Chapter 49
After Alpha Vincenzio left, I got another visitor. Someone I also didn’t wish to see again. Amaya. I hadn’t spoken to her since the grand ball. Since the night I had lunged at Amaya, fists flying, blinded by betrayal when I saw her standing there with my now stepdad.
The man I had once called father. The man I had spent my entire life believing was my blood. And yet—he wasn’t. He even used me as a pawn to save his family from a curse.
I didn’t want to see her, but I needed answers. Why she lied to me? Why my stepfather? I just couldn’t take that the person I used to trust the most is the same person who broke my mother and our family.
I found Amaya in the garden, sitting on a stone bench, staring at the blooming white roses. The moonlight bathed her in a soft glow, her expression unreadable.
I stood there for a moment, watching her, unsure if I was angry or just tired.
Then, finally, I stepped forward. “What the hell are you doing back here? Aren’t you supposed to be eloping with my disgusting stepfather? You’re twice her age, Amaya. And…you’re my bestfriend.”
She flinched, her body tensing at the sound of my voice.
Slowly, she turned, her eyes locking onto mine. There was no surprise in them. Like she had been waiting for this.
“Aurora.” Her voice was quiet. “I needed you to see my side of the story.”
I crossed my arms, keeping my tone steady. “Just tell me why. Why are you with Gregory?”
Amaya exhaled, her shoulders sagging slightly. She didn’t look guilty. She looked… resigned.
Like she had known this conversation would come but had hoped to avoid it. “Because I knew he wasn’t your father.”
I froze. My breath caught in my throat. I took a step closer. “You knew?”
Amaya’s gaze flickered. “Yes.” A sharp, bitter laugh left my lips.
“Since when?”
She hesitated. “For a while now.” My stomach twisted.
“How?” I demanded. “How did you know before I did?”
Her lips parted slightly, like she was searching for the right words. And then she lied. “I just read about it.”
A sharp anger burned in my chest. Because I knew Amaya. I knew how she looked when she was hiding something.
I took another step toward her, my voice dropping. “Do you fucking think I’m stupid? Don’t lie to me.”
She swallowed hard. I could see the battle in her eyes. And finally, she sighed. “Gregory told me.”
A wave of shock and betrayal hit me all over again. My voice was barely a whisper. “You mean to tell me he told you the truth but never told me?”
Amaya looked away. “He didn’t want you to know. It will jeopardize everything.”
A bitter chuckle escaped me. “Of course, he didn’t.”
I clenched my fists, trying to process it all. Trying to understand why.
“So what, Amaya?” I asked, my voice sharper now. “Are you just with him because he gives you things?”
She flinched at my words, but then she shook her head.
“No. I’m with him because he provides for my siblings.”
I stilled.
“What?”
She exhaled. “I was a rogue before the Silver Moon Pack took me in, Aurora. I never told you why.”
She finally turned to face me fully, her eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. Pain. Regret. Maybe even a little… shame.
“My mother had an affair,” she said, her voice almost distant. “I was the result of that affair.”
I inhaled sharply. I never knew much about Amaya’s past. She had always avoided talking about it. And I had never pushed.
“The pack my mother was from kicked us out when they found out she had been sleeping with another man,” Amaya continued. “She never even told me who my real father was.”
She let out a humorless laugh.
“I was a child of infidelity. A disgrace to my mother’s mate. He let her stay, but he threw me out.”
My chest tightened. I had never known. I had never even suspected. “You were a rogue before coming here,” I murmured. She nodded.
“And my siblings? The ones my mother had with her real mate? They stayed behind.”
A lump formed in my throat. “She let you go, but she kept them?”
Amaya’s jaw clenched. “Yes.”
She turned away, looking up at the night sky.
“That’s where Gregory comes in,” she said after a pause. “He’s the only reason my siblings are being taken care of. He provides for them. Makes sure they have food, shelter. My mother doesn’t do anything for them.”
I let out a slow breath, my anger fading into something else. Understanding. Pain.
Because despite everything, Amaya had been fighting for her family too. Just like I always had.
“You should have told me,” I whispered.
She sighed. “Gregory didn’t want me to.”
