I Escaped After My Alpha Poisoned Me for His Mistress

The wolfsbane still coursed through my system, making my limbs heavy as I dragged myself from the clinic bed. The doctor had said I should rest, but the walls were closing in on me. I needed air—needed to escape the sterile smell of antiseptic and the memory of Cade's indifference.

"Sofia," the night nurse called as I slipped past her station. "You shouldn't be up yet."

I nodded weakly but kept moving. "Just... need some fresh air."

The Pack House was eerily quiet at midnight. Most wolves would be at the after-gala celebrations, leaving the corridors empty and silent. I followed the moonlight streaming through the windows, my bare feet silent against the cold marble floors.

The gardens beckoned beyond the glass doors—a sanctuary of shadows and silver light. I pushed outside, breathing deeply of the night air. The wolfsbane made my senses dull, but I could still smell the night-blooming flowers and the pine trees that bordered our territory.

Then another scent caught my attention—Cade's distinctive Alpha musk, mixed with Estella's cloying perfume.

I moved instinctively toward the stone benches nestled among the hedge maze. Voices drifted through the foliage, hushed but clear in the still night.

"She looked like she was dying," Estella's voice trembled with false concern. "It scared me, Cade."

"You're safe now," Cade murmured, his voice gentle in a way it hadn't been with me in years. "I've got you."

I peered through the hedge. Cade sat on the stone bench, his arm around Estella's shoulders as she leaned against him. Her face was buried in his chest, shoulders shaking with what appeared to be sobs.

"But what if she tries to hurt me again?" Estella asked, looking up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "What if she hurts our pup?"

My breath caught in my throat. Our pup?

Cade stiffened slightly, but he didn't pull away. Instead, his hand moved to rest protectively over Estella's stomach.

"The heir?" he asked quietly.

"The stress isn't good for the baby," Estella whispered, her hand covering his. "I need you to protect us."

Beside me, the phantom Cade materialized, his translucent form trembling with rage and grief. He clapped his hands over his ears but couldn't block out the words. A silent scream contorted his features as he fell to his knees beside me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him, though I wasn't sure why I was apologizing. For what Cade had become? For what I was about to lose?

---

Morning light streamed through the office windows as I stood before Cade's desk. He didn't look up from his paperwork, though I knew he'd scented me the moment I entered.

"You should be resting," he said flatly.

"We need to talk about Estella."

His pen paused mid-signature. "What about her?"

"I want you to fire her from her consultant position."

That got his attention. He looked up, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Fire her? Why?"

"Because she's undermining me. Undermining us." I stepped closer, placing my hands on his desk. "This is still our pack, Cade. Ours."

He leaned back in his chair, studying me with cold eyes. "You think this is about jealousy?"

"I think this is about respect," I countered. "For our marriage. For our bond."

Cade laughed—a short, dismissive sound that cut through me like a knife. "She brings value to this pack, Sofia. Connections. Resources." His eyes narrowed slightly. "You bring... nostalgia."

The rejection letter in my pocket felt heavier than ever.

---

"I thought we could visit Thomas this weekend," I said carefully, watching Cade's reaction. Thomas—my brother who had stayed behind when we left the Black Moon Pack. The brother who had warned me about what power would do to Cade.

Cade's jaw tightened. "Why would we do that?"

"To reconnect. To remember where we came from." I hesitated before adding, "To remember who we were."

"You mean who I was," he corrected, his voice hardening. "That boy doesn't exist anymore, Sofia."

"He does," I whispered. "Somewhere inside you."

"I don't look back," Cade said firmly, turning away from me to stare out the window. "Neither should you."

Behind him, the phantom Cade appeared, his young face etched with sorrow as he watched his future self reject everything they had once stood for.

"Border dispute meeting," Cade continued, dismissing me with a wave. "Marcus is organizing it. I need to be there."

Of course he did. Estella's father—always pulling the strings.

As I turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of something in Cade's eyes—not regret, but calculation. And in that moment, I knew there would be a third test. One he would fail just as spectacularly as the first two.