All Chapters of THE ALPHA'S BETRAYAL: Chapter 41 - Chapter 49

I couldn't sleep. The bed was too soft, too big. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Arlene's silver gaze and her perfect smile. I got up and put on my robe. The manor was quiet now. Everyone had gone to bed hours ago. I opened my door slowly and stepped into the hallway. The moonlight came through the tall windows, casting long shadows on the walls. I walked down the hall, my bare feet silent on the cold marble floor. I wasn't sure where I was going. I just needed to move, to do something other than lie in bed thinking about Carlos and Arlene together. The manor was different at night. During the day, it had seemed beautiful and grand. Now it felt cold and strange. The paintings on the walls seemed to watch me as I passed. The shadows moved in ways that made my skin crawl. I turned down a corridor I hadn't seen before. This part of the house felt older. The air was thick and heavy. My footsteps echoed softly. At the end of the hall, I found a door. It was different from the other

I dreamed of thorns. They surrounded me on all sides, thick and twisted, reaching out like hands. The thorns were black and sharp, taller than trees. They pressed closer and closer until I couldn't move. Then something grabbed me from behind. A force I couldn't see. It dragged me forward through the thorns. They tore at my skin, my clothes, my hair. I screamed but no sound came out. The thorns cut deeper and deeper. I felt my blood running down my arms, my legs, my face. But the force kept pulling me through. I woke up gasping. My heart was racing. Sweat covered my body. I touched my face, expecting to feel blood. My fingers came away wet, but not with sweat. With blood. I sat up quickly and looked at my arms. Light scratches covered my skin from my wrists to my shoulders. They were thin but real. Fresh. Still bleeding slightly. I looked at my legs. More scratches there too. But how was that possible? It had been a dream. Just a dream. I stood up and walked to the m

We covered the maid's body with an old cloth and left the room quickly. My hands were still shaking from what we had found. "We need to expose Arlene," I said as we walked back toward the main part of the manor. "But we have to be smart about it." Rowan nodded. "What do you have in mind?" I stopped walking and turned to face him. "I have an idea. But I need you to trust me." I whispered my plan to him. His eyes widened as I spoke, but when I finished, he nodded slowly. I took a deep breath and walked toward my room. It was time to face Arlene directly. I sat on my bed and waited. After about ten minutes, I heard footsteps in the hallway. I called out in a sweet voice. "Arlene? Could you come here, please? I'd like to speak with you." The footsteps stopped. Then I heard her voice, cautious. "Of course, dear. Is everything all right?" She appeared in my doorway, her silver eyes curious. She was wearing another beautiful gown, this one pale green silk that made her loo

"Arlene, stop!" I shouted, taking another step toward her.She froze on the stone railing, her body swaying in the wind. Her silver eyes met mine, wild and desperate."Look at yourself," I said, my voice shaking. "You have so much power. So much beauty and grace. Do you really want to throw it all away for nothing?"Arlene's face crumpled. She stepped back from the edge, her feet finding solid ground again. But her eyes never left mine."If you weren't here," she whispered, her voice broken, "Carlos would have been mine. He would have chosen me."I threw my head back in frustration, a sound escaping my throat that was part laugh, part scream."Are you that delusional?" I demanded, staring at her. "Don't you see that you've caused so much damage? That you've hurt people with the way you think? With your obsessive behavior?"Arlene's eyes flashed with anger. Tears still running down her cheeks."Carlos loves me," she said, her voice growing stronger. "He does. Maybe he'll finally see it