THE ALPHA'S SILENT BETRAYAL

Chapter 3: Behind Closed Doors

Devlin's POV

For weeks, Jason had been avoiding me on purpose, using his own words—pack business—as an excuse while Chloe enjoyed every afternoon in the pack house as if it already belonged to her. Every time I entered a room, she somehow appeared, and every time Jason left the house to meet with the council, she was never far behind. Whenever I tried to have a private conversation with my mate, another interruption always seemed to come along.

It was beginning to become obvious.

I returned to the pack house early on a Thursday morning and stopped in the sitting room when I heard Jason's parents speaking in their language down the corridor. I held my breath and strained my ears to hear what they were saying, trying to pick out the words as quickly as they were being spoken.

"...conseil..." Charles growled grimly. "Annulation..."

My heart pounded in my ears as my mind worked furiously to put the pieces together. Conseil—I knew that meant council. Annulation meant annulment.

Isabelle said something sharply, and Charles spoke again.

"Chloe... nouvelle Luna... le mois prochain."

New Luna... next month.

I didn't need to understand anything else. I understood the words new and next, and that was enough to put the few pieces of information I had together. The pain in my chest was immediate and searing. The council was planning an annulment, and Chloe was going to take my place within weeks.

I backed away silently before anyone could see me, my heart hammering against my ribs. When I reached the end of the corridor, I finally allowed myself to breathe, my hands already curled into fists.

Next month.

The words echoed over and over in my head.

They had already decided who my replacement would be, and Jason had been perfectly content to allow it to happen.

I stared down at my wedding ring, rolling it slowly along my finger. Four years ago, this ring had represented everything I thought my marriage would become. I'd thought it would mean forever. I'd thought it would mean that no matter what happened, Jason would always be at my side.

Now it felt like a countdown.

I wiped the tear that had begun to gather in the corner of my eye before it could fall. I refused to cry over people who had already decided I was disposable.

That evening, Jason wandered into my office and closed the door behind him. He looked exhausted, his eyes carrying emotions he refused to speak about as he walked toward my desk.

"You've been distant," he said softly.

"That's rich coming from you," I replied, rising to my feet.

"Devlin... you need to trust me. A lot has been going on, and I'm really trying to sort it all out," he said, his voice dipping.

I looked into his eyes. "Why should I, Jason? You've been spending a lot of time with Chloe and ignoring me completely when you should be with your mate. You let your parents walk all over me like a doormat whenever they please, and you do nothing. Now you're here talking about trust?"

My voice shook despite my attempt to control it.

"How do you think that makes me feel, Jason? Don't you think I have feelings too? Don't you think it hurts me to see you ignore me like I never meant anything to you in the first place?"

For the first time in a long while, his eyes flickered with guilt, and he moved closer.

"I'm sorry, Devlin. I never knew you felt that way. I need you to understand that this is hard on me too."

"Jason, I am your mate. Do you even remember that?" I asked softly.

I had to let it out because no matter how much I pretended to be strong, deep down I knew the truth. I loved him, and I could never just switch those feelings off because he was hurting me.

"I really want to trust you, Jason, but you need to be honest with me. Are you doing anything that would make me mistrust you?"

His eyes flickered with guilt.

"What? No!"

The lie came automatically, so defensive that it almost made me laugh.

I was mad at him, but that pathetic part of me still loved him so much. I hated that I still wanted him after everything he had put me through. Maybe that was the worst part of it. I could face Isabelle. I could face Chloe. I could even face the council if they decided to strip me of my title.

But Jason?

I didn't know how to stop loving him.

He stood there in front of me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body, and suddenly I remembered the man I'd fallen in love with instead of the Alpha everyone else saw. The first time we met. The way he used to look at me when we were alone. Our first kiss. The nights when I believed his arms were the safest place in the world.

My chest tightened.

Moon Goddess, I missed him.

I missed being wanted by my mate. I missed his hands on me, his lips against mine, the way one look from those striking blue eyes could still make my heart race no matter how hard I tried to fight it.

I should have stepped away.

Instead, I moved closer.

Before I could change my mind, I slipped my arms around his neck and pulled him toward me.

He stared at me, almost confused.

"Devlin..."

I kissed him before he could say anything else.

For a second, he didn't move.

Then he kissed me back.

The moment his lips met mine, all the anger I'd been carrying seemed to collide with the love I was still desperately trying to bury. I held onto him tighter, almost afraid that if I let go, I'd remember everything again.

He lifted me onto the desk, and I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer.

I didn't want to think.

I didn't want to question him.

I didn't want to remember Chloe waiting outside his study or the words I'd overheard that morning.

For those few moments, I wanted my husband.

I wanted my mate.

I wanted the man who had once promised me that he would never abandon me.

"Jason," I whispered against his lips.

His forehead rested against mine for a moment. His breathing had grown heavier, and his eyes had changed, glowing with the gold of Riven beneath them.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered.

The words hit me harder than they should have.

I closed my eyes, letting myself believe them for just a little while.

"Then look at me," I whispered. "Please. Just look at me."

His eyes stayed on mine.

And for a moment, I saw the Jason I'd been missing.

The man I loved.

The man I had married.

The man I had spent years believing would choose me every single time.

I pulled him closer.

"Don't stop."

His expression tightened, and he kissed me again.

Every touch made it harder to remember why I had been trying to keep my distance. My anger blurred into longing, and my longing turned into something I didn't have the strength to fight.

"Jason..."

He held me tighter.

"I missed you," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I hate that I missed you this much."

He didn't answer.

Maybe he couldn't.

I rested my forehead against his and swallowed the ache in my throat.

"Just for tonight," I whispered. "Let me forget."

His eyes searched mine, and whatever he saw there seemed to break the last bit of restraint he had left.

He kissed me again, and I surrendered to the moment.

For those few minutes, there was no council. No Chloe. No replacement. No whispers about annulment.

There was only us.

Or at least, the part of us I was still desperately trying to save.

When it was over, we were both left breathless.

I lay there for a moment, trying to hold onto the warmth that had settled between us. My fingers rested against his chest as I listened to his breathing slowly return to normal.

Then I looked at him.

And I saw it.

Guilt.

The warmth inside me began to disappear.

Jason immediately pulled away and adjusted his clothes.

"What happened?" I asked quietly.

"Nothing. I should go."

My heart sank.

"Jason..."

He stopped but didn't turn around.

"We just made love," I said, my voice trembling. "Why can't you even look at me?"

He finally glanced back at me.

"I'm sorry, Devlin."

Those words hurt more than I expected.

"No." My voice cracked. "Do I disgust you?"

His face tightened.

"Devlin, it's not you..."

"Then tell me!"

I stepped closer, refusing to let him hide behind another excuse.

"I'm your mate. Your wife. Your Luna. Why do I feel like I'm the only person fighting for us?"

He opened his mouth, but before he could answer, his phone rang.

He looked at the screen.His entire expression changed.

He rejected the call.Then he looked back at me.

"I'm sorry, Devlin."

The phone rang again.This time, Chloe's name flashed across the screen.

Jason didn't say another word.He walked out of the room to answer it.I stood beside my desk, staring after him.

Just like that, I was alone again.

And somehow, the woman who had spent those few minutes believing she still had her mate felt even more betrayed than she had before he walked into my office.