DANE'S POV
The door suddenly swung open with a loud creak, making me look up from my desk. I had specifically instructed Beta Ivar that no one was to enter the study and that I wanted to be left undisturbed. My irritation grew as I saw Astrid walk in unannounced.
As I took in her appearance, I noticed she still looked pale and fragile. Her presence here was concerning, considering she was supposed to be recovering in the hospital.
The sight of her in such a state, despite the seriousness of her condition, only fueled my frustration further.
Astrid moved toward me with an anxious expression, her voice trembling as she began to explain.
She spoke quickly, trying to clarify what had happened between her and Halfdan. She was desperate to convince me that the situation had been a misunderstanding, that it was merely an accidental embrace and that there was no romantic involvement between them.
My anger flared as I listened. Her insistence on spinning a story felt like another betrayal.
Why was she so determined to lie? I had no reason to trust her explanations, especially given that she had kept the fact she was pregnant hidden from me.
The child, supposedly fathered by Halfdan, was a detail she had concealed. Now she was trying to dismiss everything as a misunderstanding, claiming I had misinterpreted the situation.
My gaze remained steely, and my frustration deepened with every word she spoke.
“Please, Dane, remember the love you promised to have for me,” Astrid begged, her voice choked with emotion as she grasped my arm tightly.
I couldn’t help but let out a derisive scoff. I turned to face her and yanked my arm free from her desperate grip. My frustration and anger were boiling over.
“Where was the love when you lied to me?” I demanded, my voice rising with each word.
“Where was the love when you couldn’t tell me the truth? Where was the love when you discovered you were pregnant with Halfdan’s child?” My glare was intense, and my voice echoed through the room.
Astrid’s eyes widened in shock, and she screamed, “What?!”
Another scoff escaped my lips as I watched her reaction. “You really are unbelievable,” I continued, my voice laced with bitterness.
“You thought I wouldn’t find out? Is that what you’ve been doing all this time? Meeting with him behind my back? You’ve been carrying his child all along, and you dared to keep it a secret from me? Were you just waiting for the right moment to slink back to him?”
I felt a surge of anger and contempt. “How could you, Astrid? How could you betray me so easily? I trusted you; I believed every word you said. I even marked you as my mate and claimed you as mine.”
“And all this time, you’ve been plotting behind my back, carrying someone else’s child. How much of a fool was I? Did you enjoy watching me constantly express my love for you and wanting the best for you, only to be deceived?”
Her eyes were filled with a mixture of shock and fear, and though I didn’t expect any difference, a small part of me had hoped she might still have some sense of guilt or conscience.
“Speechless, right? That’s what I thought,” I said sharply, turning on my heel and starting to walk away.
I stopped abruptly when I heard the loud, distressing sound of her knees hitting the floor.
“Dane, wait. Please don’t leave like this,” Astrid pleaded, her voice breaking with desperation.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth sooner. I only wanted to tell you when the time was right. But I swear by the moon goddess, I don’t even know who the father of the child is. That’s why I couldn’t tell you.”
Her words only made me snort in disbelief. What had I expected? I turned my head slightly to look back at her, my anger barely contained.
“If you don’t know who the father of that baby is,” I said coldly, “then it only means one thing: you have always been unfaithful, Astrid, from the very start. I can’t say I’m surprised, considering how you embraced your ex.”
I continued, my voice dripping with disdain. “A man who rejected you and chose your cousin instead, a man who left you with nothing, and yet you threw yourself at him. Do you have any idea how hard I fought for you?” I was seething now, my heart heavy with the weight of betrayal.
Astrid didn’t respond, her eyes cast downward in shame. Seeing her like this only deepened the pain in my heart as I remembered all the sacrifices I had made.
I had fought fiercely for her, even risking my life in a brutal fight with the Greenstone Pack.
In the dead of night, I had fought countless wolves, only to be stabbed in the back by someone I would have given everything to protect.
Realizing she had no defense and that listening to more of her lies would be futile, I stormed out of the room, my frustration boiling over. I headed towards the garage, my mind racing.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen again?” Beta Ivar asked, rushing to catch up with me. I didn’t answer, too consumed by my own turmoil.
As I reached the car and pushed open the door, Ivar moved quickly to block my path, a look of concern on his face.
“You cannot leave like this; you can’t drive if you’re this angry,” Ivar pleaded, his voice filled with concern.
But my frustration was too intense for me to engage in what I considered pointless discussion.
“Get the hell out of my way, Ivar,” I snapped, my voice low and dangerous.
“And you know better than to push me right now.” He gulped, recognizing the seriousness of my tone, and stepped aside, understanding that I was not in the mood for any more arguments.
I slammed the car door shut, my mind racing as I fastened my seatbelt. Starting the engine, I drove out of the pack house with a forceful acceleration.
The tires screeched as I sped away, my thoughts consumed by the recent confrontation.
My mind replayed the painful image of Astrid and Halfdan locked in an embrace. My heart felt like it was being crushed under the weight of that memory.
As if that betrayal wasn’t enough, another wave of distress hit me when I remembered the moment I learned that Astrid was pregnant.
The revelation had been shattering. I had been desperate to have her by my side, only to uncover the depth of her betrayal.
When I had demanded to know the identity of the child’s father, her inability to provide an answer had been the final blow.
Her claim of ignorance about the father’s identity only added to the sting of her deception.
This was the epitome of betrayal. My heart ached with a profound sense of bitterness, sadness, and anger.
I had loved her deeply, never once doubting her or considering that she could betray me in such a heart-wrenching manner.
As I thought back to the memories we shared and the times we had spent together, they now seemed tainted with deceit.
She had watched me tirelessly pursue her love, all the while concealing a secret that had the power to shatter me completely.
The pain I felt was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I had marked her, claimed her as mine, all based on my belief that I truly knew her.
Yet, I had been completely deceived. The woman I thought I knew so well had been hiding behind a mask, revealing herself to be no better than a stranger.
In a desperate attempt to escape the overwhelming agony, I pressed the accelerator harder, driving faster with reckless abandon.
I cared little for the consequences, including the risk of an accident.