Chapter 103
Matthew’s POV
By the time I got home that evening, my nerves were frayed to Breaking point. The moment I opened the door, I froze. A scent wafted from upstairs, cleaning products, fresh sheets, and underneath it all, the fading traces of Juno.
I bolted up the stairs, following the scent to the bedroom that had been Juno’s, Our bedroom. The door was ajar, and inside stood Isabelle, changing the sheets on the bed.
“What the hell are you doing?” My voice came out as a snarl. I pushed past her, yanking open the closet doors to confirm Juno’s scent still lingered on the clothes she’d left behind.
Isabelle stepped back, startled. “I’m just cleaning.”
“I told you never to come in here.” My hands shook with anger. This is Juno’s room. It will always be Juno’s room. You don’t touch anything in here, do you understand?”
Tears welled in Isabelle’s eyes. “She’s not coming back, Matthew! When are you going to accept that? Why can’t we just
move on with our lives?”
coming
“Move on?” I laughed bitterly. “If it weren’t for Juno’s sacrifice, we wouldn’t have lives to move on with. Or did you forget that she gave herself up to Clifflands to protect this pack?”
“I hate you.” Isabelle’s face with anger and hurt. “Ever since she was taken, you’ve been miserable. You barely speak to me, you sleep on the couch, you act like I’m some burden you have to endure. This isn’t my fault! We’re fated, Matthew. Fated!”
“You lied to your father to get yourself installed in my home,” I countered. “You manipulated the situation from the start. And I-” My voice cracked. “I hurt my wife in ways I can never forgive myself for.”
“Don’t you dare blame me for hurting Juno!” Isabelle’s voice rose. “Blame yourself for not having the courage to reject me You kissed me on that balcony, remember? You let me believe there was something between us!”
The memory hit me like a physical blow. It was true. I’d been weak, indecisive, torn between my duty to my mate and the pull of the fated bond.
“Your hesitation gave me hope,” Isabelle continued, tears streaming down her face. “It made me believe you wanted me too, that Juno was just an obligation you were struggling to let go of.”
“I didn’t-”
“What exactly did I do wrong, Matthew? Tell me! Besides one lie that you don’t even believe I told Juno, what did I do? The Clifflands warriors would have taken her whether I was here or not. You couldn’t have stopped them.”
Her words struck home with devastating accuracy. She was right. My hesitation had given her hope and destroyed my marriage. If Juno had chosen to stand and fight with me instead of giving up when she learned of Isabelle’s pregnancy- maybe, just maybe, we would have had a chance.
“I didn’t get myself pregnant,” Isabelle said. “That was your doing too. I won’t let you make me the villain in this story.”
She was already gone before they took her, I admitted. She had checked pregnancy.
mentally as soon as she found about the
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I never planned to live in another woman’s shadow,” Isabelle said bitterly, “I was only supposed to visit my father temporarily before returning to Suncrest. I had a job there, a lt. Everything changed the moment I met you.”
I sank onto the edge of the bed, the fight draining out of me.
Hours later, I sat alone on the living room couch, head bowed shame. Isabelle was right about everything. I had been selfish and weak, thinking only of myself. I wanted both–my wife and my fated mate–and I’d been arrogant enough to believe I could have it all. I broke my promise to Juno and expected her to accept it.
Tears slid down my cheeks as the full weight of my actions crashed down on me. No matter how hard I tried to be happy with Isabelle, I couldn’t do it. She wasn’t a bad Luna; in fact, she was quite good at it. But she would never be enough for me. Even with the mate band, I couldn’t love her the way I had loved Juno.
I wondered how Juno was faring in Clifflands. Would Augustin Levenston give her the respect she deserved? Or was she just another trophy to him, another conquered Luna to parade around as proof of his dominance?
I slept on the couch that night, Isabelle didn’t come to check on me, and that was probably best for both of us.
The next morning, I left for my office without checking on my mate. I knew it was wrong, but I’d make it up to her later. First, I needed to deal with this tax issue before Executive Officer Theron returned early to collect.
I dialed the number Joel had given me. After a few rings, a deep voice answered.
“Clifflands Central Command.”
I cleared my throat. “This is Alpha Matthew Harrington of Pineridge Pack in Forestvale. I’d like to speak with Alpha King Levenston or his Beta regarding an urgent matter.”
“One moment,” the voice replied. There was a pause, then: “Alpha King Levenston and his team attended a dinner event last night and haven’t returned yet. I’ll try to connect you with the Beta.”
I waited, anxiety building with each passing second. Nearly one minutes later, another deep voice came on the line.
“This is Beta Savidge. What can I do for you, Alpha Harrington? His tone was slightly jovial.
“Thank you for taking my call,” I began. “Yesterday, Executive Officer Theron Caudill came to my pack with what appeared to be orders signed by Alpha King Levenston. He demanded development taxes from Forestvale and was quite… unfriendly about it. I’m calling to inquire about the nature of these taxes.”
There was a moment of silence, then a string of curses erupted from the other end of the line.
“I apologize for my language,” Beta Savidge said, his voice tight with anger. “Alpha King Levenston has authorized no such taxes. This will be dealt with immediately. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
Relief washed over me. Joel had been right. “So we don’t need to prepare any payment?”
“Absolutely not,” he confirmed. “I’m actually at a breakfast gathering right now and shouldn’t be on the phone. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, that’s all. Thank you for your time.”
Just as he was about to hang up, I heard voices in the background–an argument, it seemed. One voice sounded familiar,
almost like…
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Juno?
But it was too faint, gone too quickly for me to be sure. The call ended before I could ask.
I sank into the couch in my office, a weight lifted from my shoulders. No need to panic after all. But as the initial relief Taded, I began to wonder what was really happening in Clifflands.
Kieran had told me about the situation in Dawnshere, how they were being extorted for resources under similar pretenses. Was some member of the Elder Council trying to stir up dissatisfaction with the Alpha King?
Politics were always complicated, but this seemed particularly convoluted. I would need to tread carefully. Things were clearly not as straightforward as they seemed.
We need to be vigilant, Zephyx warned. Something is happening Clifflands, and we don’t want to be caught in the crossfire.
I couldn’t agree more.
If only Juno were here, I thought. She’d know exactly what to do.
But she wasn’t here. And I had no one to blame for that but myself.
Some wounds never fully heal. And losing Juno that was a wound that would bleed forever.
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