Page 55 of Alpha's Impostor Bride

I look at the three men in front of me, the men I once trusted above anyone else. “One of you left her here when he was told to guard her with his life. One of you convinced me to give power to the woman who despised her. I trusted you. And this is what I get. Betrayal.”

My wolf is howling within me, and grief is clogging my throat. My mate is gone. Even if I venture into the forest, I know she could not have survived. She wasn’t a fighter. My eyes flick toward the looming trees, and I stare at them, feeling empty inside, like a part of me has been ripped out.

Did you go in there seeking your death, Leanna? When the monsters ripped you apart, did you die thinking I was going to execute you, that I gave the orders to torture you?

“I feel safer when you’re around.”

“This castle is your home. You’ll be safe here, whether I’m around or not.”

“I trust your choice.”

I failed her. I lied to her. She wasn’t safe in the castle. I shouldn’t have left her alone. I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight.

The agony eating at me on the inside is of a vicious kind.

My Leanna.

Her body. I have to bury her body.

If I enter the forest, I’ll die, but I don’t care. I begin walking toward it.

“No!” Edgar throws himself in front of me again. “Please, Cedric! The kingdom needs you! Without you, the Veil will be compromised. Think of the people who are depending on you! Think of your parents! They would not have wanted you to do this!”

I pause.

My parents. My Leanna. All gone. They left me behind.

If I do this and don’t survive, the kingdom will fall.

It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I turn my back on the forest, on Leanna’s body.

“We’re returning to the castle.”

“Cedric?” Edgar sounds wary now. “What are you going to do?”

“Bella wanted my mate to be executed,” I say, my heart turning to stone. “She’s the one who will face the execution, the very kind she planned for Leanna.”

I hear Derrick make a strangled sound, and I turn to face him, my voice cold. “Choose your loyalty here and now, Derrick Fenrin. If it’s to that woman, then you no longer serve me.”

Derrick looks me in the eye, and then he bows his head. “I am loyal to you alone.”

“Very well.” I watch him closely, none of my previous familiarity in my eyes. “Let’s test your loyalty, shall we?”

We reach the castle in record time. The guards at the entrance give me an uneasy look as I head inside. “Where is Harriet?”

When no one replies, I roar out her name.

A woman appears before me, wearing clothes that were designed for Leanna. She has Leanna’s face, her hair, her body, but she’s not Leanna.

“If you are referring to the traitor’s maid, she’s in the dungeon. You remember me, right? I’m Princess Vivian. Your mate, King Cedric.”

I walk over to her and see the satisfaction in her eyes. Without a second thought, I grab her by the throat and squeeze. Her eyes widen, and she makes a choking sound, clawing at my hand.

“My mate? You are not my mate. Something so disgusting cannot be my mate.”

She’s struggling to breathe, and I hear Bella’s voice cry out. “Let her go, Cedric! What are you doing?”

I release Princess Vivian, and she falls to the ground, pallid. Bella crouches next to her to help her up.

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