Chapter 274 The Betrayer's Tears

Chapter 274 The Betrayer's Tears

TRISTAN

My breathing hitched, coming back in slow waves. My muscles felt like lead, heavy and sluggish, but beneath the exhaustion, my wolf was already stirring, claws digging into the fog of unconsciousness.

My body was healing faster than any wolf’s, the steady burn of my Alpha blood knitting bone and sinew back together.

I kept my eyes shut, letting the darkness fade.

Then, it hit me. Yelena.

The image of her face burned behind my eyelids. I remembered the weight in my pocket... the ring, the promise I had been seconds away from making.

I had been ready to ask her to be my mate, my life, my Luna.

But then, the world had tilted.

The floor had rushed up to meet me, and everything went black.

Where was she? Was she hurt?

The panic was a cold claw in my chest, sharper than any wound.

I forced my eyelids to flutter open, desperate to see her face. Before I could even adjust to the light, a hand slipped into mine. It was soft, familiar, but it wasn't the warmth I was searching for.

I snatched my hand away as if burned. I knew that touch. My eyes snapped open, locking onto Livia.

The air left my lungs.

Why was she here?

Where was Yelena?

The questions spiraled, turning into a sick dread.

Had something happened to her?

I tried to shove the heavy quilt aside and scramble out of bed, but Livia lunged forward, pressing her hands against my chest to stop me.

"You’re not strong yet, Tristan. You can't go out," she sobbed.

I glared at her, my lip curling. I didn't care about the IV drips or the weakness rattling my bones. I was the one who had been brought down, yet she was the one weeping.

It was suffocating. I stared at her hand on my arm and then looked her dead in the eyes.

"Remove your hand, Livia," I said. My voice was a low growl, barely a whisper, but it carried the weight of my status.

She didn't move. She just stared at me, her face pale, tears tracking messy paths down her cheeks.

"I’m sorry, Tristan. I didn't mean for this to happen," she choked out, her shoulders shaking with heavy, ugly sobs. "You weren't supposed to be on the bed. Please, just forgive me."

I didn't want her apologies. I didn't want her excuses. I didn't want to hear a word that came out of her mouth. Every second I spent in this room with her felt like a betrayal to the woman who actually belonged by my side.

"Get away from me, Livia," I said, my voice trembling with suppressed rage. "None of your tricks are going to work on me anymore. I’m going to find my Luna."

I shoved past her, ignoring the gasp that tore from her throat. My legs felt like jelly, wobbling beneath me, but I forced them to hold my weight.

I stumbled toward the stand, my fingers fumbling for my phone, but my hands were shaking to hold it.

I shoved it into my pocket, swearing under my breath. I didn't need a screen. I needed Daniel. He would know. He would be outside, or there would be a guard, a pack member or someone who knew where Yelena was.

I reached the door and gripped the handle, my knuckles white.

Before I could turn it, the door swung open on its own.

Daniel stood there. Behind him, four of my best guards were lined up, their eyes glowing with a feral, predatory light. They looked like they were ready to tear the walls down.

Daniel’s face softened the moment he locked eyes with me. He let out a long, shuddering breath, a grin breaking across his face.

"Alpha. You’re finally back."

In a blur of motion, he crossed the room and pulled me into a crushing embrace. The guards behind him bowed, their heads low, their loyalty radiating off them like heat. I let out a sharp, pained chuckle, clapping him on the shoulder.

"You’re going to break my neck, Daniel," I rasped.

He pulled back, his expression turning grim as he glanced over my shoulder toward the bed. "Well, let them try. No one in this world is going to kill you, Alpha. Not even this snake who dared to call herself a woman."

He pointed a finger at Livia.

She had retreated to the corner of the room, her head buried in her hands.

My skin crawled. I looked from Daniel to Livia, the pieces of the puzzle starting to slide into place with a sickening click. The wine. The dinner. The way I had felt my heart seizing in my chest.

Daniel took a menacing step toward her. "I figured you didn't try to run because you knew there wasn't a corner of this territory where we wouldn't sniff you out."

I turned slowly to face them, my blood turning to ice. "What is going on, Daniel?"

Daniel didn't look at me; his eyes were fixed on Livia with pure, unadulterated hatred.

"She’s the reason you’re lying here, Alpha. She’s the one who poisoned your wine."

The words hit me like a physical blow, heavy and devastating. The room seemed to tilt on its axis.

I stood perfectly still, my mind reeling, trying to reconcile the woman I had known with the betrayal that was now hanging thick in the air.

I stared at her, and for the first time, I saw the truth. The tears weren't for me. They were for her own skin.

I wasn't just an Alpha who had fallen ill. I was a man who had been marked for death by the very person who once stood in my house.

My wolf clawed at my ribs, demanding an answer but all I could think about was the ring in my pocket, and the woman who was still out there somewhere, waiting for me.