And I fell for him like an idiot. Now, all I have left is my dignity, or the remainder of it. On top of that, he has the pack’selders on his side. They never truly approved of the way my father led the pack. It was easy for Jordan to win them over. Their new shtick is to keep demanding an heir from me.
It will never happen,Alora says grimly.
Obviously not. I will never bring a baby into this situation.
I don’t like this,Alora says.
I know he is your mate, and you want to—
That’s not it. He could drop dead if it were for me. But we are of alpha blood, Rosea. We should do something. How long do we want to stick it out here?
I frown.I am working on my exit plan. You know that.
Yeah, but Jordanhole is getting more dangerous every day. Last night he strangled you, and you were unconscious for minutes. He is losing his patience.
You think he wants to get rid of us?I ask.
You don’t?
I do, but how? I am his fated mate. He can’t just get rid of me that easily. Although technically, he could make it look like an accident.I shake my head.No matter how he does it, it will always look suspicious on him.
What if he doesn’t care anymore?Alora says.The pack is behind him. He has the support of the elders and the pack’s money. Good thing he doesn’t know of your inheritance.
She is right. It was the only smart decision I made. Shortly before Dad died, he called me to him. He was weakened, yet the doctors weren’t able to find anything. He told me he made sure I had a safety net. Said safety net consisted of all his private wealth. He also advised me to keep it a secret.
I wonder if back then he was already wondering if something was off. Maybe he didn’t suspect Jordan, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his gut feeling told him to be careful.
I didn’t want to keep my inheritance a secret, but when Dad died, I was so struck with grief that I didn’t think aboutit anymore. And once it came back to my mind, Jordan had already begun to change.
Or rather, to take off his mask.
“Luna?”
I turn around when I hear a whisper behind me. There is a young woman with a tray in her hands, her eyes scanning the area behind me frantically. “You have barely eaten. Please, I just baked this.”
“Thank you,” I say, looking at her thoughtfully. She is young. A sweet girl—just joined the kitchen staff. “Sophie.”
“You… you know my name?”
“I know all your names,” I say.
I also know that Jordan sleeps around with the omegas and the staff, but that she isn’t one of them.
“You should leave, Sophie. It’s not safe for you here.” I reach out to touch her shoulder softly. “Thank you.”
She smiles at me before she turns around and hurries away. I keep my eyes pinned on her until she disappears, ingraining her name and her face in my brain.
I guess, in reality, Jordan does not have the whole pack behind him. But does it matter when he has everyone with rank and power supporting him?
two
Betrayal
*ROSEA*
Iam not feeling hungry, yet I try to take a couple of bites, just out of respect for the friendly gesture of the young omega she-wolf. It’s rare nowadays that pack members meet me with kindness. Jordan is good at what he does. He looks handsome, always smiles and can be incredibly charming. He knows how to talk with older pack members, to sway them to his side; he knows how to charm female pack members, and is able to handle the warriors.
I was swayed by him, too. After all, we all were, minus Rory. Rory once told me that there was something off about Jordan’s eyes, that if you cover his mouth and just look at his eyes, he looks cold and vile.
