Chapter 5

“You are out of your damn mind, you keep shut or I silence that mouth for you”

Aldar’s voice was low, rough—dangerous. The moment he stepped into Annika’s chambers, his rage filled the space like a wildfire ready to consume everything in its path.

Annika barely spared him a glance. She sat in front of her vanity, combing through her long, dark hair, her reflection smirking back at him. “Oh? And here I thought I was doing you a favor.”

Aldar moved swiftly, yanking the comb from her hands and tossing it aside. It clattered to the floor. “A favor?” His voice dripped with disbelief. “You humiliated her in front of the entire pack.”

“Oh so this is about your pet?” she said, her brow raised with a sly smile and then turned her back to him.

“Annika.” Aldar shot at her, his voice filled with tension.

Annika finally turned, crossing her arms over her chest, completely unfazed by the towering alpha before her. “And? She needed to learn her place. She’s not one of us. She doesn’t deserve—”

“She is mine.” His words sliced through the air, sharp and absolute.

Annika let out a humorless laugh. “Yours?” She took a slow step closer, her scent laced with bitter jealousy. “Then why am I still here, Aldar? Why do you still come to me when you need an escape? Why haven’t you named me your Luna?”

Aldar’s expression turned to stone. “Because you are not fit to be Luna.”

The words hit their mark. Annika’s nostrils flared, her fingers curling into fists at her sides. “You proposed to me once.” Her voice wavered, anger barely masking the sting of rejection. “You said we would rule together. But the moment I asked for what I rightfully deserve, you—”

“I changed my mind.”

Silence stretched between them, heavy and charged.

Annika swallowed, but the fury returned to her face in full force. “Because of her?” Her lip curled. “That weak, pathetic girl you dragged into our pack? You think she’s better than me?”

Aldar’s eyes darkened. “She is not you.”

Annika scoffed. “That’s right. She’s nothing. She’s just another body for you to use, isn’t she? Another pawn in your little power games. I’m the one who has been by your side all these years. I’ve fought for you. I’ve bled for you.”

“You bled for power.” Aldar’s voice was lethal. “Not for me.”

Annika’s chest rose and fell sharply, her control slipping. “I could be everything you need,” she whispered, voice laced with desperation. “I am your Beta. I am strong. I am loyal. I am the only woman in this pack worthy of you.”

Aldar’s next words shattered the last of her composure.

“You can’t even bear me a child.”

Annika’s breath caught.

Aldar didn’t blink, didn’t soften. His words were brutal, deliberate, and they cut deeper than any wound.

Annika’s fingers trembled before she curled them into fists, her nails digging into her palms. She had known—of course she had known—but to hear him say it, to throw it in her face like a final, merciless blow—

The rage inside her burned hotter than ever.

“You bastard,” she hissed. “You think you’re untouchable? That you can say whatever you want and walk away?”

Aldar’s gaze was unreadable. “I say what is true.”

Annika clenched her jaw, swallowing back the lump in her throat. “And yet, you’re keeping secrets.”

A flicker of something passed through Aldar’s expression. A warning.

Annika latched onto it like a predator sensing weakness. She took a slow step forward, her voice turning mocking. “What will she do when she finds out, hmm? That her greatest enemy—the man who destroyed her life—isn’t Rane after all?” She smiled, tilting her head. “It was you.”

A muscle in Aldar’s jaw twitched, but he said nothing.

Annika’s smile widened. “She lost her baby because of you, Aldar. Not fate. Not bad luck. You, you let that innocent baby die inside of her because of your greed because of your obsession.”

The tension in the room became suffocating.

Aldar moved so fast that Annika barely had time to react before he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. Her breath hitched as his grip tightened—not enough to cut off air, but enough to make his fury clear.

“Do not push me.” His voice was a growl, a promise of violence.

Annika didn’t flinch. She looked him dead in the eyes, lips curling into a smirk. “What will you do, Alpha? Kill me? Go ahead. But secrets have a funny way of coming out.”

Aldar’s grip loosened slightly. “Stay away from her, Annika. That was your last warning.”

Annika let out a soft chuckle, her breath still shaky. “You don’t scare me, Aldar. But let’s see how long you can keep her in the dark.”

Aldar released her and stepped back, his expression cold and unreadable once more. He turned without another word, striding toward the door.

Annika called after him, her voice laced with venom.

“She will hate you when she finds out.”

Aldar's fist clenched in anger.

“Did I touch a nerve, my love?”

Aldar’s grip tightened—just enough to make her breath hitch. “Stay away from her, Annika.” His voice was lethal. “That was your last warning.”

Annika’s smirk widened, even as her pulse hammered beneath his grip. “And if I don’t?”

Aldar leaned in, his voice a growl. “Then I will end you.”

Silence stretched between them, thick with something dangerous.

And then, slowly—painfully slow—Annika reached up, her fingers grazing his cheek.

“You won’t,” she whispered. “Because I know your darkest secret, Aldar.” Her lips parted, a wicked glint in her eyes. “You don’t just want her. You need her.”

Aldar stilled.

Annika’s smile turned victorious. “And that terrifies you.”

Aldar released her abruptly, stepping back as if burned. His chest rose and fell sharply, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

Annika straightened, rubbing her throat where his grip had left a mark. “She will hate you when she finds out,” she taunted, voice silk-soft. “And when she does…” Her eyes glowed with something dark and triumphant. “I’ll be right here, waiting for your funeral.”

Aldar turned on his heel without another word, striding toward the door.

Annika called after him one last time.

“History repeats itself, Aldar,” she said, voice sweet and venomous. “And you’re just a man running from the inevitable.”

Aldar hesitated for only a fraction of a second. Then, without looking back, he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Annika’s smirk faded as she exhaled, her fingers brushing against her throat.

He wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.