Chapter 23 23
Venessa’s POV
I had a complete mental breakdown in the early hours of the morning, and I honestly couldn’t tell you when my feet carried me to Rayon’s door. One moment I was drowning in my thoughts, the next I was standing there, hollow and shaking. It shouldn’t hurt. I shouldn’t feel anything about Jalisa’s pregnancy but I did. I felt it deeply. I knew the child wasn’t Denzel’s, yet the knowledge didn’t soften the blow. If anything, it made the ache sharper, more confusing.
This pregnancy had surfaced earlier than it had in the past. Something had shifted subtly, dangerously and I couldn’t name it. What unsettled me most was that I still hadn’t caught Jalisa and Tyrell together. I needed to see them, to expose them, to know exactly how to bring them down. The longer it took, the more fear crept into my chest. I began to wonder if I was failing already. I didn’t understand why fear had wrapped itself so tightly around me, but it had and it refused to let go.
We wanted to spend time with him yesterday, Nyla had said earlier, her sadness echoing my own. I understood her. Even knowing what was coming, I still wanted time with him. Wanted moments I knew I shouldn’t crave.
I knocked on Rayon’s door.
He answered almost immediately shirtless, sleepy, clearly pulled from deep rest. Guilt slammed into me. I shouldn’t have come. I hadn’t thought this through at all. I turned to leave.
“Venessa,” he called softly, concern threading his voice.
That was all it took.
The tears came fast and uncontrollable. I needed somewhere to put everything I was feeling somewhere safe. Matters of the heart never came with preparation, no matter how much you braced yourself. I had known this day would come, but knowledge didn’t stop my heart from breaking, and it certainly didn’t stop the fear.
“Are you alright?” Rayon asked as he wrapped his arms around me.
I didn’t pull away. I let him hold me.
“I can’t do this,” I sobbed. “I’m going to fail, and I’ll be damned. One year it’s such a short time. I can’t.” The words poured out, raw and unfiltered. I was unraveling, and I knew it.
“You’re not making sense, Venessa,” he said gently.
I looked up at him. His blue eyes were filled with worry, genuine and steady. He guided me inside and led me to his bed. I sat down, barely aware of my surroundings, though even in my distress I registered how beautiful his room was elegant, refined, nothing like the plain space I slept in. Of course it was. He was the Gamma.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
I wiped my face, trying to steady myself.
“I’m scared, Rayon. I can’t tell you why I just… I need comfort.” I forced myself to breathe, in and out, grounding myself.
“Jalisa is pregnant,” I whispered. “I wish I could sever the bond. Maybe it would hurt less. But where does that leave me, Rayon?”
Shock crossed his face. He pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my head, protective and grounding.
“You need to sleep, Venessa,” he said quietly.
I shook my head. “I don’t want to be alone. I’ll lose my mind worrying.”
He didn’t argue. He let me lie down, held me close, and for the first time that night, the storm inside me eased enough for sleep to take me.
When I woke, I felt calmer ashamed, but clearer. I returned to my room to get dressed, my thoughts sharper now. The way I had behaved frightened me. It showed me exactly what I was risking. I couldn’t allow my emotions or the bond between Denzel and me to cloud my judgment. I had a job to do, and I intended to see it through.
When Jalisa was exposed and removed, I would be free.
That was my focus now. Tyrell and Jalisa. I promised myself that last night would be the final time I cried over this. Strength was no longer optional.
I prepared for breakfast, knowing I didn’t look my best, but also knowing I would heal. In the dining hall, Rayon joined me and sat close, offering silent comfort. I didn’t know how to tell him I was fine because I wasn’t but I let him hold me anyway.
Then Jalisa entered with Denzel.
I didn’t look at them.
Tyrell called for silence, and Jalisa rose to her feet.
“I am pleased to announce that I am four weeks pregnant,” she said. “Finally, our Alpha will have an heir.”
To my surprise, the room barely reacted.
In the past, her pregnancies had been met with cheers and celebration. Today, the enthusiasm was gone. The air felt flat, strained. She had lost favor whether she realized it or not.
A few people clapped, clearly just to break the awkwardness, but the discomfort lingered.
I left the hall quickly, my heart pounding.
Jalisa had just accelerated everything.
I needed to catch her with Tyrell needed proof but every place I checked came up empty. The corridors, the hidden corners where I had seen them before… nothing. I couldn’t tell if something had shifted or if Rayon's survival had altered the pattern. Either way, I couldn’t stop now.
I eventually sank onto a bench in the garden, pretending to admire the scenery while my mind raced.
We can’t do this alone, Venessa, Nyla said suddenly.
I stiffened. “What do you mean?” I asked her.
“We won’t succeed on our own. At this rate, we’re bound to fail. We’ve tried before alone and we failed. We need an ally. A real one.”
Her words rang painfully true.
But as I sat there, staring at the garden, one question haunted me above all others
Was there anyone I trusted enough to stand beside me?