a P

ies between reality and nightmares blurred into a terrifying tapestry of pain. In the twilight between sleep and waking, I was back in the freezing snow, feeling the warm life seep out of me, red and relen

ed me from the dark abyss of my nigh

d ever shown me a shred of genuine kindness. Her face was etched with exhaustion, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. Seeing me awake, she let out a shaky sigh of relief and gently w

soul, but the brutal reality of my situation quickly extinguished it. "Thank you

rumors... about you and the Alpha King... and the baby. How could

k. I couldn't tell anyone my true identity or my plan, n

ily and tried to distract me from my misery. "Let us watch some news," she suggested soft

ned to a major local news channel. The headline s

ely linked through his, was Cleo Rivera. She was wearing a stunning, custom-made white dress that looked suspiciously like a bridal gown, her makeup flawless, her smile a p

m. "Can you comment on the sudden rumors of your reconciliation with Ms. Rivera

ached out and took Cleo's hand, lifting it up for the cameras to see, his fingers intertwining with hers in a blatant displa

declared to the world. "As for anything else, or anyone else, it was a mere mi

nderst

most importantly, my lost child-my forcibly murdered baby-were all casually dismissed as a misunderstanding. He was proudly protecting his true

ut the rumors that Ms. Rivera betrayed the Pack when

all to respect my chosen mate. What happened in the past was the result of malicious slander and unfortunate circumstances. Cleo is, and alway

so deeply that he was willing to go to war with the media for her honor. He cherished her so much that he let m

g the remote onto the table. "Do not watch this garbage, Aria

y husband. She didn't understand. She couldn't possibly comprehend that my heart was not breaking from love, but from the sheer, terrifyi

g blankly at the dark screen of the t

ve of my child? I thought to myself, a cold, calculating calmness settling over my mind. Then I will

lingering threads of the mate-bond so I could truly escape his radar and disappear into the shadows. I loo

t I am going to have to use