Chapter 19

Nicholas’s POV

“Alpha King Nicholas.”

Kevin’s voice dripped with something I didn’t care to name—pity? Malice? Triumph? The bastard had never known the meaning of sympathy, so it couldn’t be pity.

He stood in front of me, arms crossed, his sharp eyes glinting like a wolf circling a weakened rival. “My men found something in the woods near the eastern ridge. A body. Female.”

The world seemed to tilt.

I stepped forward, the ground heavy beneath my boots. “What do you mean?”

Kevin’s lips curved, mockery dancing there. “Esther. She’s dead. By the time we found her, she’d already begun to rot.”

A snarl tore from my chest before I could stop it. “Liar. You think you can taunt me with this?”

He only arched a brow. “See for yourself.”

With a snap of his fingers, two of his guards dragged in a wooden stretcher. A shape lay atop it, covered with a rough cloth. The stench hit me first—sweet and sour, the smell of death, unmistakable.

My throat closed.

I forced my feet forward. My hands, hands that had broken warriors and toppled enemies, trembled as I reached for the cloth.

One tug, and the veil fell away.

The face beneath was ruined, unrecognizable, eaten away by time and soil. Flesh mottled, eyes long gone, lips withered. A grotesque mask that bore no resemblance to the stubborn woman who haunted me.

“No…” My voice cracked, a stranger’s voice.

Then my gaze dropped.

There. On the curve of the corpse’s waist, faint but clear, was the mark I had traced once in a stolen moment—the small, flame-shaped birthmark that no imposter could forge.

The final shred of denial shattered.

“It’s her.”

The words scraped my throat as I sank to my knees. The cold floor bit into me, but I hardly felt it. My hand hovered, then lowered to stroke what was left of her cheek, though the skin crumbled beneath my touch.

“Esther…”

Norman howled in my head, thrashing like a beast in chains. I told you she wasn’t gone. You swore to me—

“Shut up!” I roared inwardly. My chest tore with the sound. “You lied. You lied to me!”

The grief was raw, unbearable.

“She’s gone.” My forehead pressed against the edge of the stretcher, the scent of decay burning my lungs. “She died.”

Kevin’s laugh was low, cruel. “Now you cry? After all this?”

I turned, eyes blazing.

He strode closer, each word a dagger. “You demoted her. You branded her a slave. You lashed her with the whip and paraded her humiliation in front of everyone. You wanted her to suffer, Nicholas. And now that she’s dead, you pretend you loved her all along? Spare me.”

His smirk made my vision haze red.

I rose, every muscle strung tight with fury. My wolf clawed at my skin, desperate to shift, to rip him apart.

“You dare mock me?” My voice was rough, deadly quiet. “I will—”

“Enough!” Dan’s bark cut through, his body shoving between us. His hand pressed against my chest, holding me back though it took every ounce of his strength.

Kevin’s smirk vanished, replaced by icy disdain. “You’ve crossed the line too many times, Nicholas. Your temper has broken every rule of our accord. I will not tolerate it further.”

He jabbed a finger toward the door. “Leave. You are not welcome here.”

I wanted to tear out his throat. I wanted to deny the words, to fight until either of us lay in the ground. But Dan’s sharp glance at me carried a reminder.

The outside world watched. Packs whispered. My every move was scrutinized. If I spilled blood here, it wouldn’t just be my rage that burned—it would be my pack’s reputation, already fragile from whispers of cruelty.

Grinding my teeth, I forced air into my lungs.

I turned my back on Kevin, on his triumphant glare, and strode from the hall. The corpse’s stench clung to me as though it had seeped into my very bones.

And for the first time, I wondered if I had truly destroyed the only thing that had ever been mine.

Esther’s POV

From the shadows of Kevin’s study, I watched Nicholas storm away. His broad shoulders were stiff, his fists clenched, but there had been no triumph in his face. Only anguish.

The body wasn’t mine, of course.

Kevin shut the door behind us with a grim expression. “You saw it. He believes it.”

I nodded slowly, though my heart still thundered. “He… he recognized the birthmark.”

Kevin’s eyes flicked to me, measuring.

“I used dye,” I admitted softly. “From the herb gardens. Stains the skin dark enough to last days. I marked it where mine is, so he wouldn’t doubt.”

Kevin gave a short nod. “Then he’ll stop looking.”

My stomach twisted. Relief overwhelmed me, but it wasn’t all I felt. There was guilt and loss and worry. They all warred inside me. Nicholas had wept. I had seen it. The mighty Alpha King King broke before a corpse.

Why did he do that?

I can’t afford to think too much about it. This was for the best. It had to be.

“Yes, this the best way and the best option,” I said to Kevin.

On the day of the burial, I dressed in plain brown robes, face hidden beneath a hood. Slipping into the crowd was easy; no one spared a glance at another mourner.

I never thought I’d be attending my own funeral, but there were a lot of things that I wanted to confirm for myself. I needed to make sure everything went right, that it was convincing, that the Esther that was held down by Nicholas was gone.

I also wanted to know if Nicholas would show up. I tried to talk myself out of having hope for him, of wanting him to see who I really was, especially now that I was supposed to be gone.

The coffin lay open for the last time before the lid was sealed. Flowers were heaped upon it, but one stood out.

A single white daisy.

It was placed by Nicholas’s own hand.

My breath hitched.

White daisies were my favorite. I had once told him they symbolized secret love, a confession too fragile to voice. He had remembered.

My heart trembled, treacherous.

I should have turned away. But when the crowd dispersed, I found myself following him.

Nicholas wandered to the edge of the forest, far from prying eyes. He slumped against an oak, a flask in his hand, his head bowed.

The strong, merciless Alpha King King looked shattered.

“I miss you,” he muttered hoarsely, his words slurred. “Don’t leave me.”

My nails bit into my palms.

Who was he speaking to? Me? The children? Some memory I couldn’t reach?

I ached to step forward, to demand the truth. But my feet stayed rooted.

Then Amanda appeared. It was always Amanda, like a shadow where she wasn’t wanted.

She slid against him, her arms looping his shoulders.

“I know you’re grieving,” she cooed, her tone thick with practiced sorrow. “Losing the children was cruel. But don’t despair. I’ll give you stronger heirs, Nicholas. I’ll help you run the pack. I’ll be the Luna you need.”

He hugged her back.

I couldn’t breathe.

The fragile hope I had nursed, the one the daisy had sparked, collapsed.

Nicholas didn’t want me. He wanted heirs. He wanted power, loyalty, a Luna to show the world.

Amanda would be crowned eventually. Her children would inherit. And mine?

Bastards. Children of a slave branded a murderer.

Tears stung my eyes, but I forced them down. I couldn’t afford weakness.

I turned, my cloak swirling, and left him behind.

Nicholas could have his future with Amanda, with power and titles.

I would raise my children alone.

I didn’t need him anymore.