75

75


Jane

My whole world tilted when Vishal told me the Alpha King was still alive, making it hard to breathe.

How could he possibly be alive? I had watched the life drain from his eyes. I had felt his blood on my hands as he collapsed to the floor. I was so sure he was dead that I had barely worried about revenge all this time.

But if he was alive... if he had survived what I did to him...

“No, no, no,” I whispered, my hands shaking. “This can’t be happening.”

A thousand terrifying questions flooded my mind all at once. Why wasn’t he dead? How did he survive losing so much blood?

Why hadn’t he announced to the kingdom that I had tried to kill him? Most importantly, was he hunting for me right now?

“Jane, breathe,” Vishal said, pulling me into his arms. “You’re hyperventilating.”

I tried to follow his advice, but panic was taking over my body. Two years. It had been two years since I escaped, thinking I was free. Two years of building a new life.

Falling in love with Vishal and feeling safe. Had it all been an illusion?

“He must be looking for me,” I gasped. “Vi, what if he finds us? What if he hurts your family because of me? What about my parents?”

“We don’t know anything for sure yet,” Vishal replied. “Let’s not panic until we have real information.”

That’s when I remembered someone who could give us answers.

“Vi, is Raymond still with Ella? Are they mated now?” I asked suddenly.

“Yes, they are both mates,” he responded, looking confused by the change in topic. “She lives in the Alpha King’s pack as the female beta. Why?”

Hope flickered in my chest. “I need to talk to her. Ella would know if he’s really alive. She’d know if he’s been searching for me.”

Without hesitation, Vishal picked up his phone and dialed. The sound of it ringing made my heart pound even harder.

“Hello, brother!” came Ella’s cheerful voice through the speaker.

Hearing my best friend’s voice after two years of silence made tears spring to my eyes. I had missed her so much, but I’d been too afraid to contact anyone from my old life.

“Hello, little sister,” Vishal replied warmly. “How are you doing?”

“I’m shocked that my big brother actually remembered to call me today,” Ella laughed. “What’s going on? You never call unless something’s wrong.”

“Are you alone right now? Is Raymond with you?”

“No, I’m by myself. Ray is handling some pack business for the Alpha King,” Ella said, and her voice turned bitter. “That man never gives us any peace. He’s always sending Ray on missions or making him work late. I barely get to spend time with my own mate anymore.”

My blood turned to ice. She was talking about him in present tense. He really was alive.

Vishal must have seen the fear on my face because he squeezed my hand before speaking again. “Someone wants to talk to you,” he said, handing me the phone.

My voice came out as barely a whisper. “Hello, Ella.”

There was a moment of stunned silence, then Ella screamed so loud I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

“JANE? Is that really you?” she cried. “Oh my God, Jane, where have you been? I’ve missed you so much!”

“I’ve missed you too,” I said, tears now flowing freely. “More than you could ever know.”

“Where are you? Are you safe? What happened to you? One day you were there, and the next day you had just vanished. The King said you had run away, but he wouldn’t tell anyone why.”

Taking a deep breath, I asked the question I was dreading. “Ella, I need you to tell me the truth. Is the Alpha King still alive?”

The line went quiet for a moment.

“Jane, what exactly happened between you two? And yes, he’s alive. Very much alive, unfortunately.”

I felt like I might throw up. “Ray told you what happened, didn’t he?”

“He told me some of it,” Ella announced. “He said the King tried to... hurt you. After humiliating you in front of everyone, he still thought he had the right to...” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

“He tried to rape me, Ella,” I said bluntly. “After everything he put me through, he cornered me in his room and tried to force himself on me. So I defended myself.”

“Ray said you nearly killed him,” Ella whispered. “His throat was cut so deep they could see his spine.”

“I wish he hadn’t,” I murmured bitterly. “I wish he is dead.”

“Jane, listen to me very carefully,” Ella said urgently. “You need to stay hidden. He’s been searching for you obsessively ever since that day. He’s sent spies to every pack in the kingdom. He’s offered huge rewards for any information about you. Ray thinks he’s gone completely insane.”

My worst fears were confirmed. “He’s really looking for me?”

“Like a man possessed,” Ella confirmed. “But Jane, there’s something else Ray told me that doesn’t make sense. After rejecting you, after what he tried to do to you, he’s claiming he wants you back as his mate.”

“That’s impossible,” I breathed.

“I don’t understand it either,” Ella said. “But Ray thinks almost dying changed something in his head. Like maybe he realized what he lost when he rejected you.”

The thought made me sick. “I don’t care what he realized. I never want to see him again.”

“Good, because you deserve so much better than that monster,” Ella said fiercely. “But tell me—why are you with my brother? How did you end up with Vishal?”

Despite everything, I couldn’t help but smile a little. “The Moon Goddess gave me a second chance mate, Ella. Vishal and I are true mates.”

“WHAT?” Ella shrieked with joy. “Jane, that’s incredible! I’m so happy for you! You deserve all the love in the world after what you’ve been through.”

“Thank you,” I said, looking at Vishal who was watching me with concerned eyes.

“This is perfect,” Ella continued excitedly. “When the Alpha King finds out you have another mate, it will destroy him. He’ll realize he lost you forever because of his own stupidity.”

“Ella, I need you to promise me something,” I said seriously. “Don’t tell Ray that we talked. I don’t want anyone in that pack to know where I am or who I’m with.”

“Of course, I promise. Your secret is safe with me.”

We talked for a few more minutes, catching up on everything we’d missed in each other’s lives. It felt so good to hear my best friend’s voice again.

Finally, Vishal gently took the phone from me. “Okay, baby sister, that’s enough catching up for now. Go find your mate and leave us alone.”

“Hey! I wasn’t done talking to Jane!” Ella protested.

“Well, I’m done sharing my mate’s attention,” Vishal said possessively before hanging up.

I stared at him in amazement. “Are you seriously jealous of my best friend?”

“Yes, I am,” he admitted without shame. “I want all of your attention on me. I’ve been away from you for two whole years, and now I have to share you with phone calls?”

Despite everything we had just learned, I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m in love,” he corrected, pulling me close for a kiss.

But before our lips could touch, my phone started ringing again.

“Ignore it,” Vishal murmured against my mouth.

I glanced at the screen and froze. “I can’t. It’s my mother.”

Vishal groaned but stepped back to let me answer.

“Hello, Mom,” I said, trying to sound normal.

“Jane, sweetheart, how are you?” my mother’s voice came through, but something sounded wrong. She sounded stressed and tired.

“I’m good, Mom. What about you? You sound tired.”

“I’m... I’m okay,” she said, but I could tell she was lying. “Jane, I need to tell you something important.”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Just tell her!” I heard my father’s angry voice in the background. “Stop wasting time!”

A chill ran down my spine. My father sounded furious, which was never a good sign.

“Mom, what’s going on? Why is your mate yelling?”

“Your father is sick, Jane,” my mother said quietly. “He’s been having health problems, and the pack doctor says he needs to step down from his position as Beta.”

My heart stopped. “What are you saying?”

“He wants you to come home and take over his role as pack Beta,” she continued. “The pack needs strong leadership, and you’re his heir.”

“I can’t come home, Mom. You know I can’t.”

“JANE!” my father’s voice boomed over the phone as he apparently grabbed it from my mother. “You will come home RIGHT NOW and take your rightful place as Beta. That’s an order from your father.”