I woke with a gasp, Violet's voice still echoing in my ears.
"Mommy, why didn't Daddy love me?"
The nightmare felt so real—my daughter's pale face, her tiny hand reaching for mine as she slipped away. My chest ached as if someone had carved out my heart with a dull blade. Five days. It had been five days since I'd held my baby for the last time.
My eyes adjusted to the dim morning light filtering through the curtains. Something felt wrong. The weight on the mattress beside me was unfamiliar.
Julian.
Memory flooded back—collapsing, the doctor's visit, then nothing but darkness. Now my mate lay next to me, his large body taking up most of the small bed. His dark hair fell across his forehead, making him look almost innocent in sleep.
Rage ignited inside me, burning away the momentary confusion. How dare he be here? How dare he pretend to care now?
"Get out," I said, my voice raspy from disuse.
Julian's amber eyes snapped open. He sat up quickly, reaching for my hand. "Aurelia, you're awake."
I yanked my hand away. "I said get out."
"You need to rest. Dr. Thorne said—"
"I don't care what he said!" The IV needle pulled painfully as I pushed myself upright. "You have no right to be here. Not after what you did."
Julian's jaw clenched. "Aurelia, we need to talk about... about Violet."
Hearing him say her name sent a fresh wave of pain through me. "Now you want to talk about her? After she begged for you for months? After she died calling your name?"
He flinched. "I didn't know—"
"You knew!" I screamed, ripping the IV from my arm. Blood trickled down my skin, but I barely felt it. "I called you seventeen times that day! She was your daughter, and you couldn't spare two hours for her birthday. Not even when she was dying!"
"Natalie told me you were exaggerating," Julian said, his voice low. "She said you were just trying to pull me away from Isabelle's procedure."
I laughed, a broken sound that scraped my throat raw. "Of course she did. And you believed her, like you always do. The great Alpha King, so easily manipulated by his mistress."
Julian's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't talk about Natalie that way."
"Why not? She's the reason our daughter is dead!" I shoved at his chest, too weak to move him but needing the contact, needing to hurt him somehow. "The kidney that saved Isabelle was meant for Violet. It was a perfect match. But somehow, at the last minute, the hospital records changed."
"That's a serious accusation," Julian said, grabbing my wrists to stop my assault. "You can't just blame Natalie because you're grieving."
"I'm not just grieving—I'm right! Ask Dr. Thorne. Ask the hospital staff. Ask anyone who was there except your precious Natalie!"
Julian's grip tightened. "You need to calm down. You're not thinking clearly."
"Let go of me." I twisted in his grasp, panic rising. "Let go!"
"Not until you stop this," Julian growled, using his Alpha voice.
I felt the command wash over me, trying to force submission. But my wolf, fueled by maternal rage and grief, pushed back.
"I hate you," I whispered, the words cutting through the tension between us. "I will always hate you for what you did to Violet. For what you didn't do."
Something shifted in Julian's eyes—pain, perhaps, or guilt. He loosened his grip on my wrists but didn't release me completely.
"I'm trying to understand," he said. "I'm trying to make this right."
"There is no making this right!" Tears spilled down my cheeks. "Our daughter is dead. She's gone, and you weren't there, and nothing will ever make that right!"
Julian leaned closer, his breath warm on my face. "Aurelia, please—"
And then, unbelievably, he tried to kiss me.
Without thinking, I bit down hard on his lip. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth as Julian jerked back in shock. His hand flew to his wounded lip, eyes wide with disbelief.
"What the hell—"
"Get out," I repeated, my voice deadly calm now. "Get out of my house, get out of my bed, get out of my life. Go back to Natalie and Isabelle. They're the family you always wanted anyway."
Julian stood, blood dripping from his lip onto his white t-shirt. "This isn't over, Aurelia."
"It's been over for five years," I said, suddenly exhausted. "I just didn't want to admit it."
He stared at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, without another word, he turned and walked out.
The door slammed behind him, and I collapsed back onto the pillows. My body shook with silent sobs as I curled into the fetal position. The scent of Violet's favorite stuffed bunny, hidden beneath my pillow, surrounded me like a bittersweet embrace.
"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."
***
Julian's POV
I slammed the cottage door behind me, my lip throbbing with pain where Aurelia had bitten me. Blood smeared across my hand when I touched the wound. She'd broken skin—deliberately and viciously.
My wolf paced restlessly within me, torn between rage at the attack and an unsettling guilt. The devastation in Aurelia's emerald eyes haunted me. Could what she said be true? Could Violet really be dead?
The weight of doubt pressed on my chest as I climbed into my car. For five years, I'd believed Aurelia trapped me with an unwanted pregnancy. For five years, I'd kept her at arm's length, giving her just enough attention to maintain appearances. Now she claimed our daughter was dead, and somehow Natalie was involved.
I drove through the pack grounds in a daze, barely noticing the wolves who bowed their heads as I passed. My thoughts swirled chaotically until I found myself parked outside Natalie's elegant home.
The front door opened before I could knock. Natalie must have sensed me coming.
"Julian!" Isabelle cried, rushing toward me with arms outstretched. "You came back!"
I caught her small body automatically, lifting her into a hug. At eight years old, she was the picture of her mother—golden hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile that could charm anyone. But as I held her, I couldn't help comparing her to the daughter I might have lost. The daughter I'd never really known.
"Your lip!" Isabelle touched my face with concern. "You're hurt!"
"It's nothing, sweetheart," I assured her, setting her down gently.
Natalie appeared in the doorway, her perfect features arranged in an expression of concern. "Julian, what happened to you? Who did this?"
I hesitated. "Just a small disagreement with Aurelia."
Natalie's eyes narrowed slightly. "That woman is becoming dangerous. First these wild accusations about Violet, now attacking the Alpha? Perhaps she needs professional help."
My wolf bristled at the criticism of my mate, surprising me with its protectiveness.
"Julian?" Isabelle tugged at my sleeve, her eyes filling with tears. "My side hurts again. Will you stay with me tonight? Please?"
I glanced at Natalie, who gave me a sympathetic smile. "Her body is still adjusting to the new kidney. Having you near calms her."
The mention of the kidney sent a chill down my spine. I remembered Aurelia's accusation: The kidney that saved Isabelle was meant for Violet.
"Of course I'll stay," I found myself saying, even as doubt gnawed at me. "Anything for my brave girl."
Isabelle beamed up at me, then winced theatrically, clutching her side. "It really hurts bad."
"Let's get you to bed," Natalie said, taking her daughter's hand. Then, turning to me: "I'll make up the guest room for you."
Later, after Isabelle had fallen asleep, Natalie brought me a glass of whiskey in the guest bedroom. She sat beside me on the bed, her thigh pressing against mine.
"You seem troubled," she said, running her fingers through my hair. "Is it that mate of yours again?"
I took a long sip of whiskey before answering. "Aurelia says Violet is dead."
Natalie's hand paused momentarily. "Julian, we've been through this. She's lying to get your attention."
"Dr. Thorne says he signed the death certificate."
Natalie sighed, her blue eyes softening with practiced sympathy. "Darling, you know how persuasive Aurelia can be. She probably manipulated him too."
"To what end? Why would she lie about our daughter being dead?"
Natalie cupped my face, her touch gentle. "Because she's desperate. Because she knows you're slipping away. Because she can't accept that you love me, that you love Isabelle."
Her lips brushed mine, carefully avoiding the wounded side. "Stay with us tonight. Tomorrow, we'll sort everything out."
I nodded, too exhausted to argue further. But as Natalie left me alone in the guest room, doubt continued to plague me. What if Aurelia was telling the truth? What if my real daughter was gone forever while I comforted another man's child?
Sleep came fitfully, haunted by dreams of a little girl with emerald eyes like her mother's, calling for a father who never came.
***
Morning light streamed through the windows as I applied concealer to the dark circles under my eyes. After Julian left, I'd barely slept, tormented by nightmares and grief.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
"Garden Café. 10 AM. We need to talk. -N"
Natalie. My stomach twisted with dread and fury. The last person on earth I wanted to see was the woman responsible for my daughter's death. But curiosity won out over revulsion. What could she possibly want to say to me?
I arrived at the café precisely at ten, spotting Natalie immediately. She sat at an outdoor table, elegant in a cream blouse and designer sunglasses, looking like she didn't have a care in the world.
My hands trembled with suppressed rage as I approached. This woman had orchestrated my daughter's death, and here she was, sipping coffee like nothing had happened.
"Aurelia," she greeted with a cold smile. "You look terrible."
I slid into the chair across from her. "What do you want, Natalie?"
She removed her sunglasses, revealing eyes as cold and blue as arctic ice. "Just checking on my Alpha's mate. Julian mentioned you weren't feeling well."
"Cut the crap," I snapped. "We both know you don't care about my wellbeing."
Natalie laughed, a tinkling sound that grated on my nerves. "You're right, I don't. But I do care about Julian, and he seems... confused lately."
"Confused about what? The fact that his daughter is dead? The fact that you stole her kidney for your own child?"
Natalie's smile never faltered. "Such wild accusations. No wonder Julian thinks you're mentally unstable."
"I know what you did," I hissed, leaning forward. "And I will prove it."
"Good luck with that." Natalie took a leisurely sip of her coffee. "No one will believe the word of a grieving, delusional woman over mine."
"Why did you want to meet?" I asked, struggling to maintain my composure. "Just to gloat?"
"Oh, I almost forgot." Natalie reached into the designer bag beside her chair. "I wanted to return something to you."
She placed a familiar black leather jacket on the table between us. Julian's jacket—the one he always wore, with the Silvercrest Alpha insignia embroidered on the breast pocket.
"Julian left this at my place last night," Natalie said with a cruel smile. "After he stayed with us. With his real family."
The world seemed to tilt beneath me. Julian had gone straight from my cottage to Natalie's bed. While I grieved alone for our daughter, he sought comfort in the arms of the woman who had killed her.
The final betrayal.