Semua Bab Alpha's Second Choice : Bab 41 - Bab 50

Jo began to speak.But as she opened her mouth, the words wavered. The weight of the past, the grief, the confusion all swelled in her chest, aching to spill, but somehow still lodged in the back of her throat. Her fingers trembled against the edge of the blanket.Dante reached for her hand, warm and steady. “You don’t have to force it.”Jo let out a soft breath, steadying herself. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you… It’s just—everything feels like it’s changing so fast. You knowing what I am… it’s a lot.”Jo’s breath hitched.She should’ve been terrified. Exposed. But instead... she felt strangely relieved. Maybe some part of her had always wanted him to know.“You’re quite the eavesdropper,” she said, sighing in defeat, attempting to pull her hand back. But Dante didn’t let go.“In my defense, I really tried not to listen. But with Alpha hearing? I can’t help it. And when it’s your mate’s voice... it cuts through everything else like a flame.”Jo rolled her eyes, but a smile tug

Lucy stared at her mate as if he’d grown a second head. She had to have misheard him. Surely.Caleb exhaled and rubbed at his temples, pacing a little like he was trying to find the right version of the truth.This wasn’t like him. Caleb was always loose-shouldered, playful, the type to crack a joke even during a crisis. But tonight, he looked too still. Too serious.“I am sorry, Lucy,” he said finally.Her heart dropped.“Most Alpha heirs have arranged marriages,” he added, his voice low. “It’s about alliances. Politics. Pure Alpha bloodlines. I’ve always been expected to marry the daughter of an Alpha.”Lucy blinked. “And you’re just telling me now?”“I wasn’t planning to follow through with it,” he said quickly. “But they’re pressuring me. My parents. The council. Everyone.”Her jaw clenched. “Then maybe you should go be a good little heir and marry your perfect little Alpha princess. I hope you both have strong pups. And gods forbid you dirty your pure bloodline by considering some

Victor didn’t know when it began—when she crept under his skin, haunting every waking thought. But Jo was the only one he saw now. The only one he dreamed of. Somewhere between her fiery eyes, that wild cascade of red hair, and the siren’s voice that sounded like it was plucked straight from heaven, he had fallen. And he had fallen hard.But now, as his confession echoed through the still night air, Jo’s world cracked wide open.“You… killed your own father?” Her voice trembled, nearly lost to the wind. “Why, Victor? Why would you do that?”His golden eyes darkened, pain flickering beneath his calm mask. “Because I love you, Jo. Hades ordered me to slaughter your entire family on the day of our wedding.”Jo’s breath hitched. Her pulse roared in her ears. “Why the wedding day? If he wanted us dead, he had the means. He could’ve burned our kingdom to ashes in days.”Victor looked away, breathing deeply, visibly grappling with the weight of what came next.“You killed your own flesh and b

“Victor killed Hades. You know this. But you don’t know why.”Jo frowned. “He told me Hades went mad. That he wanted the Sea Kingdom’s weapon. That Victor—”“—That Victor hesitated because of you,” Belial cut in.She blinked. “You’re saying he spared me… out of mercy?”“Not mercy. Conflict.” His voice dropped. “In the middle of our most calculated mission, he saw something in you that reminded him of who he used to be.”Jo’s brow furrowed. “I don't understand.”“He saw something in you, Jo,” Belial said darkly. “And after spending more time with you, he went against the former king. He wanted to protect you. But now… Victor sits at the very center of the darkness that comes with the underworld throne. And it’s already changing him. It doesn’t strike like lightning—it festers. Quietly. It infects every demon king eventually.”Her breath caught. “So Victor is…?”“Already slipping,” he said grimly. “Have you not noticed it? The growing possessiveness? The way his anger flares without warn

Jo exhaled slowly, her voice a low murmur.“I don’t know why it failed.”Evie blinked. “You mean… it wasn’t Victor?”Jo’s eyes flicked to the firelight, shadows dancing over her scarred cheek. “I gave it everything I had. My intentions were real—raw, even. I didn’t walk into that chamber planning to lie, and I wasn’t afraid of the truth. That Goblet should’ve accepted us.”Sarah studied her carefully. “But it didn’t.”“No,” Jo said softly. “It didn’t.”The former Queen tilted her head. “So… you think it was him?”“I don’t know.” Jo leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. “That’s the part that haunts me. Maybe it was Victor. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was both of us carrying too many secrets, too much shame. The Goblet doesn’t care about feelings—it cares about truth.”Sarah’s voice was quieter now. “Do you regret it?”Jo’s eyes sharpened. “No.”The room held its breath.“I don’t regret what I gave him. Or what I told him. I meant every word. Even the parts that scared me,” she