Derek turned from the window, eyes wide with bewilderment. "You did what?"

Declan looked away, shame burning across his cheeks. "I know," Declan said quickly. "I know. I woke up the next morning and I knew immediately what I’d done. I was ashamed.

"She is Jasper’s little sister, and I shouldn’t have touched her, and said things I should never have said." He looked directly at Derek. "I was too ashamed to tell you. That was wrong of me and I’m telling you now."

Derek said nothing. He walked back to his desk and sat down heavily, as though the walk across the room had taken something from him.

He looked exhausted. His hair was dishevelled, his shirt slightly rumpled, the sharp, controlled presentation he usually maintained entirely absent.

Kira still wouldn’t let him near her, wouldn’t even listen to an explanation, and it was slowly driving him insane.

Dr Adah had been his only source of information, calling every ten minutes as promised, each update telling him she was stable, she was resting, and she was not asking for him.

Leo had been mournful and restless since yesterday. Derek still hadn’t gone to see Ruby. He didn’t trust himself not to rip her apart.

He was waiting for Connor to return with solid proof of what was in that container he had found.

He laced his fingers together on the desk and looked at them. "I need to tell you something as well," he said.

Declan stopped moving.

"Ruby and I." Derek paused. "I had a secret affair with her, too. A couple of times. Especially when I was at my lowest."

He said it plainly, without dressing it up. "I always felt wrong about it afterwards. I knew it wasn’t fair to Jasper’s memory, and I could never fully explain to myself why it kept happening because I never wanted it to. That was one of the reasons I decided it was time to get married."

He looked up. "I know that now. I only just understood it the day she pushed Kira down the stairs."

He leaned back in the chair.

"She’s been wearing some kind of aphrodisiac scent. That flowery perfume she always puts on... I had always noticed it without understanding why it affected me the way it did."

That day in the study, when she came in wearing it, she told me she was wearing it, and that was when it all hit me." His jaw tightened.

"The first time Ruby and I were ever intimate, I had been drinking with her in my kitchen. I had attributed it to the alcohol. That sudden overwhelming craving that made no sense to me afterwards."

"The second time, I wasn’t even drunk. I had just walked into her, almost naked in the living room, and within three minutes, I couldn’t think straight."

"The third time was the same." He was quiet for a moment. "Every single time, that perfume. It was always concentrated whenever we had sex."

Declan sat down slowly in the chair across the desk.

"Must be what had worked on me too," Declan said, almost to himself. "We forgot that her mother was the best healer and herbalist in the West. Ruby grew up in that house, learning everything her mother knew." He shook his head. "We forgot completely."

"I trusted her so completely," Derek said. "I shouldn’t have."

They sat with that for a moment.

A knock came at the door. It opened, and Connor stepped in, closing it behind him. He bowed briefly, read the atmosphere in the room without commenting on it.

"Your Grace."

Derek straightened. "Go ahead."

"First. Milo Vaughn had gone missing from the pack. His son remains in the care facility, but Milo himself has not been seen since the evening of his release. We have no trail yet."

Derek rubbed his temple. "I need security doubled wherever the Queen is present. At all times. Bring Milo’s son to the mansion, and arrange the best caregivers for him. If he came back for his son, he’ll have to go through me first."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"The vehicle?"

"We have not yet located it. The investigation is still ongoing, and we have leads we are still running down."

"And the herb?"

Connor stepped forward and placed a piece of paper on the desk.

"The substance inside is derived from a rare herb. It’s a common appetiser when used in small amounts. But with prolonged use, it causes miscarriage."

Derek’s body went still, as he stared at the herbal report.

"Almost undetectable unless someone admits to taking it," Connor continued. "And with continued use beyond that, it causes permanent damage to the womb."

Derek’s eyes had widened slightly, the only crack in his composure. That was what Ishita had been trying to tell him that night in the kitchen.

"How did she know?" Derek said, more to himself than to anyone in the room. "How did Ruby know that my wife was supposedly pregnant?"

Declan lightly cleared his throat.

Derek looked at him.

Declan looked so sheepish and ashamed that it was almost laughable. "I... might have told her that too."

Connor looked from Derek to Declan and then back at Derek, but made no comment.

"Should I arrange for Ruby’s formal interrogation, Your Grace?"

Derek shook his head slowly. "No."

"I’ll do it myself." Derek’s voice had gone very quiet, the particular quiet that in Derek’s case was considerably more alarming than volume. He stood from the desk.

"She knows too much about my marriage. From all I’ve found out about her, she will try to blackmail her way out of this." His eyes went cold. "I would like to watch her try."

***

Ruby rose from the mattress, smoothing down her dress with quick, irritated hands. Behind her, the young gamma sat up, grabbing his trousers and pulling them on with a satisfied grin.

She felt nothing but disgust. Sleeping with a low-ranking gamma was beneath her, but Ruby didn’t care at this point. As long as he served his purpose, she would stomach it.

He was the gamma who brings her food, and Ruby knew exactly how to use her body.

She was pulling her hair back when she felt his arms wrap around her waist from behind, his lips finding her neck and pressing sloppy kisses all over.

"One more round, Miss Ruby?" he murmured against her skin, voice thick with want.

Ruby’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her first instinct was to shove the stupid boy away and slap that smug look off his face.

But she forced herself to stay calm, plastering on a sweet smile instead. She had already decided his fate — once she was free, this idiot would disappear quietly.

She turned in his arms, arranging her face into something soft and promising.

"You’ll get more of this," she purred, tracing a finger down his chest, "if you follow my instructions tonight. Do exactly what I say, and I’ll see to it personally that your rank is elevated, with better pay, and everything you deserve. But right now, you need to leave."

The gamma’s eyes lit up like a child promised sweets. He nodded eagerly, kissed her cheek and finally left.

Ruby watched the door close behind him, and her smile dropped immediately, like a mask hitting the floor. She opened her mind-link and reached out to Sasha, pacing the small room like a caged tiger.

Time was running out on her.

Sasha’s mental voice came through, panicky and hoarse. Ruby...

What’s going on? Ruby demanded. Did you do it?

Jerry. Sasha’s voice cracked even through the link. He’s been sick since yesterday evening. I’ve been at the hospital all night, Ruby. I haven’t slept, I haven’t—

Ruby stopped pacing, fury rising hot and fast. Time is running out, Sasha. You know that.

I can’t. The words came out broken. I can’t kill someone. Especially not now. Not like this. My son is lying in a hospital bed and I—

Ruby let out a cold, mocking laugh. Oh, please. You’ve done it before. Her mental voice was quiet and precise and considerably more dangerous for it. Or have you forgotten?

Sasha went silent.

Don’t act like you have a conscience now. You know what happens if I talk, Ruby continued. You know exactly what you stand to lose. Your secret. Your Jerry’s secret. Everything. She stopped pacing. So pull yourself together and do what I asked you.