Chapter 31 31
Venessa’s POV
I hurried back to my room, my thoughts spiraling faster with every step. What the king had confirmed about Tyrell chilled me to the bone. He was far more dangerous than Jalisa far more calculated. It was entirely possible that Jalisa hadn’t poisoned Denzel in my past life after all, but Tyrell? After what I’d just learned, I could no longer give him the benefit of doubt.
How could an Alpha tolerate a Beta like that? It was nothing short of a miracle that the Blood Moon Pack was still standing.
I sat heavily on my bed, suddenly feeling like a nosy neighbour who couldn’t mind her own business. So far, I had hidden in three different places just to do what fate demanded of me. I hid in my locker to catch Alesha. I crouched in a broom closet to confirm that Tyrell and Jalisa were screwing each other. And now again I had been tucked away in another broom closet, eavesdropping like a criminal.
I could only hope my constant lurking didn’t land me in trouble. Anyone with sense would find that behaviour suspicious. Hell, I wouldn’t trust myself if I found out I was sneaking around like this.
Fate truly had a twisted sense of humour.
They sent me back with heightened hearing and vision, yet saddled me with selective memory and only half a wolf. Once, I had been an Alpha. Now, I couldn’t even pass as an Omega. I didn’t know where I belonged anymore what I was supposed to be.
And yet, Denzel was willing to overlook all of it. Willing to try.
How exactly did fate expect us to win like this?
“I don’t think it’s wise to look at it that way, Venessa,” Nyla said gently, and I sighed.
Of course she would say that. She was always on fate’s side.
What about our side?
“So far, everything I see tells me fate has rigged the game in our favour,” she continued, always seeing the cup half full instead of half empty. Nyla had always been the optimist perfectly balancing out my pessimism.
“And how do you figure that?” I asked.
“First of all, we’re half Lycan you heard what the werewolf king said. If we had returned as full Lycans, Denzel might have rejected us outright as a half-breed. This way, we blend in. We move quietly. We do what needs to be done.”
She paused before continuing.
“And the selective memory? That incident with Jalisa helped clear Denzel’s doubts about us. He’s an incredibly wise man, Venessa. He’s already pieced together much of what we’ve been doing. Fate had to interfere where he’s concerned, or we would have lost before we even began.”
I couldn’t argue with her. Not honestly.
“I miss our Lycan half,” I admitted softly.
“We may be fragmented,” Nyla replied, “but we’re alive.”
That was the most important part. Even if we were living on borrowed time, we were still breathing.
And breathing meant planning.
Tyrell needed to be exposed.
He was the real enemy now far more dangerous than Jalisa. If I focused solely on her, I would fail. That much was clear.
I reached out through the link.
Rayon.
It took a moment before he responded.
“Venessa.”
Relief washed over me at the sound of his voice. If I weren’t racing against time if I weren’t fated to Denzel—Rayon would have been a wonderful choice. Dependable. Kind. Loving. A man like that was a rare gift.
“Do you mind taking us out? We need to talk,” I asked.
He went quiet.
“I’ll have to make an excuse with Denzel. King Fabian is still around, and he may want me close when the king leaves,” he said.
The thought of leaving Denzel alone with Jalisa, Tyrell, and Fabian made my stomach twist.
“No, it’s fine,” I replied quickly. “We can talk after he leaves. Denzel needs you right now.”
“Are you sure it can wait?” Rayon asked.
“Yes,” I said firmly.
The connection faded.
Then
“Venessa.”
Jalisa’s voice slipped into my mind for the first time, and I physically cringed.
What was wrong with this woman? Why couldn’t she leave me alone?
“My feet feel uncomfortable. I need you to come check them. I’m in my room.”
I frowned. Six weeks pregnant was hardly enough time for symptoms like that. She was being petty nothing more. I rolled my eyes, already certain she was plotting something.
“I’m on my way, Your Highness,” I replied.
She growled.
“Luna will suffice. I want you to get it through your head that Denzel is mated. Call me Luna if you want to avoid illusions.”
I nearly laughed. The woman was unhinged. Truly unstable.
“Yes, Luna,” I said calmly.
I changed my clothes before leaving I wasn’t about to smell like a broom closet. Pregnant women had heightened senses, after all.
When I entered her room, Denzel was seated at his desk, focused on his computer. He glanced at me and frowned. Jalisa lay sprawled on the bed, looking fragile probably shaken by her earlier discussion with her father.
Cold-hearted bitch.
How could she do this to her husband?
“What are you doing here, Venessa?” Denzel asked.
I bowed my head respectfully.
“Luna Jalisa requested I check her feet.”
He looked at her. She smiled sweetly.
“She’s the pack healer,” Jalisa said. “She should be able to help perhaps prescribe herbs or something.”
I returned the smile, controlled and polite.
“I don’t prescribe medication to pregnant women, Luna. You’ll need a doctor for that. But I can give you a foot massage.”
She rolled her eyes and gestured impatiently.
I knelt and began my work.
“You see where you are, Venessa?” she asked.
I nodded.
“At your feet.”
A cruel smile curved her lips.
“Exactly. You’re at my feet and you’ll always be there. Beneath me. It’s quite ambitious of you to want what already belongs to me.”
Before I could react, she kicked me hard.
I stumbled back, hitting the floor.
“Enough!” Denzel roared.