Laura’s POVI sat there on the edge of my bed for a long time, staring at nothing in particular. The silence in the room weighed heavily, broken only by the faint crackling of the lantern light burning low on the wall. My hands were still trembling slightly, though I tried to hide it by knotting them together in my lap. I had thought I could summon courage tonight, that I could walk up to Gunner’s study, knock firmly, and finally spill the truth I had buried so long inside me.But I had failed. Again.The truth still sat inside my chest like a stone I couldn’t cough out, and instead of speaking to the man I longed for, I had faced his Beta. And now… now the fear inside me had multiplied.The way he stood there, eyes sharp and unyielding, his voice dripping with authority though he wasn’t even the Alpha—it rattled me more than I dared admit. He had cornered me so easily, storming into my room without hesitation, and though I was supposed to be strong, supposed to be bold enough to face
Laura’s POVI stood before the mirror far longer than I should have, staring at a reflection that felt like a stranger’s. My hair was combed neatly, my gown tied without a wrinkle, yet I hardly recognized the woman who looked back at me. There was a tightness in my chest, a weight pressing down on my shoulders, one that no adjustment of fabric or posture could ease.Tonight, I had made a decision.Enough of hesitation. Enough of circling around my fears and suffocating within them. I would speak. I would tell Gunner everything, whether he wished to hear it or not. His reaction, his anger, his silence—none of it mattered anymore. I would not stop until my heart was emptied before him.The thought alone gave me a strange mix of dread and relief, like a prisoner bracing for both punishment and freedom.Taking in a deep breath, I wrapped my shawl tighter around my arms and left my chamber.The corridor was dim, lit only by a few candles that flickered uneasily against the draft. The silen
Laura’s POVThe night was heavier than usual. The silence within the mansion walls weighed on me as though the very air had chosen to press down against my chest, making each step harder to take. I had waited, hoping Gunner would eventually step out of his study, but hours passed and nothing.The maidens whispered to me when I asked—hesitant, almost afraid to even mention his name—that he had not left his study since returning earlier in the day. Their hushed tones carried pity, or maybe caution, I couldn’t tell. What I did know was that my heart cracked a little more with each confirmation.I found myself at the door of his study before I realized my feet had even carried me there. My hand hovered above the polished wood, trembling slightly.Should I knock? Should I dare disturb him when even his own people seemed reluctant to?For a moment, I simply stood there, listening, straining to hear any sound from inside. Nothing. Not a shuffle, not a movement, not even his breath. Only sile
Jason’s POVI saw her.My mother, gliding out of Anna’s room, her steps far too deliberate, her expression carved into that usual mask of cold victory. She barely looked at me when our paths crossed in the hall, yet I didn’t need her words to know—she had been inside long enough to twist her venom into something sharp.Something in my chest tightened.I paused, watching her retreating figure. She did not falter, did not so much as glance over her shoulder. But I knew her well enough to sense it—her silence was not silence at all. It was a sign that she had planted seeds. Seeds of doubt, of fear, of pain. I clenched my jaw, a heaviness weighing down on me.I feared what she might have said.The thought came like a knife to my ribs: what if she had told Anna about my mate? What if she had spilled truths I was not ready to share, truths that were never meant for Anna’s ears? The way she moved, the smug air that lingered even as she vanished down the corridor—it told me she had gone too f
Anna’s POVI tried to stand straighter than I felt, though my knees wavered beneath me. Confidence was something I had promised myself I would start wearing like a garment, yet in that moment, it seemed the fabric had slipped, leaving me bare. My words, the ones that I thought might defend me, deserted me at the threshold of my lips. What came instead was silence—silence that was heavy, silence that gave her room to fill with her scorn.Jason’s mother did not falter in her tirade. She spoke and spoke, her voice sharp, piercing, almost cutting against my ears as though she wanted every sound to carve its way into my chest. I clenched my hands at my sides, my nails pressing into the flesh of my palms. I did not speak, not because I agreed with her, but because I feared that the wrong words might only make her more determined to hurt me.Her face was a mask of power. She stood proud, as though every syllable was law, as though Jason’s presence somewhere in the house did not matter. She t
Jason’s POVI pressed my fingers against my temples, exhaling through my nose in a long, measured breath. The silence of my study was deceptive, for in my head there was nothing but noise—my mother’s voice, sharp and relentless, repeating the same words I had heard since morning. Words that still gnawed at me now, hours later.She was going to bring her here. My so-called mate.Not just for a day. Not for a polite visit. For a month. A whole month under my roof, in this house, breathing the same air as Anna.I leaned back in the chair, closing my eyes, and the faint scent of ink and old parchment filled my senses. I had been in the middle of reading through reports, but not a single line had entered my mind. Every thought was tangled in the absurd conversation I’d had with my mother earlier.Her voice replayed clearly, almost too vividly.“She is coming, Jason. Whether you like it or not. I will not hear another word of refusal.”I had tried to reason with her. Calmly at first, then w