Lillian’s POV
I was woken up by a loud growl, a warning. I slowly sat upright, yawned, and blinked a few times to clear my vision.
“Get up,” Maila growled at me. I frowned, then moved to the edge of the bed and got up.
When I heard a loud whimper, I rushed to the door. Immediately, I pulled it open, and Flora came running to my side.
“It’s the Alpha who is very upset, Luna. I’m afraid he will hurt the Beta and Delta who are holding him back. I don’t know what happened because all I did was serve tea. But then Paul walked in, and everything changed for the worst,” Flora said in a cracked voice. She had a terrified expression on her face, and she was sweating.
I quickly rushed to his office following his scent. When I walked in, my eyes instantly went to Paul, who was kneeling on the ground with a bleeding nose. His hair was ruffled, and his shirt was badly torn.
I shifted my gaze to Ridge, who was standing still, yet looking at Paul as if he would rip him in half.
Talic and Light were opposite him, holding Ridge on each side with a scared expression on their faces.
Just the aura in the room was intense even for me, but not enough to make anyone submit.
“You betrayed his trust yet again,” Ridge growled loudly as Paul flinched.
“At least before you kill me, let me talk to Jace. Please, I beg you,” he pleaded in a low tone.
“Do you think he will favor you? All this time I kept him in the dark over what you did because I hated the idea of him going through pain and heartache. But now, I will no longer shield him from the truth,” Ridge answered and then pulled back.
When Jace took over, he took a step back with his gaze still fixed on Paul.
“What do you want to tell me?” He asked in a cracked voice.
He looked powerless and very hurt, unlike how Ridge looked a second ago. The glint of death in his eyes was replaced by pain.
Paul stood upright and faced him.
“It wasn’t me,” he answered softly.
“Do you think we are fools for holding back the Alpha? The least you could do is be honest,” Light growled at him.
I had no idea what was going on, but one thing was for certain, Ridge didn’t want to kill any of them. Because there was no way they could stop him if he were intending to.
“Why won’t you two believe me, is it because it’s not Snow talking?” he asked.
“Yes, we will only believe Snow’s words over yours, human,” Light responded.
“Jace, I agree it was my fault for not thoroughly supervising those two morons, but I wasn’t the one who did it. You have known me for years and you know my loyalty lies towards…,” he stopped talking and then lowered his gaze to the floor, groaning low.
“As I was saying, my loyalty lies towards you, so never should you ever doubt me. I have had your back for years, there is nothing that can make me betray you,” he said as Jace’s eyes switched back to that of Ridge.
“Is that so?” he asked coldly and then looked at Talic and Light.
“Step aside,” came his cold command.
Talic and Light instantly let him go and took a step away.
They had pained expressions on their faces because of the deadly pheromones he was releasing.
“Gamma, look at me and repeat those words you have said,” he commanded, then folded his arms with a smirk.
He knew how his command was lethal when one either lied or went against it.
Paul forced himself to look up and meet his eyes.
He opened his mouth to speak yet no words came out. Veins began to show on his forehead as a trail of blood rolled from his nose. He was trying so hard to go against the command. When his eyes switched to that of his wolf, I raised a brow.
“Alpha, I have no excuse at all. I commit my life into your hands. I had a lot of chances to stop him or lock him out, yet I chose not to do so,” Snow said when he took over.
“Why?” Ridge asked.
“You know why. How could I have done that to him when his happiness was all I ever wished for?” he answered sadly.
“He had no one to turn to whenever he felt alone and left out. I knew and felt how he felt, yet my words couldn’t fill the void that he felt. Only when he was with her did he find true comfort,” he said as I frowned.
Her? Who were they talking about?
“How many times did he betray Jace? Did you not think for a second how this was all your fault? How it could hurt my human in the process?” Ridge asked seriously.
“I did, that’s why I am here to confess everything. Yes, my human has been having an affair with Miss Leah, and yes, he was the one who let her escape. The reason he also bullied your mate in the past was for her sake. He has always been in love with her, that I can’t hide,” he answered as I angrily pointed a finger at him.
“What the hell did you say!” I screamed loudly.
“I’m sorry, Luna, but I let my human help Miss Leah to escape and leave this pack,” he answered as Maila took over and shifted.
In a split second, she jumped on him, pushing him to the ground, and sunk her teeth into his shoulder as he howled in pain.
The taste of blood in her mouth was strong, yet she sunk her teeth even deeper as his howls echoed through the corridors. She was aiming to kill him, and this time I chose to let her be because I too wanted him dead for his horrible deeds.
When his howls died down and he began shaking uncontrollably, Ridge moved closer and brushed his hand against her coat.
Maila growled at him to step back because she didn’t want him to intervene.
“Please, he is still my friend,” Jace whispered.
His voice sounded as if he was crying.
She huffed, then let go and took a step back, shifting into human form and giving me back control.
Jace quickly took off his shirt and moved in front of me, covering me up. I gazed into his eyes sadly as he forced a smile on his face. He was sweating, and his eyes were filled with tears.
Without stopping myself, I wrapped my arms around his waist.
He was slightly trembling even as he held me back.
“He isn’t dead yet, but if you don’t attend to him now, he will die soon,” I said loudly.
“Are you allowing us to treat him?” Harvey’s voice came through.
I couldn’t see him, but I could tell he was in control.
“Yes,” I answered simply.
“Thank you,” he said.
I waited for them to leave the room with Paul. When they did, I pulled back and looked at Jace, who looked so sad.
“It’s alright to cry,” I whispered softly.
I understood how he felt. Paul and the other two grew up with him; he confided in them and took them as his very own brothers. Never did he foresee such betrayal, all for a woman.
“I won’t cry,” he whispered back in a cracked voice, then closed his eyes and pulled me back into his embrace.
“Seeing him in the pack will only hurt you more,” I said softly.
“I know, that’s why he has to go,” he answered, then sniffed.
He wasn’t shedding tears, yet I knew how he was crying inside. His heart and trust were broken by him.