Chapter 359

Daphne

I watch the clip of some random talk show, on my phone under my desk.Alex is beaming, one hand resting on his rounded belly, the other gesturing as he talks about the joys of impending fatherhood.

Well. They didn’t hesitate.

The "accidental mating" is now a love story. The public is eating it up.

I hide a yawn behind my hand.

I hide a yawn behind my hand. The meeting is dreadful—something about foreign exchange, scholarship programs, international relations. The men around the table speak in circles, using twenty words when five would do.

They talk about "cultural bridges" and "economic opportunities" and other phrases that mean nothing.

I don’t know why Damien is so interested in this. Personally, I think there will be major backlash. He’s coming off as majorly progressive, but what’s the message? He’s building connections with a country that treats its Omegas like shit?

Well. None of my business.

This is the last thing I’ll do for him.

I check my phone under the table. No new messages. No photos. No her.

I already miss her.

I wonder how she’s doing.

***

Vivienne

Wow.

The waterfalls are so pretty.

I stand by the cliff’s edge—safely, not too close behind bars—and take in the view. Water cascades down ancient rock, mist rising in rainbows, the sound a constant, soothing roar. The air is cool and clean, nothing like the city.

I’m alone.

The guide pointed out birds and flowers and rocks that looked like animals. I nodded and smiled and thought about her.

My body still remembers this morning’s activities.

I place my hand on my stomach, on the soft fabric of my dress, and I feel... a kick?

My heart jumps.

The baby is growing so fast. We haven’t even talked about names yet. Not seriously, anyway—just whispers in the dark, half-formed ideas, names we test on our tongues and then let fade.

We really should.

I smile at that.

"You look happy."

Someone says it. Close. Too close.

I turn.

"Yeah, I—" The rest of my sentence dies in my throat.

Why am I looking at Damien’s little omega?

Elliot stands a few feet away, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket, his face pale beneath the sun, his blonde hair blowing slightly and shining bright.

He’s still very beautiful. If before he looked like sunshine, now he gives off a haunted, dark beauty. Sharp edges. Hollow eyes.

If only his personality was as good as his looks.

What is he even doing here?

"I am." I keep my voice steady. "Well, I was—until I saw you."

He glares at me. I don’t like the look in his eyes.

"I’m not the person to take your anger out on." I lift my chin. "Because Damien replaced you."

His jaw tightens. His hands curl into fists at his sides.

I subtly look for a way out. The path back to the main area is behind him.

The cliff edge is behind me. To my left, a narrow trail that leads somewhere—I don’t know where. To my right, the waterfall.

We’re alone. It’s 10 AM, not peak season. The only other people are staff in the distance—too far to hear, too far to help.

"Who’s child is it?" His voice is low.

"Why would I tell you that?"

"Break up with her." He says it like it’s simple. Like it’s nothing. "You’re not mated yet. It shouldn’t be too hard. With your background, you can easily find another Alpha."

I stare at him.

Is he fucking serious?

***

Daphne

[HOST!]

What’s going on?

[The main character’s emotional fluctuations are dangerous right now.]

What does that have to do with me?

I sit here, still bored, still trapped in this endless meeting about nothing.

[He’s in the presence of the host’s lover.]

I stand up so fast my chair scrapes against the floor. The men around the table look at me, startled. I don’t care.

What?

I’m already moving, I mumble some incoherent excuse.

The meeting is in some fancy hotel. A fifteen-minute ride from here—fifteen minutes—is the place Vivienne said she was going to sightsee. The waterfalls. The cliffs.

I run to my car. I drive.

***

Vivienne

I laugh. I can’t help it. The sound is sharp, disbelieving, echoing off the rocks around us.

"I’m not breaking up with my Alpha," I say, losing my temper. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Why not?" His voice is deadpan. Flat. Like he’s asking about the fucking weather.

"Maybe because—" I step forward, my hand on my stomach, my heart pounding in my chest. "Maybe because she’s my fucking Alpha, and I love her!"

The words hang in the air between us.

He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t move. Just stares at me with those hollow eyes—eyes that are now starting to scare me.

"I don’t understand it," he says. His voice is quiet. Strange. Like he’s talking to himself.

"You were born to an amazing family. Your family loves you. You had everything handed to you." He tilts his head.

"So why can’t you just give her to me?"

"Are you insane?" The words come out sharp, incredulous. "Daphne is not a thing I can give away! Even if I could—" I step forward, my hand on my stomach, my heart pounding.

"Even if I could, I would never give her to you."

"You’re so selfish!" He’s shouting now, his face red, his eyes wild. "So greedy!"

***

Elliot

She looks at me with that stupid expression on her face. Pity. Concern. Like she’s looking at a wounded animal.

I hate her.

She’s not even pretty. Her face is too soft, her eyes too wide, her lips too pink. She’s ordinary. Plain. There’s nothing special about her.

I look at her stomach. The swell beneath her dress. The life growing inside her.

Daphne’s child.

If only she was gone.

If only she wasn’t standing here, breathing, existing—

She’s the obstacle.

The one who took what should have been mine.

My hand closes around the handle. The weight is familiar. Comforting.

She’s still talking. I can’t hear the words. Just the sound of her voice, grating, wrong.

"—put the knife down, Elliot. We can talk about this—"

Talk.

There’s nothing to talk about.