“You’re underestimating her,” Draven muttered, but his voice lacked conviction. “Zerra’s strong. Stronger than either of us.”
Damn right I was.
But even as he spoke those words, his gaze shifted, and I could see the doubt in his eyes, the fear. He had already made his choice. The Draven I thought I knew was gone, replaced by a man too weak to stand on his own.
Ravenna leaned in, her lips curving into a predatory smile. “That’s why we have to act now. Before she finds out. Once you’re Alpha, there’ll be nothing she can do to stop us.”
I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. They were planning to destroy me—both of them. And Draven, the man I had trusted, the man I had loved, was standing there, letting it happen.
He was supposed to be mine. He was supposed to love me. But here he was, letting Ravenna spin her web of lies, letting her plan his rise to power. And I was supposed to be nothing more than collateral damage.
I felt the fire building inside me, but I forced it down. I couldn’t let them see me like this. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they had broken me.
Slowly, I backed away, slipping deeper into the shadows. I had heard enough. More than enough. I had my answers, and they cut deeper than any wound.
Draven and Ravenna had made a mistake—one they would soon regret.
I wouldn’t confront them. Not yet. If they wanted to play games, I’d play too, but on my terms. I would make sure they both paid for this. They thought I was an obstacle? I’d show them just how strong I was.
As I slipped out of the hall and into the cool night air, I felt the full moon’s light on my skin, and with it came a sense of clarity. They wanted to take everything from me—my love, my title, my future.
Fine.
But I would take something far more valuable from them.
And when the time came, I wouldn’t just take it.
I would destroy them.
The cold night air brushed against my skin as I made my way to Kaelen’s Alpha quarters, my mind still reeling from what I had overheard. The betrayal. The lies. Draven and Ravenna’s twisted plot was now crystal clear, and the pain of it was still fresh, sharp like the cut of a blade.
The plan was already forming in my mind, every piece falling into place. But I needed Kaelen. I needed someone I could trust.