from their skin.

She had her back against him as he thrust into her from behind—the same woman he was meant to be having a platonic relationship with.

A weird pendant dangled from his neck, swinging to the rhythm of their movements.

Suddenly a hand covered my eyes, another spinning me around.

It was the Alpha. I didn't think he had followed me in.

"You don't have to keep looking," He said without moving his lips. He was making use of the mind-link.

Their moans slipped into my thoughts, and I couldn't take it anymore.

Fighting back the nausea that threatened to pull me away, I quietly ran out of the house, moving past the Old Beta.

The tears I had been holding back all came pouring out of my eyes like a dam let loose.

I couldn't believe him. He was cheating on me in our home—in the room that was meant to be for our baby girl.

I held my mouth, stifling my sobs. I didn't want anyone to hear me. Not the Alpha, not the Beta or Charlotte, and definitely not that bastard.

I didn't know what would have hurt more. The pain that came with breaking the mate bond, or the fact that I couldn't feel the heart-wrenching pain at all.

I dropped to my knees as the truth pierced through my heart.

I was wrong. I knew.

Not feeling the pain hurt more. Not knowing that the man I had dedicated seven years of my life was cheating on me hurt more.

It hurt worse than losing my child.

I wasn't sure how long I spent sobbing. But when I turned around, the Alpha and his Beta were still there.

I had overheard the Alpha telling the Beta about seeing the pendant on Zeke. So why were they still here?

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but you'll have to come with us," The Beta said.

I wanted to say no, but I couldn't. I didn't want to be anywhere around the house.

I nodded in agreement.

I was taken to a place I didn't recognize. But on our way there, they said it was a safe place, so I didn't bother. I didn't care.

The moment I settled into a chair behind a table, the atmosphere shifted and the Beta leaned towards me. It was like a professional mode had been switched on.

"I would love to ask you a few questions about your husband," He said to me.

I nodded, not saying anything.

My eyes drifted towards the Alpha who was leaning against a wall opposite us.

"So tell me, when did you start noticing your husband acting weird?" He asked.

I arched my brow, confused.

"I mean, when did you get a feeling that he was cheating?"

I felt an ache in my heart.

"I'm not sure," I replied, looking down.

Then he asked another question, and another, and then another.

Each question did nothing but remind me of how stupid I was in believing Zeke's words when he was actually cheating on me under my nose.

The Beta was about to continue when Alpha Lloyd's voice broke through the interrogation.

"Can you give me a few minutes with her, Xavier?"

The Beta nodded before walking out of the interrogation room.

The room was silent for a while before he spoke up, settling into the seat opposite mine.

"So tell me, Elora Stark, how did you meet your husband?"

My eyes widened in shock when I replayed his words.

"How... How do you know my name?" I asked.

He leaned forward, his arms resting on the table as he smiled. "I know you better than you think Elora. You are a Beta. A strong warrior. And I have to say, I find it all impressive. You should be fighting for your Pack instead of settling for a man like that."

I wanted to speak up, but he continued.

"We suspect your husband isn't just betraying you, but also part of a group that deals with smuggling dark magic artifacts through different Packs."

I was stunned.

He leaned into his chair, crossing his arms.

"Since I took over the Pack's affairs, I've been trying to track down those artifacts. And the one that is mostly in the black market is the type you saw around your husband's neck. This means that if there is magic that is powerful enough to cover up a bond created by the Moon Goddess herself, then there definitely is one that can cover the nature of werewolves. This theory has been traced to hundreds of cases for a few decades."

A chill ran down my spine as his words settled in.

He pushed a list towards me, and I couldn't believe the name I saw at the top.

Henry Stark—my Dad!

My breath hitched. My eyes darted from him to the list.

"We need more evidence and a complete list of their transactions. But your husband is the only lead we have on the case," He added. "And this is where you come in."

"What do you want from me?" I asked, finally finding my voice.

"We believe you are the only one who can gain his trust and help us find evidence against him,” he replied.

Then he leaned forward again, locking eyes with mine.

“So tell me, Elora Stark... are you willing to help us?"