The iron gate stood wide open.

Not a single guard remained in the corridor.

I stepped past the rusted metal hinges.

The air smelled heavily of sex. Pine and rain mixed with sickeningly sweet rosewater.

My wolf clawed at the inside of my skull.

"Turn back, Elena," she pleaded.

"I need to see the truth," I whispered.

"The truth will kill us."

"I am stronger than a stray orphan."

"He is not interrogating her!"

"I have to see it with my own eyes."

I walked further down the dark path. The corridor ended in a glowing magical barrier.

I pushed my hand through the shimmering light. It felt like ice against my skin.

I stepped completely inside.

There was no prison cell.

There were no silver chains.

There were no damp stone floors.

The innermost room was fully lined with plush velvet padding. A mahogany table sat in the corner. It held silver platters of roasted meats, fresh fruit, and expensive wine.

This was a sanctuary. A hidden paradise built for two.

My eyes locked onto the center of the room.

A massive, four-poster bed replaced the interrogation chair.

Kael stood at the edge of the mattress. His hands gripped Vivienne's narrow waist.

She kneeled in front of him. Her bare chest pressed against the silk sheets.

He drove his hips forward. He thrust hard into her.

"Look at your naked body," Kael growled.

"Look at what your cock does to me, Alpha," Vivienne whimpered.

"Your body feels too fucking good."

"Fuck me harder, Kael."

"You are so fucking wet. You grip me like you were made for this cock."

"Everything is for you, my Alpha," Vivienne moaned, her fingernails digging deep into his muscular forearms. "Please, fill me up completely. Make me your true female."

"As you wish," Kael panted, his thrusts turning brutal, shaking the massive frame of the bed. "I never knew you had such an intoxicating body. No wonder my wolf was drawn to yours... this is fate."

"Yes, it is the Moon Goddess's will," she gasped out, throwing her head back, her neck completely exposed to him. "Our bodies crave each other. I only pray the cell's barrier holds strong... Elena must never know about us. I would die if I broke her heart."

"You are too good, Vivienne," Kael groaned, burying his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her rosewater scent. "You are far too kind. I cannot even give you the title of Luna."

"Because I love you, Alpha," she whimpered, arching her back against his relentless pounding. "All I need is to be by your side. I only want you."

My face turned completely ash white.

There was no curse.

There was no dark magic.

There was no interrogation.

They were two lovers, perfectly matched in flesh and soul, indulging in their forbidden lust. I was not a mate fighting to save her husband; I was merely the pathetic obstacle standing between them.

The 'kind' woman was being ruthlessly claimed and bred by the father of my child, begging for his seed with every filthy moan.

A sudden, sharp tearing sensation ripped through my lower abdomen.

Then, I felt something warm and slick trickling down between my trembling thighs, soaking through my dress and pooling on the cold stone.

Blood.

"No... my baby..." I gasped, pressing both hands against my lifeless stomach.

My vision spun into absolute blackness. My knees gave out, and my body crashed heavily against the floor as consciousness was violently ripped away.