Page 80 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

“He doesn’t look at me and see a substitute, Cedric.”

“Do you love him?”

His question takes me aback. “What if I do?” I demand. “What if I do love him? It’s got nothing to do with you. It has been eight years, Cedric. I owe you nothing. You have your princess. Go home to her.”

“You love Erik.” He says the words out loud as if he needs to hear them. “Why? What does he have that I don’t? I can give you everything. Status, wealth.”

“Can you give me back my pride? Can you erase what Bella did to me? Can you go back in time and heal my wounds?” I glare at him. “Till the very end, I believed in you. I thought that maybe, just maybe, she was lying. But the seal on the letter—Rothan confirmed it. And how could Bella have done everything she did to me if not with your consent? No, you were complicit in it. And even now, you want me to pay for daring to give birth to your child and tainting your bloodline, don’t you? That’s why you’re here. You’re angry I didn’t die the way you wanted me to—”

“That’s enough!” he roars. “Enough! I never did anything—Yes, I admit I was a bastard to you in the beginning, but I was changing. You changed me! I cared for you, and if you still can’t see that, then that’s on you!”

“You called me a tool!” I scream at him, agony sweeping through me. “I heard you tell Bella I was nothing but a tool. So, why the hell are you standing here, Cedric?! You have the real thing now. Go to Vivian! Fuck her! Have your children with her!”

“She is not you!”

We stare at each other, our chests heaving.

My body trembles with rage and grief. “I won’t—I won’t let you hurt me again. I have far too much to lose this time around. Just get out of my house.”

I don’t know if I expected him to argue with me any further, but he doesn’t. Getting to his feet, he gives me one last look. “Eight years, Leanna. I’m willing to accept my blame in everything that happened, but I’m not going to let another man take you. If Erik so much as looks at you—I don’t care if I have to wage war against the Human Wolf Kingdom, I will not hand you over to him. You can fight this all you like, but you’re still my mate. That’s never going to change.”

With that, he walks out the door, leaving me trembling behind him. How dare he make a threat like that?! Who does he think he is?

I hear the front door close, and I struggle to my feet, only to collapse with a pained whimper. My abdomen hurts.

Curling up on the floor, I groan loudly.

There are hurried footsteps, and Maya rushes in, her face white. “What are you doing down there? What did he do to you?!”

“N–Nothing,” I gasp out. “Help me up!”

She supports my weight, and when I’m finally sitting on the bed, I ask, “Where is Finn?”

“He’s sleeping again. Your ex didn’t want him to see you like this. Cedric kept him occupied for a while till he fell back asleep. That brute has been by your side since then. What did you ever see in a beast like that?”

I ignore her question, trying to think past the pain. “What time is it?”

Mays checks her watch. “Three in the morning. I’ve been napping with Finn. I didn’t want to leave him alone.”

You left him alone long enough for Cedric to figure out that Finn is his son, I think bitterly. There’s no way I can undo that damage. I don’t think Maya realizes what has occurred.

“What are you even doing here?” I look at her weakly now, all the anger and excitement drained from me.

“It’s a long story.” She sighs. “Healer Jerry is on his way, though. I just got a call from him.”

As she catches me up on what happened, I’m only half listening. If Cedric is serious and decides to wage war against the Human Wolf Kingdom, I don’t think Erik will go to bat for me. What am I going to do? How do I get out of this situation? I could take Finn and run. That’s one option, but now that Cedric knows about his son and the fact that I’m alive, I have a feeling he’s not going to give up. He’ll track me down to the ends of the Earth if he has to.

I close my eyes. What have I gotten myself into?

When Healer Jerry arrives, he’s not alone. Erik looks pissed. “Tell me it’s not true,” he says.

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” I mutter as Jerry studies my wound and gives Maya an admiring look.

“That’s excellent bandaging,” he tells her.

Maya smiles at him, clearly pleased.

Erik doesn’t pay attention to them, his eyes on me. “You were ambushed?”

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