My vision blurred, my breath shallow as I fought the urge to storm inside and rip the lies from his throat. But my body betrayed me, frozen, trembling in the storm of revelation.
Then, Ram’s eyes flickered to the doorway. He stilled. His expression shifted from anger to dread as his gaze locked on me.
“L-Luna…” he stammered, rising to his feet. Alpha Alaric turned. “You’re back?”
The sound of my name pierced me. At last, I had what I had longed for, my mate’s voice, clear and sharp.
But not as I dreamed it. Not with love. Not with devotion.
His golden eyes meet mine. For a heartbeat, guilt flickered there, raw, unguarded. But in an instant, it was gone, replaced with that cold, calculating indifference he wore like armor.
His lips curved, smooth and dismissive.
“Why are you so flustered, Ram? She’s deaf. Even if you shouted in her ear, she wouldn’t hear a word.”
The words… The lie rang louder than any sound I had ever known.
And for the first time since regaining my hearing, I wished I had never heard at all.