Chapter 11

Dominic’s POV I froze at the threshold of the dungeon, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. Inside, Olivia sat on the cold stone floor, but she wasn’t alone. James knelt beside her, his voice soft—too soft—as he spoke to her. His brows were furrowed in concern, his touch careful as he handed her a cloth to wipe her face. Olivia’s lips twitched into the faintest of smiles as she accepted it. Who let him in? Something sharp twisted in my chest. I clenched my jaw. Why the hell was she smiling at him? I had thrown her in this cell for a reason. She was supposed to be broken, regretful and paying for her sins—not looking at another man like he was the one thing keeping her sane. James leaned in slightly, saying something that made her lips part in surprise before she let out a soft laugh. A laugh. My vision darkened at the edges. James had no right to be so damn close to her. He had no right to look at her with warmth in his eyes. He had no right to be the one easing her pain when she— I gritted my teeth. I didn’t care. I shouldn’t care. "Then why does it feel like your wolf is ready to rip James apart?" I pushed the thought away, but my fingers twitched at my sides, itching to grab James by the throat and rip him away from her. A soft hum from behind me made me stiffen. Evelyn’s voice rang out, smooth and laced with amusement. “Well, well…” I turned slightly, watching as she stepped closer, her arms folded over her chest. A teasing smile played on her lips. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say James is quite taken with her,” she mused, tilting her head. “Look how gentle he is. So caring.” I said nothing, my eyes flickering back to the cell. James reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair behind Olivia’s ear, and something inside me snapped. I exhaled sharply, jaw locked. Evelyn let out a soft chuckle. “To an outsider, they’d look like a couple, don’t you think? But it’s good that someone is actually taking care of her.” I swallowed back the growl that threatened to tear from my throat. “They certainly seem comfortable with each other.” Evelyn’s voice was light, but there was a calculating glint in her eyes. “It’s sweet, really. James is always so attentive to her. He even came this far when he is supposed to be on his duty.” I turned sharply. “Enough.” Evelyn blinked innocently. “Did I say something wrong?” I didn’t answer. My grip tightened at my sides. Evelyn stepped closer, lowering her voice to a near whisper. “It’s funny, isn’t it?” She let out a small laugh. “That she already had someone in her life who could take care of her but because of fate she ended up with you and you with her. She seems so at ease with him.” My wolf growled low in my mind. She was right there. Sitting in that cell, looking up at James like he was the only thing anchoring her. She had never looked at me like that. Not since I chose Evelyn. Evelyn placed a hand on my arm, her touch light. “Dominic…” She sighed. “We should let them be, maybe its for the best. She’s already betrayed you once.” I forced out a cold chuckle. “She doesn’t concern me.” Evelyn arched a brow. “No?” She gestured toward the cell. “That’s not what I meant, I am just saying. Once she gives birth, she can be with anyone she wants. And it looks like she isn’t short of the options either.” I stiffened. Damn her. I turned away, scoffing. “If he wants to waste his time on a traitor, that’s his problem.” My voice was hard, but even I could hear the tension beneath it. Evelyn studied me for a moment before shaking her head with a small, knowing smile. “You don’t have to pretend with me, Dominic.” She sighed dramatically. “I know it hurts. Seeing her happy with someone else. Seeing her move on so easily after everything you did for her. After all you both have been together for five years, I can understand that if some emotional connection is there between you two.” I clenched my fists. Move on? Was that what this was? No. No, Olivia wasn’t innocent. She wasn’t the victim here. She was the one who had betrayed me. She had lied. And yet— My wolf growled restlessly inside me. She’s hurting, he whispered. You know it. You feel it. Evelyn reached for my arm again, this time squeezing gently. “You’re better than this, Dominic.” Her voice was soft, almost coaxing. “Don’t let her play with your emotions. You have me now.” I exhaled harshly. “I have already said that she doesn’t concern me. After her punishment she will be free from my side.” Her eyes darkened for a split second before she smiled again. “Of course,” she murmured. I turned on my heel. “Let’s go.” Evelyn hesitated. “Don’t you want to check on her?” My jaw tightened. “James seems to have that covered.” My wolf roared in protest, but I ignored him. With every step away from the dungeon, my head throbbed. This was the right choice. I didn’t care about Olivia. Not anymore. But even as I walked Evelyn back to her room, rejecting her subtle attempts to get closer, my feet eventually carried me in the opposite direction. Back toward the dungeons. Not for her. Not for Olivia. But for the pup in her belly. My pup. And she or anyone else cannot stop me from seeing my pup. OLIVIA’S POV The damp, suffocating air of the dungeon clung to my skin like a second layer, mixing with the cold sweat that drenched my clothes. My body trembled, every muscle aching from the lingering wounds left by the silver whip. Each shallow breath sent ripples of pain through me, but nothing—nothing—compared to the searing agony that suddenly ripped through my abdomen. A strangled gasp tore from my lips as I curled in on myself, clutching my stomach. It felt as though invisible claws were digging into my flesh, twisting and tearing from the inside. My vision blurred, and a sharp, almost inhuman whimper escaped me before I could bite it back. The pup. Panic clawed at my chest, fighting through the agony. Something was wrong. So terribly wrong. I forced myself to move, to drag my battered body closer to the iron bars. Every shift sent another wave of torment crashing through me, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t afford to. My baby—my pup—was all that mattered. “Please,” I rasped, my voice raw and barely above a whisper. I gripped the bars with trembling fingers, my nails scraping against the rusted iron. “I—I need a doctor…” The guards barely spared me a glance. One of them scoffed, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips. “You hear that?” he sneered. “She thinks she’s still worth saving.” “She should’ve thought of that before betraying the Alpha,” another guard muttered, shaking his head. “She’s lucky she’s still breathing.” I sucked in a sharp breath as another bolt of agony shot through me, stealing what little strength I had left. My grip loosened on the bars, and I slumped against the cold ground, my forehead pressing into the dirt. “Please,” I whispered again, but my voice was swallowed by their laughter. I could hear them talking, hear the contempt in their voices as they threw my name around like an insult, a stain on the pack that needed to be erased. Traitor. Murderer. She deserves to rot. The words didn’t hurt as much as they should have. Maybe because the pain in my body was all-consuming, drowning out everything else. My breaths came in ragged gasps, each one more shallow than the last. My fingers curled weakly around my abdomen as if I could somehow shield my pup from whatever was happening inside me. Tears burned my eyes, slipping silently down my cheeks. Would I lose my baby here? Alone, hated, abandoned in a cold, dark cell? A choked sob threatened to escape, but before it could, something changed. The air around me shifted. A familiar scent curled through the damp dungeon, cutting through the scent of blood and rust like a blade through silk. A scent that made my battered heart lurch in my chest. Cedarwood and a hint of rain. Dominic. For a fleeting moment, warmth flickered in my chest, a desperate hope that he had come for me. That despite everything—despite the anger, the betrayal, the hatred—he wouldn’t let me suffer like this. I tried to lift my head, tried to focus through the blinding pain, but darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, swallowing me whole before I could see him. Before I could tell him that our pup was in danger.