Alpha Rolan’s POV
The room was quiet except for the soft scratching of my pen across the pages of reports. I had been drowning in work ever since Pandora was discharged from the hospital.
There was so much that had piled up in my absence, but I didn’t mind. The monotony of it allowed me to escape from the whirlwind of emotions that had taken hold of me over the past few weeks.
Still, I couldn’t help but steal glances at the clock, wondering how Pandora was doing with Kiara and Ashley keeping her company.
The knock on the door broke through my thoughts. I placed the pen down and leaned back in my chair, staring at the oak door.
“Come in,” I called out, my voice steady, though the intrusion had unsettled the calm.
The door creaked open, and Griffin stepped inside. His face was drawn, shadows pooling under his eyes. He had always carried an air of confidence, no, arrogance, but today he seemed different, subdued.
“Griffin,” I greeted, though my tone held an edge. We had our history, and lately, that history had turned sour. I knew why he was here, and it wasn’t a surprise. “What brings you here?”
He closed the door behind him and approached the desk, his hands clasped together as if trying to compose himself before speaking. “I came to apologize,” he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
I raised an eyebrow, motioning for him to sit. He hesitated for a moment but eventually lowered himself into the chair opposite me.
“Apologize for what exactly?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
He took a deep breath, his gaze flickering around the room, avoiding mine. “I received the letter this morning. The one asking me to resign from my position as Beta.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk. “Yes, I know. I sent it.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously. “I… I wanted to clear things up. I’m not guilty of what you’re accusing me of. I’ve never plotted to overthrow you, Rolan. I would never betray you like that.”
A bitter laugh escaped me before I could stop it. I had expected this, of course. Griffin had always been good at playing the victim, at masking his intentions behind a veil of loyalty. But I wasn’t the naive Alpha he thought he could manipulate.
“I know everything, Griffin,” I said quietly. I reached into the drawer of my desk and pulled out a file, tossing it onto the surface between us. “I’ve known for a long time.”
Griffin’s eyes widened as he stared at the file. His hands trembled as he reached for it, flipping it open with reluctant fingers. Inside were documents, photos, and evidence that left no room for denial.
“You’ve been meeting with the councilmen behind my back,” I started, my voice low and measured, though the anger simmered just beneath the surface. “You’ve been plotting with them to undermine my authority, to remove me from power. I trusted you, Griffin. I gave you more chances than anyone else would have.”
Griffin’s mouth opened and closed as if struggling to find words. “Rolan, it’s not what it looks like. I swear…”
I cut him off, my voice sharp. “Not what it looks like? You’ve been seen, Griffin. Meeting with my enemies, conspiring against me. Do you think I’m a fool?”
His face paled, the weight of the evidence crashing down on him. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t trying to overthrow you. I was trying to protect the kingdom,” he stammered. “I thought… I thought if I could negotiate with the councilmen, we could reach some sort of peace.”
I shook my head, disgusted by his attempt to twist the truth. “Peace? By going behind my back and plotting with those who seek to destroy everything we’ve built?”
Griffin’s eyes dropped to the floor, his shoulders sagging under the weight of guilt. For a moment, the room was filled with heavy silence. He didn’t try to deny it anymore, he couldn’t.
But there was more. I leaned back, my eyes cold as I pulled out one final document from the file. “And then there’s this.”
I slid the paper across the desk toward him. His hands hovered over it, his expression confused as he glanced down.
“Camila,” I said, the name falling like a hammer between us. “Her real identity.”
Griffin’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. “What… what are you talking about?”
I leaned forward again, my voice dangerously low. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? About who she really is, about what you’ve been hiding? You should be grateful that Caleb pulled you out of jail when he did.”
Griffin’s face turned ashen, his hands trembling violently now as he gripped the paper in front of him. “How… how did you…?”
“It doesn’t matter how I know,” I said, my voice cold and hard. “What matters is that I gave you a chance, Griffin. I treated you like my brother. My father hid the truth from both of us, but I welcomed you into this family. And this… this is how you repay me?”
His eyes filled with desperation as he reached across the desk, his voice pleading. “Rolan, please. I never wanted this. I got caught up in something I couldn’t control. I made mistakes, but I never meant to hurt you.”
I stared at him for a long moment, the silence between us heavy with years of betrayal and broken trust. Finally, I stood, walking around the desk until I was standing directly in front of him. He looked up at me, his eyes filled with fear and regret.
“You should have come to me,” I said quietly. “You should have trusted me. Instead, you let greed and ambition cloud your judgment. I can’t forgive that.”
Griffin’s face crumpled, his hands falling limply into his lap. “What… what are you going to do?”
I looked down at him, the man who had once been like a brother to me. Now, all I saw was a traitor. “You’re no longer Beta,” I said firmly. “You’ll be stripped of your title and your duties. You’re lucky I’m not banishing you from the kingdom entirely.”
He bowed his head, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. He knew this was a mercy compared to what I could have done. But still, it was an end to everything he had built his life around.
“Leave,” I said, my voice cold and final. “I don’t want to see you again.”
Griffin stood slowly, his movements heavy with the weight of his own mistakes. He didn’t look at me as he walked toward the door. Just like that, the man I once called my brother was gone.