The forgotten love

Chapter 2

The air was thick with tension as Kaden surveyed the assembled pack members, his gaze sharp and unforgiving. He could practically taste the fear that permeated the room, a heady mixture of sweat and apprehension that only served to fuel his growing rage.

"Let's start from the beginning," he growled, his voice a low rumble that demanded obedience. "Who was the last to see my father alive?"

A hushed murmur rippled through the crowd, uneasy glances exchanged as no one dared to speak up. Kaden's eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin.

"Silence!" he roared, slamming his fist against the wooden table with a resounding thud that made several pack members jump. "I will not ask again."

Ethan Stone stepped forward, his expression etched with trepidation. "Alpha, it was Elena who last saw your father. They were in the training grounds together the evening before his attack."

All eyes turned towards Elena, who visibly paled under the weight of their scrutiny. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, her mouth suddenly dry as desert sand.

"Is this true?" Kaden demanded, his molten gaze boring into her.

Elena swallowed hard, her hands instinctively cradling her swollen belly as she met his intense stare. "Yes, Alpha. But I swear to you, I had nothing to do with what happened to him."

Kaden scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. "And why should I believe you? You, who have been nothing but a burden since this cursed mate bond was forced upon us?"

Elena flinched as if struck, his words cutting deeper than any physical blow. "Kaden, please... I would never betray your father. He was like a father to me, too."

For a moment, a flicker of something indecipherable flashed across Kaden's features, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a mask of cold indifference.

"We'll see about that," he growled, his voice laced with menace. "Ethan, take her to the holding cells. She'll remain there until we get to the bottom of this."

Elena's eyes widened in horror as two burly pack members seized her by the arms, their grips like iron vices. "No! Kaden, you can't do this! I'm innocent!"

But her cries fell on deaf ears as she was dragged away, her desperate pleas echoing down the stone corridor. Kaden watched her departure, his jaw set in a grim line, his mind already racing with the weight of the decisions he would have to make – and the consequences that would surely follow.

As the heavy iron door clanged shut behind Elena, she sank to the cold stone floor of the holding cell, her back pressed against the damp walls. She drew her knees up to her chest, cradling her swollen belly as if to shield her unborn child from the cruelty of the world around them.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, leaving glistening tracks in their wake. How could Kaden believe she was capable of such treachery? After everything they had been through, did he truly think her capable of harming his father, the man who had been like a father to her as well?

The weight of his accusations pressed down on her, suffocating her with their magnitude. She had always known Kaden resented the mate bond that bound them together, but to be treated like a common criminal, a traitor to the pack – it was more than her heart could bear.

A sudden flutter of movement from within her womb jolted her from her despair, a reminder of the life she carried, the innocent being caught in the crossfire of this nightmare. She splayed her trembling fingers across the taut skin of her belly, willing her child to feel her love, her unwavering devotion.

"I will protect you," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "No matter what happens, I will never let anyone harm you."

As the hours ticked by, the shadows in her cell grew longer, the weight of her isolation pressing down upon her like a shroud. She could hear the muffled sounds of activity beyond the door, the hushed murmurs and hurried footsteps of the pack members as they carried out their duties.

And through it all, a single thought echoed in her mind, a mantra that kept her from slipping into the depths of despair: Kaden would see reason. He had to. For if he didn't, she feared what would become of them – and the fragile life she carried within her.

The distant howl of a wolf pierced the silence, a haunting reminder of the world she had once been a part of, now seemingly out of reach. As she listened to the mournful cry, a chill ran down her spine, an uncertainty of the darkness that lay ahead.