Yet still… the rumors had spread. Someone had been careless—or worse, deliberate.
I let the mask slip from my face then, just enough for her to see the weight of the Alpha behind the man. My voice dropped.
“If I find out, Maya, that you have lied to me…” I let the words linger. “If I discover that you are behind this, or that you are hiding something from me now, then I promise you, you will regret it. Do you understand?”
Her sobbing stilled just enough for her to choke out a trembling, “Yes, Alpha. I swear to you...I wouldn’t dare.”
I searched her eyes one last time, searching for cracks, for signs that might betray her. But all I saw was fear, and perhaps, just perhaps, innocence.
“Go,” I said finally, leaning back once more, though the heaviness in my chest did not ease. I couldn't
