The room echoed with silence after the heavy doors slamd shut behind Anna. Jasmine stood still, her body trembling from the coldness of the mont, and from the storm swirling in Xaden’s eyes as he looked down at her from his throne.
"I should’ve known," he muttered, almost to himself. His voice was low, dangerous. "I should have never trusted you."
Jasmine flinched. "Xaden, I didn’t—"
"Don’t." His voice sliced through her plea. "Don’t speak like you’re innocent."
She stepped forward, cautiously. "You’re angry. I understand. I left, I ran... but I didn’t betray you."
He laughed bitterly and rose from his throne. "Didn’t betray ?" he echoed. "You vanished in the middle of the night. Took off without a word, after everything—after I trusted you. And now you return carrying stolen jewels and letters that paint you like a spy. Tell , Jasmine, is the baby even mine?"
Her mouth dropped open, her heart stopping in her chest. "What?"
"You heard ," he growled. "Don’t act shocked. Alpha Hunter said he wanted you. He made a deal for you. So what is it—did you go willingly? Were you his all along?"
"No!" Jasmine stepped closer, desperate now. "Xaden, I didn’t even know I was going to be trapped by him. I simply thought I was going to find a way to save you and bring you back ho."
"You expect to believe that?" His voice rose, raw and furious. "You show up with his n, carrying letters with your handwriting, carrying stolen Crescent property—and you still think I’ll believe you?"
"They planted it in my bag!" she cried. "I didn’t know! I would never—"
"You ran straight into the arms of my enemy, Jasmine," he said, voice low with venom. "And now you expect to walk back into my life, carrying another man’s pup, crying innocence?"
The words felt like knives. "Xaden, that baby is yours," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I’ve only ever been with you. You know that."
"I only know that you’re a slut." He spat. "Anna told everything. How you created a scandal back in the moonlight pack. How you sent letters to him. How you even lied to that you couldn’t read and write."
Jasmine’s face went ashen. "Wh... Anna told you this? And you believe her? All Anna has done is lie. From the entire beginning."
"If Anna lied then why did other mbers of your own ho pack testify that he was your lover." Xaden spat.
Jasmine lips faltered in shock.
None of this made any sense.
"I opened up to you in ways I had never with anyone." He said. "Even after everything your father had done to my family, even after your deception. I gave you a chance. Told you things I had never told anyone."
She closed her eyes tight."
"When all you did was see as a FOOL!" He yelled as he flung the glass by his throne to wall and it shattered to a million pieces.
She trembled in fear.
"You took for a fucking fool! You fucked my enemy just so you could get away with everything. You planned the attack." He said.
She went down on her knees despite her pregnancy. "Goddess no. Xaden I had never seen Hunter until I was kidnapped. Never heard of him either."
"You set up to die you bitch." He sneered. "so you and your lover could co and fuck on my throne didn’t you?"
Jasmine blinked at the harshness of his words.
"Xaden...." She shuddered.
"I am your FUCKING ALPHA and you would refer to by my title!" He barked.
She recoiled. "I’m sorry."
He scoffed. "Hunter. Even calling him by his na. If you never t Hunter before then why did a rogue Alpha let you go? Why did he let you co here safe and sound no bargaining nothing."
Jasmine rubbed her arms and quietly said. "I don’t know."
She herself truly didn’t know.
Had hunter purposely sent her back to set her up?
How had Anna evened up to the equation and how had mbers of the moonlight pack lied about her?"
"I will never hurt you." She wept.
But Xaden’s face remained unreadable. Sothing inside him had locked shut.
"How could you do this to Jasmine?" He asked.
Then he went silent. Before speaking he went to her and held her arms pulling her to him.
"Tell Jasmine. Just tell the truth. If you do, I don’t want to know the details. Just admit it to and I will forgive you. I’m the Alpha. No one will question anything I say. Please just tell the truth." He said and she heard a crack in his voice.
A sign of vulnerability and his lips quivering with his words.
She wanted to tell him it was true just so everything would be fine, but she had never told a lie before.
And it was all false.
Even if she admitted it, he might forgive her, but he will never forget.
Her mind swirled with temptation on her choice of words.
She closed her eyes and felt her heart break as she said. "I didn’t do it."
She looked up at him and he looked as though she had struck him.
His face went white and a part of him seed to have been broken and then a mask of thunder.
He was furious.
She tried to reach out to him. "Xaden please-
He flinched away from her touch.
"You chose your side," he said quietly. "Now live with it."
Jasmine’s knees buckled, but she stayed standing. "You don’t an that."
He turned away from her. "Guards."
The doors opened swiftly, two sentries entering without question.
"Take her to the south chamber. Keep her under watch. She’s not to leave without my permission."
Jasmine’s mouth parted, confusion washing over her. "What? You’re locking up?"
"Xaden—please," she choked. "You know . You know I would never, what about our baby?"
"It’s not mine." He said and Jasmine felt as though she had been stabbed in the heart.
And with that he turned around and back her.
She stared at him, frozen in place, until the guards approached. One of them took her arm.
She couldn’t fight them. Her body moved on instinct as she was led out of the room. But her mind scread the whole ti.
He didn’t believe her.
He truly didn’t believe her.
And worse, he thought the baby wasn’t his.
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