The Alpha's Forbidden Vow novel Chapter 42

POV: Selene

The air in the study was a thick, suffocating blanket of unspoken accusations and raw pain.

We stood there, locked in a stalemate of our own making, the chasm between us wider and deeper than ever.

Just as I was about to turn and flee, the door opened softly.

Isabella glided into the room, a vision of serene, elegant perfection.

Her timing was, as always, impeccable.

She took in the scene with a single, sweeping glance—the shattered glass, Zane’s rigid fury, my tear-streaked face.

Her expression immediately shifted into one of gentle, loving concern.

It was a masterful performance.

“My love,” she said, her voice a soft, soothing balm. She walked directly to Zane, completely ignoring my presence. “What’s wrong? I heard shouting.”

She placed a delicate, perfectly manicured hand on his tense arm.

Under her touch, some of the violent energy seemed to drain out of him. He didn’t pull away.

He allowed her to comfort him.

The sight was a fresh twist of the knife in my heart.

“It’s nothing,” Zane bit out, his voice still rough.

“It doesn't look like nothing,” Isabella murmured, her gaze flicking to me for a fraction of a second. It was a look of pure, triumphant contempt.

Then she turned back to Zane, her face a mask of wifely devotion.

She looked at me, and her expression softened into one of condescending pity, the kind a queen might show to a hysterical stable hand.

“Selene, dear,” she said, her voice dripping with a false, syrupy sweetness. “You shouldn’t provoke him like this.”

I stared at her, speechless with a fresh wave of disgust.

“He has the weight of the entire pack on his shoulders,” she continued, her tone that of a gentle, chiding teacher. “He is under so much pressure.”

The powerful, tormented Alpha and his understanding, supportive Luna.

A perfect, united front.

And I, the hysterical, ungrateful nanny, was the one disrupting their perfect harmony.

I was a joke.

My pain was a joke. My anger was a joke.

My entire existence in this house was a farce of their making.

Without another word, I turned and walked out of the room.

I could feel their eyes on my back.

As I closed the door behind me, I heard Isabella’s soft, triumphant voice.

“Don’t worry, my love. I’ll take care of everything.”