Zara

I wiped all the tears from my face and headed to the bathroom. After washing my face thoroughly, I tried to hold back the remaining tears.

Then I called Kaysir.

"I need to go to my apartment. I’ll stay the night... I’ll get the car ready."

"Yes, Luna." The conversation ended.

I quietly took out my purse and put my phone in it. Throwing on a long coat and scarf, I dressed and applied makeup to hide my puffy eyes and wrinkled cheeks.

This impression was meant to lure him in and lower his guard. I walked down the stairs and saw him sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Love lingered in my mouth like the metallic taste of regret and betrayal. I would never have guessed how vile this man could be.

Marcus was absolutely right about him. Perhaps he knew more than he let on. I knew I needed to talk to Marcus before I quietly left tomorrow. He could help me, considering he’d offered his help before.

As I approached this veritable devil, his eyes looked at me with such tenderness. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought this monster cared. But there wasn’t a shred of compassion in his body.

"I’m going to my apartment; I need to pick up something," I told him with a hint of indifference.

My poor heart cried and shattered as I stood before this icicle that froze every last feeling and emotion within me.

My eyes slid over his face, trying to comprehend his cruelty, and then it dawned on me.

’What if Alpha was even more perverted and enjoyed playing with his prey, like killer whales?’ Nova rolled her eyes.

’The thought sent a shudder of fear through me, like an electric shock.’ I rolled my eyes, too.

"Let me come with you." He said reluctantly.

’I wanted to agree, trying to figure out how our Alpha would cope with his evil persona.’ Nova suggested.

She did, but I refused and left.

’I barely contained myself before breaking down.’ I shared my feelings with my wolf.

Kaysir and I returned to my house in silence.

"Luna, I’ll be staying in the car for two hours. If you don’t come back, I’ll go back to my place. If you need me, just call," Kaysir said respectfully, opening the door for me.

I nodded slightly to him and headed toward my apartment. Turning on the lights and heating, I threw my bag on the bed.

Containing all my emotions and feelings, I opened the closet doors and chose its color.

’If he were a devil, today we would be a she-devil.’ Nova amused.

’No matter what happens, I will make him regret hurting and breaking me so.’ I was determined.

After getting dressed, I picked up my phone, hid it so the camera was pointed at the lounge chair, and turned on the video recording.

’If he’d done something to us, at least he would have been hit, too.’ I said to my wolf.

***

Alpha Kane

What the hell did she just do?

Stupid and obtuse, that’s how I felt under her gaze, as she looked at me with such pure, undiluted hatred.

Oh! She was smart, and I underestimated her.

She was here specifically to expose my lies, to reveal my identity. She completely stunned me. I didn’t even realize she’d figured out who I was.

Stunned, I tried to rip the mask from her hands, but the damage had already been done. Zara climbed off me and jumped back, moving away.

Her teasing smile turned to pure fury as she grabbed my mask like a lizard by the tail.

Slowly, I stood up and tried to take a step toward her.

"Not another step, Alpha. I don’t want you near me." She seemed to understand, and I found myself in a much more difficult situation than I could have imagined.

I raised my hands, showing her I meant her no harm, as she stood by the apartment door, my other hand on the handle.

She distrusted me, apparently deeply. She was ready to run if I dared take another step.

"Zara, please. Let me explain," I said calmly, not taking my eyes off her but remaining where I was.

I didn’t want to scare her. Fear and disgust were reflected in my voice, and she was right to distrust me. I gave her nothing but the betrayal of her trust.

"What do you explain? How did you choose me, spying on me, knowing I was your employee?" she asked, and a wave of guilt washed over me.

She accused, trembling but standing her ground. She rolled up my mask and threw it at my face. I caught it before it hit the ground.

"Not like that, Zara. I swear, if we could just sit and talk..."

But she interrupted me. Pain crossed her face, as if I’d driven a stake into my chest.

"Talk? About what? About how you made a fool of me? How did you laugh at me? What a stupid girl, she doesn’t even know it’s me under the mask. Isn’t that what you thought?"

I slowly shook my head. We returned to the events of December 15th, but this time I didn’t intend to hurt her; I intended to confess everything.

"Never, never have I ever laughed at you, Zara. It just started as a joke when I found out you were spying on my hidden identity and..."

My words remained incomplete again.

"And you decided it would be fun to sleep with her, make her feel special, and if she started to feel anything, just dump her. Either way, you wanted to destroy me. Didn’t you?"

Destroy her? I wouldn’t have even considered it. She was my blue rose, my Luna. Her accusations hurt deeply; she now thought so little of me, but who could I blame but myself?

"No! That wasn’t my intention, Zara, I swear." At first, it was just a distraction, but then I began to feel emotions I’d never felt before."

She laughed bitterly again, but it didn’t reach her cold eyes. I’d never seen such an expression in her blue eyes. They were always warm, hurt, and even disappointed, but today they were frozen, like that very Neptune with which she so loved to associate me.

She turned to face me, keeping her back straight, though I knew part of her was afraid of me. Because at that moment, my situation didn’t look very favorable.

"Nonsense! The mighty Alpha can’t get involved with a woman who likes to sleep with everyone. That’s what you accused me of, right? Even knowing that the only man I’ve ever slept with was you. How dare you?"

Her face contorted with a mixture of anger and irritation. She was right, and I didn’t even have the words to defend myself. What could I tell her except that I was a loser and a bastard, literally?

I was so focused on keeping her away from me that I ended up hurting her so much that she might never trust me again. Even if I had confessed my feelings to her back then, she would have thought I was joking and hated me even more.

"I’m sorry, Zara. It was my mistake. I shouldn’t have said it, but believe me, I didn’t mean to."

She snorted, her lips twisting in mockery.

"And here I thought I could trust you, him." She pointed to the mask. "Or whatever it’s called. Thank you for opening my eyes and showing me that I should never trust someone like you, especially someone wearing that stupid mask. How could I have been so blinded?"

She shook her head in disappointment, and every syllable was like a knife piercing my heart, leaving behind only a mountain of regret.

How did we get to this point? Just a few hours ago, I promised myself I’d confess everything, but fate had other plans.

I needed to hug her and comfort her, but I knew that every step I took, she’d open the door and run outside. Wit. Judging by the way things looked, and the way her eyes followed my every move, it was very likely that she, too, considered me her stalker.

All fingers were pointing at me because I’d spied on her, lied to her countless times, broken her heart, and now this whole bunch of twisted riders.

"Believe me, Zara, this is all my fault. I admit it. Whatever punishment you decide, I’ll accept it too. But listen to me for once, with an open heart. I’ll explain why I did what I did."

She simply shook her head. "That time has passed. I just want you to go away. I can’t even stand to see your face right now."

Slowly, she opened the door and pointed outside.

Time, that’s what she needed to calm down. I knew she wouldn’t believe a word I said, but in a few days, maybe she’d give me a chance. I might have to turn to Mom for help, too.

My shoulders slumped as I grabbed my helmet and forced myself toward the open door. Every step was heavy, filled with the guilt and hatred I felt for myself. Stopping next to her, I turned my head toward her.

She looked at me wearily. Icy disgust and hatred flickered in her pupils.

"Luna... I..."

"I don’t care, go away, Alpha..." she said to me lifelessly. Never before had I felt such blinding pain in my heart. It was the pain of my broken heart, and hers too.

We were both bleeding on the threshold of her door when I walked out, and the door slammed behind me.