Chapter 145
She laughs. “I’m practical. I’m thinking of your future–our future. A proper Luna by your side. Strong, pureblooded children.
carrying on your legacy. The respect of the entire country of Ordan. The entire world.”
“And all it would cost is the lives of my true mate a
and firstborn son. Did you really think I would choose you over them?”
“You already did,” she points out. “For five years, you chose me. You chose power and position over your little human
plaything.”
The truth of her words stings, but I push past it. “I made a mistake. One I’m correcting now.
12
“It’s too late for that,” Selina says, stepping closer to me. “You know what will happen if you formally acknowledge Miles as your heir. The traditionalists will revolt. You’ll lose support. Your presidency will crumble ”
“I don’t care.”
“You will,” she says with certainty. “When it all falls apart, when you’re left with nothing but that broken little family, you’ll care
then.”
I turn away from her, unable to stomach another moment of this conversation. “We’re done here. Stay away from Iris and Miles.
If anything happens to either of them–anything at all–I will personally make sure you regret it.”
“Arthur, be reasonable,” Selina calls, following me as I head for the door. “Everything I’ve done has been for us. For our future.”
I whirl around, my patience completely gone. “There is no ‘us‘! There is no ‘our future“! Get that through your fucking head!”
“You don’t mean that,” she says, reaching for me. “You’re just confused. That human has gotten into your head-”
“She’s my mate.”
“She’s nothing! A nobody! A pathetic human who trapped you with a defective child!”
Something in me snaps. Before I can stop myself, I’ve surged forward, backing her against the wall. “Don’t you dare speak about them that way!”
“Or what?” she challenges, lifting her chin defiantly. “What will you do, Arthur? Kill me? Go ahead!”
I realize how close I am to losing control completely. My wolf is right at the surface, his claws itching to emerge. “Kill her,” he hisses. “She tried to kill our mate. Fucking kill her.”
“No.” I step back, trying to calm myself.
“This conversation is over,” I say, turning my back on Selina.
“If you walk out that door, I will destroy you,” Selina warms. “I’ll tell everyone about your human whore and your half–breed son. I’ll make sure Miles is taken away. I’ll-”
1 spin around, my control finally snapping. “ENOUGH!”
+20 Bonus
I don’t mean to push her. I really don’t. Just a reflexive gesture to create space between us. But Selina stumbles backward, her
heel catching on the edge of the step down to her sunken living room. For a moment, time seems to slow as I watch her eyes
widen with surprise, her arms pinwheeling as she tries to catch her balance.
Then she falls, tumbling backward down the short flight of stairs. I hear the sickening crack as her head connects with the marble
floor at the bottom.
“Selina!” I rush down the stairs, dropping to my knees beside her unmoving form. Blood pools beneath her head, dark against the
white marble. “Selina, can you hear me?”
She doesn’t respond. Doesn’t move. With shaking hands, I check for a pulse, relief flooding through me when I find one.
Without hesitation, 1 scoop her up and race for the door, mindful of keeping her neck stable. I carefully place Selina in my car and speed toward the hospital, every second feeling like an eternity.
By the time we arrive at the emergency room, her breathing has grown shallow, her skin pale and clammy. Medical staff rush out with a gurney, taking in the sight of the Alpha President covered in blood, carrying the unconscious ex–Luna–to–be.
The next hour passes both too fast and eternally slow at the same time. The police are called. I answer their questions truthfully,
describing the argument, the fall, how I brought her in immediately.
They seem satisfied, for now. I’m the Alpha President, after all. My word carries weight, and Selina’s house is filled with cameras. But I can still see the impending backlash already. The recently–ex–fiancee of the Alpha President, suddenly suffering a life-
threatening injury in his presence.
It’s not going to be good.
Eventually, they let me see her. Selina lies motionless in the hospital bed, a breathing tube down her throat, monitoring equipment beeping around her. A thick bandage covers part of her head where they must have operated to relieve the pressure on
her brain. They had to induce a coma.
Despite everything, seeing her like this makes my stomach twist with guilt. I did this. Not intentionally, but my actions led to this
outcome.
I sink into the chair beside her bed, burying my face in my hands. How did we get here? How did everything spiral so completely
