Zael glared at his mother with fire in his eyes. "Enough! Aletta is my bonded mate. How can you speak of locking her away like a common rogue?"
His mother stared at him with wide eyes. "Zael, are you truly defending this outsider over your own blood? Am I wrong? You and Aletta have been mated for three seasons and she has given the pack no heirs. Even a common bird can hatch an egg, yet she is more useless than a hen!"
Zael shouted back, "That is because..."
He stopped himself, but I knew the rest. I knew it was because he and Moira had sacrificed my pup.
"No matter the reason, you will not treat her this way."
He walked toward me and tried to take my hand. I pulled back from his touch. "Since you desire a female who can produce a litter so easily, you should have marked one from the beginning!"
I turned my back on Elowen and headed back up to the chambers. Zael hesitated, then moved to follow me. Just as his foot hit the first step, Aelin let out a sharp cry of agony.
Moira quickly pulled the pup into her embrace, her face pale with terror. "Aelin, what is wrong? Is your heart failing again?"
"Zael, I think Aletta’s anger has frightened her. Please, come and check her pulse!"
Zael turned instantly and ran to them, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at the pup. He reached for his communication stone to summon the pack healer.
Moira looked up with fake concern. "But if you do not follow Aletta, will she not be furious?"
Zael growled softly. "She spoke to my mother with such disrespect. What right does she have to be angry? Ignore her."
I had seen it with my own eyes from the shadows of the stairs. When Zael turned to chase me, Moira had secretly pinched the pup’s arm. The cry was not from a failing heart. But even if I screamed the truth, he would never believe my words over her tears.
Standing on the landing, I saw the deep love in Zael’s eyes as he looked at Aelin. Back in our bedroom, I closed the door and began to throw away every gift and token related to him. He had already destroyed every memory of our three years together. I no longer wanted a male like him.
Just as I finished clearing the shelves, Zael pushed open the door. Seeing the empty room, he looked confused. "Aletta, what happened to your belongings?"
I shook my head, my voice flat. "Nothing. Just things that no longer have value."
Zael did not seem to care about my pain. He simply nodded. "Go down to the hall and apologize to my mother. I have prepared the tea myself. You only need to present it to her."
Without waiting for an answer, he led me downstairs and pushed me toward the table. I looked at the steaming cup and, despite the burning heat, I picked it up.
As I reached toward my mother in-law, Moira stepped in my way.
"Aletta, please, let me handle this task for you."
Moira looked at me with a triumphant grin, though she acted as if she were being helpful. I felt a surge of rage. "Get away from me!"
As her hand reached for the cup, I swung my arm to push her back. But she gripped the ceramic tight and fought me for it. The cup shattered on the floor and Moira let out a piercing scream.
"Zael, my arm is burned!"
Her eyes filled with tears instantly as she showed him her trembling arm. Even though there was not a single red mark on her skin, Zael’s eyes burned with fury and protectiveness.
"Aletta, you have crossed the line! Moira was only trying to assist you and you attacked her!"
His voice shook the room and then he raised his hand and struck me across the face.
Seeing my fall, Elowen laughed with joy. "Zael, I warned you this woman should be caged. Otherwise, she would bring shame and harm to this house. Now look at the truth!"
She pointed to the same two sentinels. "You two, lock her away! Do not let her harm my daughter in law again."
The men grabbed my arms and began to drag me toward the dark storage cellar beneath the house. This time, Zael said nothing to protect me.
Looking at him with a heart full of disbelief, I whispered, "Zael, you know I fear the darkness. Are you truly letting her imprison me there?"
He hesitated for a heartbeat, then looked at me with cold eyes. "You should not have struck Moira. You know how much she means to my soul. Aletta, this is a small lesson to keep you from doing something worse."
The heavy wooden door slammed shut and the cellar went pitch black. I pounded on the wood in a panic and screamed, "Zael, let me out!"
One breath passed. Then another. Then a third. Everything remained silent.
I stumbled back and curled into a corner, feeling completely alone. With my head buried in my knees, I remembered the night Zael found out I feared the dark and how he promised he would never leave me alone in the shadows again.
But this time, he knew my fear. And still, for the sake of Moira, he locked me away. As the tears fell, the bond in my heart finally snapped.
