Zara

Alpha tried to speak to me again, but I was too grief-stricken to listen. Hiding under the covers, I refused to turn my head in his direction or continue talking.

But I could hear him pacing around the room and knew he hadn’t gone anywhere.

How could I even tell him? I wasn’t sure myself and knew I needed to see a doctor first to confirm.

I waited for him to leave the room. Hearing the door slam, I reached for my phone.

The real question was, how to talk to Alpha about this? He’d probably deny the baby was his, knowing I’d slept with someone else.

This was much worse than I could have imagined.

Maybe I should leave here and go back to my dad. I couldn’t bear this heartache any longer, and with a baby on the way, I couldn’t afford any risks.

Perhaps a final search of his room and closet to find any clues. I want to know what shadows are demanding of him.

Gathering my strength, I finally got out of bed and dragged myself to the closet. Locked inside, I took out a strip of paper wrapped in tissue paper and put it in my bag.

Zipping up the bag, I hid it in the closet and turned to face him.

Something, anything, to give me direction. A document or a clue that would let me know he was somehow connected to the present or future disasters in my life.

I checked his clothes, his pants and coat pockets, his drawers, but nothing.

In my desperation, I was on the verge of a breakdown again when I noticed something stuck under his shirt and between two shelves.

As if someone had hastily tried to hide something. I pulled out something that looked like soft black fabric, hidden under his clothes.

But when I pulled the fabric out, it unfolded in my hands, revealing a mask inside. The most disgusting mask I’d ever seen. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

I let out a scream as it fell from my hands to the floor, and I stepped back in horror.

The mask looked exactly like the one my stalker had worn in the video he’d sent me for Christmas. There was no doubt about it, after all, I’d barely slept that night.

Now she looked at me mockingly, as if mocking the fact that the truth had been right under my nose, and I still hadn’t figured it out.

There was no longer the slightest doubt that Alpha or shadows was indeed my tormentor and stalker.

My ragged breathing was interrupted by agonizing attacks, and my eyes nearly bulged from their sockets with horror and shock.

How could he? No, no, he can’t be him. He can’t be him. He hired Kaysir to protect me. He did everything he could to protect me.

So how could he? I fell against the wall and finally broke under the weight of Alpha’s truth.

The real Alpha Kane Sterling.

Rage and torment squeezed my throat and sawed me apart from the inside.

The camera he used to watch me...

Lies, stalking, every finger always pointed at him, and yet I remained blind.

A secret room behind a closed door.

All the information about me that my stalker received was immediately. My phone number had changed, and yet he still contacted me because Alpha had given me a new one.

Giving Alpha every chance he could get to be acquitted. All that fake concern he showed. The affection he’d shown me now seemed like a violation.

All those touches, all those flattering words... so-called loving actions.

What a liar, etc.

What a two-faced scoundrel he was. All the love in my heart turned to ashes and dust as I clutched my chest.

Unbearable pain pierced me, as if pierced from below, spreading and twisting like a river of shards of glass, rushing inside me. My knees fell to the floor, and I struggled not to howl.

Trembling with disappointment, anger, and self-blame, I let the disgusting realization crash over me and settle in my stomach.

Alpha was a sick man, mentally and emotionally. And I was most likely pregnant with his child. The truth tied itself inside me like a death noose.

There was no doubt left in my heart. The truth was plain to see.

What was this obsession with me? What had I ever done wrong?

A knot tightened inside me, the blinding truth tore me apart, and streams of tears poured from my eyes.

Crawling closer, I lifted the mask to examine it more closely. I needed proof, and this was enough. I would take a picture of it and put it back where I found it.

My eyes scanned the floor and the black cloth it was wrapped in.

Rage burned within me until nothing remained of me but the words of one man: "I am the Luna and queen, too, and it’s time to rise from the ashes and show him what I’m capable of."

Zara’s condition not only worried me, but also completely disrupted my peace. I tried to talk to her, but she hid under the blanket.

I stood there, staring at her hunched figure. It wasn’t helping; it had to stop. I couldn’t look at her like that anymore.

Hoping she could find peace in solitude, I left her alone to get some rest.

After going down the stairs, I sat down with my mother for evening tea. Even the pleasant smell of cinnamon tea didn’t calm me.

"Did you two fight?" my mother asked casually, her eyes fixed on her tea, trying to make it seem like she was simply asking a casual question. But I knew better.

"Why do you think that?" I picked up my mug and leaned back on the sofa, resting my hand on the armrest and crossing my legs.

My mother’s appraising gaze slid over me as she elegantly set my cup on the saucer.

"I sense tension between the two of you. Though you both try to hide it. Zara seems nervous for some reason. Care to explain?" she asked with deep seriousness, raising her hand and showing me her palm, fingers spread. "Just don’t tell me you’re going to break her heart."

My mother sensed it; she was too cunning for me to hide such a false relationship for so long.

I exhaled and took a sip, giving my brain time to process my answer. The hot drink soothed my throat, but did nothing to soothe my agitated heart.

"You’re overthinking things. She’s just nervous because she couldn’t see her family. I’ll be sending her soon. It’s all right." I forced a slight smile, and my mother simply looked at me before saying,

"I’m warning you again, Kane. Don’t break her heart; the consequences will be terrible." She lowered her head and shook it.