Chapter 36
1377 Words
Vespera's POV
The kitchen was empty at this hour.
I waited until the servants had gone to bed, until the evening meal was cleared, until there was nothing but shadow and the smell of old herbs.
Greta came in through the back entrance. She looked terrified .
Good.
"Tell me," I said.
"The investigation," Greta whispered. "They found Talia. The trackers brought her back. Freya is working on a spell to break the memory suppression."
My hands clenched into fists.
Talia. Stupid, incompetent Talia. I'd paid her enough to keep her mouth shut even if they found her. I'd given her enough gold to disappear into the southern territories. But apparently the Alpha had sent trackers, and apparently they'd been more effective than I'd anticipated.
"How long until they break the spell?" I asked.
"Hours," Greta said. "Maybe by morning."
"And if she talks?" I pressed.
"Then they'll know you hired her," Greta whispered. "They'll know about the sigil. They'll know about everything."
I turned away from her so she wouldn't see my face. So she wouldn't see the fear that was starting to claw at my chest.
I'd been so careful. So methodical. I'd hired Talia through intermediaries. I'd given the orders while she was under the memory potion. I'd made certain there was nothing that would directly connect me to….
The sigil.
I'd worn my sigil ring while I was giving her the orders. I'd been careless because I'd been angry. Angry that the Solari girl was in the tower. Angry that the Alpha kept disappearing to see her. Angry that he was clearly, obviously besotted despite his efforts to hide it.
"You need to disappear," Greta said. "Take money. Take supplies. Leave the mountain before they can question you."
"And admit guilt?" I asked. "No. If I run, the Alpha executes me in absentia. If I stay, I still have options."
"What options?" Greta asked. "The evidence is right there. Talia will identify you. Your sigil was with her. Your supplies were used to make the potion."
"But there's no witness to me actually giving the orders," I said. My mind was already working through it. Already calculating angles. "Talia's memories are fragmented. The memory potion clouds details. She might remember seeing me, but she won't remember what I said. She won't remember my exact instructions."
"That won't matter," Greta said. "The Alpha will know. He'll execute you just for trying."
"The Alpha won't execute me," I said. My voice was steady now. Confident. Because I understood something Greta didn't. "Because I have leverage."
Greta's eyes widened. "What leverage?"
"The girl," I said simply. "The Solari girl. I know something about her. Something the Alpha doesn't know. And if I'm smart, if I'm careful, I can use that information to buy myself time. To buy myself forgiveness."
"What could you possibly know…..”
"That's not your concern," I cut her off. "Your concern is keeping your mouth shut. You say nothing to anyone.You deny everything if questioned. And you tell Lysandra and Brand to do the same."
After Greta left, I stood alone in the kitchen and tried to think.
The girl. Vivian.The Alpha's impossible mate.
I'd been watching them. Had seen the way he looked at her. The way he couldn't stay away from her no matter how hard he tried. The way the bond between them was growing stronger every day.
And I'd seen something else.
I'd seen her power manifesting.
I'd seen the way glass broke when she touched it. The way the temperature rose around her when she was emotional. The way her eyes shunned with violet light when she was angry or afraid.
The Alpha didn't know the full extent of it. He was too distracted by guilt and the bond to see what was actually happening.
But I saw it.
And if I played this carefully, if I could make the Alpha understand that the girl was more dangerous than he realized, maybe I could turn this around. Maybe I could use her power against her. Maybe I could convince him that keeping her was a risk he couldn't afford.
I went to the Alpha's quarters that night.
He was in the great hall when I arrived, meeting with Silas about something. Their expressions were grim. They barely acknowledged me as I passed.
I went into his private chambers.
It was bold and dangerous move. But I needed him to see me. Needed him to remember who I was to him. Needed him to remember the years I'd spent at his side, the advice I'd given, the loyalty I'd shown.
I was standing at his window when he came in.
He stopped in the doorway. Didn't come further into the room.
"Vespera," he said. His voice was cold. So cold it made something inside me freeze.
"Alpha," I said, turning to face him. I kept my expression soft. Concerned. Like I was worried about him. "I've been thinking about you. About the investigation. About what happens next."
"What do you want?" he asked. His tone suggested he already knew the answer was something he wouldn't like.
"I want to help you," I said. I moved toward him slowly. Carefully. Like I was approaching something dangerous. Which, I suppose, I was. "I want to help you understand what's happening in this pack. What's really happening."
"And what is that?" he asked.
"The girl," I said. "Vivian. She's not what you think she is, Alpha. Her power is growing. I've seen things. Dangerous things. The way she manifests that power, the way it responds to her emotions she could hurt someone. She could hurt you."
For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. Uncertainty. Concern.
Then it was gone.
"Is that all?" he asked.
"There's more," I said. I was close to him now. Close enough to smell him. Close enough to remember what it felt like when he used to look at me like I mattered. "There's a conspiracy. Larger than just the poisoning. People who want to use the girl against you. People who are planning something."
"Are you one of those people?" he asked quietly.
My heart stopped.
"What?" I asked.
"The poisoning," he said. "Talia's memories are almost fully restored. And they're pointing to you."
The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
"I don't know what you mean," I said. But my voice had changed. Had become defensive. Had revealed everything.
"Don't you?" he asked. He stepped back, away from me. Away from whatever I'd been about to do. "Greta saw you. The supplies came from the tower. Your sigil was with Talia when the trackers found her."
"The sigil…"
"Is yours," he finished. "I know it is, Vespera. I've known for hours. And I've been deciding what to do about it."
"Dominic," I said. I reached for him. "Whatever you think happened, whatever you think I did, you have to listen to me about the girl. She's dangerous. She…."
"Is innocent," he said flatly. "Of poisoning the water. Of framing you. Of anything except being the person I love."
The words hit me like a physical blow.
"You love her," I whispered.
"Yes," he said. "And I've been waiting to deal with you until after I made that clear to the pack. Until after they understand that she's mine. That whatever you've done, whatever you've planned, it doesn't matter because nothing will change my mind about her."
I stood there, my carefully constructed plans crumbling around me.
"The investigation is complete," he said. "Tomorrow, you're going to confess. You're going to admit what you did. And you're going to accept the consequences."
"And if I don't?" I asked.
"Then I'll execute you," he said simply. "Right now. For conspiring against your Alpha."
I left his quarters with my heart pounding.
He knew. He'd always known, probably. Or at least, he'd suspected. And he'd been waiting. Waiting for the investigation to finish. Waiting for the moment when he could expose me and move forward with the girl.
I'd miscalculated.
I'd thought I could manipulate him. Thought I could make him see reason. Thought that years of loyalty and devotion would count for something.
But they didn't.
Because he loved her more.
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