Chapter Twenty Six

Devon's POV

Devon stood at the edge of the room, his jaw clenched, his eyes fixed on Valerie. The faint drip of sweat running down his neck only seemed to intensify the heat in his chest, a heat he couldn't suppress. He had just received a message from Alpha Sebastian — a direct warning. The words were clear, harsh even: Don’t send your mistress to spy on me.

He didn’t know whether to be more furious at Sebastian for threatening him, or at Valerie, for daring to disobey him in such an obvious way.

She was still sitting in her chair, flipping her hair over her shoulder, as though she hadn’t just committed an unforgivable act. A slight, delicate smile curled on her lips, as if she were proud of herself, and that made his blood boil even more. He could feel her eyes on him, but he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of a response. Not yet.

The silence between them stretched out, thick with tension. His heart pounded harder in his chest, his knuckles white around his clenched fists. He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t pretend that her actions didn’t hurt him, didn’t make him question everything about their relationship, about his choices.

“Why,” he said slowly, his voice low but thick with restrained fury, “did you go to Alpha Sebastian's pack?”

Valerie, ever the picture of calm, glanced up at him through half-lidded eyes, as though the question was the least significant thing in the world. “I told you already,” she replied, her voice sweet, but with an edge. “I went to visit a friend.”

Devon took a step toward her, the muscles in his body tight with every movement. “A friend?” He scoffed, his voice rising with disbelief. “You think I’m going to believe that? After everything that’s happened? After the message I just received?”

Valerie's expression didn’t falter, but Devon could see the flicker of something in her eyes — something almost imperceptible. He was too angry to pay it much attention, though. “Maliya," she said, the name leaving her lips with a venom he wasn’t expecting.

“Maliya,” Devon repeated, stepping closer, his voice growing colder. “And what exactly does Maliya have to do with Alpha Sebastian?”

She hesitated, just for a moment, her eyes darting away from him before she forced herself to meet his gaze again. “I didn’t know she stayed there. I swear.” Her voice was slow, measured, but Devon could sense the lie buried within it. He had known Valerie long enough to recognize when she was hiding something.

He clenched his jaw tighter, anger boiling beneath the surface, but he kept his tone level. “Then who else was there, Valerie?”

The name came out before she could stop herself. “Leila.”

At the mention of Leila, Devon's blood ran cold. His heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Leila. The one person who had haunted his every thought, the one person he had wronged — the one who had left him with a wound that no one could heal. 

Devon’s world tilted on its axis. His hands, which had been clenched into fists at his sides, shot out to grip the back of a chair, and the air seemed to press down on him with weight. “Leila,” he repeated, his voice barely a whisper, but it held a rawness that betrayed his control. He swallowed hard, a sharp pang of regret running through him. “You saw her?”

Valerie’s lips curled into a tight smile, her eyes glinting with something far too knowing. “Yes,” she said, her voice sweet like honey, but her words cut sharp. “I saw her, Devon. And she wasn’t alone. I’m sure she was happy with the Alpha.”

Devon was staring at her, but his mind was far away, drifting to the memory of Leila — the way she used to smile, the way her laughter had been like sunlight breaking through a storm. How he had treated her like she was nothing, like she meant less than the pack’s rules. The regret hit him like a freight train, and for a moment, he wanted to collapse under the weight of it.

He was trying to piece together what Valerie had said, but it was almost impossible. The mere mention of Leila was enough to make him dizzy with guilt and longing. Why hadn’t he tried harder to make things right? Why hadn’t he fought for her?

“Where did you see her?” Devon's voice came out harsh, his teeth grinding against the anger that bubbled up again.

Valerie leaned back in her chair, folding her arms with a smug air of superiority. “Why? So you can run to her? Is that what you want, Devon? To beg her for forgiveness? To grovel at her feet?”

The venom in her voice was unmistakable, but Devon barely registered it. The words she spoke were nothing more than a blur compared to the burning image of Leila standing in Alpha Sebastian’s pack. How long had she been there? How long had she stayed away from him? Was she happy? Did she even care anymore?

“I don’t give a damn what you think,” Devon spat, taking another step toward Valerie, his fists now trembling at his sides. “I just need to know if she’s okay. If she’s... if she’s safe.”

Valerie’s smile widened at his reaction, and her eyes glinted with malice. “Oh, she’s safe. Safe enough for her to live a life without you, Devon. You know, it’s funny. She’s so much better off without you, yet here you are, still obsessed with her.”

The words stung. He felt the anger flare up inside him, the heat of his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He wanted to shout, to throw something, to destroy everything in his path — but above all, he wanted to apologize to Leila. To make it right.

But Valerie was standing in his way.

“Shut your mouth,” Devon growled, his voice raw with a fury he couldn’t hide. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Valerie’s eyes sparkled with a wicked satisfaction. “I know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve been thinking about her this whole time, haven’t you? You still dream about her at night. You still want her, even though you threw her away.”

Devon’s breath hitched, and he could feel the pressure building inside him, the weight of his own choices, the weight of his failure. He had hurt Leila. He had rejected her. And now she was out there, living without him, and it was all his fault.

He took a step back, his head spinning. The raw emotions swirled inside him, confusion and rage mixing with regret. “I never should have—”

“No,” Valerie interrupted sharply, standing up from her chair, her voice now filled with contempt. “You never should have rejected her. But it’s too late now. You made your choice.”

Devon’s chest tightened. He didn’t want to look at Valerie anymore. He didn’t want to hear her voice. All he wanted was to find Leila, to apologize, to fix everything.

But first, he had to deal with the mess Valerie had created.

“Leave,” he said coldly, his voice like ice. “I need to think.”

Valerie’s eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a sneer, but she didn’t argue. With a final look of disdain.