All Chapters of Beautiful Betrayal: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The door shook again.Luna Lorraine's voice came through it, sharp with disdain."Lycans are nothing but brutes. They have no restraint or discipline. That kind of violence always destroys itself."Azerbel sat quietly, but her words did not sit right with her.That was not what she had seen from Genaro.The night before, he had helped ease her pain when no one else could. Even his unwanted kisses had felt careless rather than cruel.She hated that she was defending him in her mind, especially after everything that had happened.Then Genaro spoke from the other side of the door."Open the door."His voice was calm."Or I'll break it."He did not need to raise his voice. The certainty in his tone was enough.Luna Lorraine's expression hardened before she finally stood and opened the door.By the time it swung open, her expression had changed completely. She looked calm and composed, as if nothing had happened."You should learn patience," she said smoothly. "You're knocking on a woman's

Genaro knew it was Azerbel before he reached the door.Her scent was unmistakable.He followed it until it stopped outside Guerero's room.He froze.The door was closed, but something about the air around it felt wrong. Then he heard a faint voice from inside.His jaw tightened.Azerbel had been Guerero's mate not long ago. A bond like that did not simply disappear, and the thought that she might have returned to him filled Genaro with questions he did not want to consider.Had she chosen this?Had she come here willingly?He had no answers.Then he heard something inside the room that made him stop thinking.Genaro kicked the door open.The frame splintered as he rushed inside.Azerbel was on the bed, barely covered, with Guerero above her.Genaro shifted before he even reached him.His wolf slammed into Guerero with enough force to send him crashing into a table.Guerero tried to recover, but Genaro attacked again.Then Genaro looked at Azerbel.Everything changed.She was not fighti

No one dared ask what had happened.They did not need to.The blood on the floor had already answered enough, and the silence that followed Genaro said even more.Outside the room, the warriors spoke in low voices."What happened to her?""What did the alpha bring back?"Darren sighed."I don't know. I saw what you saw."One of the warriors nudged him."You should ask him.""Why don't you?""Because you're the beta."Darren gave them a hard look."I'm not walking in there just to satisfy your curiosity."That ended the conversation.No one wanted to be the one who entered the room.Inside, Genaro stood by the window while the healer remained beside Azerbel.She checked Azerbel's pulse again, then looked at her breathing."If you need anything," Genaro said without turning around, "say it.""Yes, Alpha."The healer carefully pulled the blanket higher over Azerbel.She had never stood this close to a lycan before, and now she understood why their presence frightened so many people. It wa

Alpha Dave looked at his son.For a moment...he didn't recognize him.This was the man who had ended a war.The one who had killed a lycan alpha.The one who had stood on the battlefield without fear.And yet...standing here...he sounded like a reckless child."Do you want another war?" Dave's voice cracked through the hall.Sharp.Unforgiving."Do you think the other alphas will stand with you?"Silence filled the room.Heavy."They want peace," Dave continued."They want their people back."He took a step closer."What is wrong with you?"Guerero didn't move."What are you going to do then?" he shot back."Let her be humiliated in front of everyone?"His voice shook with anger."With a hundred lashes?""You're just going to stand there and watch?"His words echoed through the hall.Because there was no good answer.Not anymore."Then fix it!" Guerero pressed."You're the alpha!""If she made a plan...then make a better one!"The tension in the room grew even heavier.Father and

They didn't understand Genaro's decision.Not the deal, the price, or the reason behind it. He had freed prisoners and given up his leverage, all for one woman. To everyone around him, it seemed reckless and far too personal.But no one questioned him.This wasn't a discussion. The decision had already been made, and once Genaro decided something, no one could change his mind.Azerbel slept through most of the journey. She wasn't restless or pretending to sleep. She was deeply exhausted, as if her body had finally stopped trying to convince everyone that she was fine.Genaro noticed how quickly she had fallen asleep and how peacefully she remained that way. He didn't wake her. Instead, he found himself watching her longer than he needed to.She looked different when she slept. Without the arguments and questions, there was a quietness to her that made him want to keep looking.He told himself it meant nothing.Yet somehow, it did.By the time Azerbel was fully awake, the land outside h