Fated to the Alpha Who Killed Me (by Sherry) novel Chapter 197

Fated to the Alpha Who Killed Me

Chapter 197

Violet’s POV:

:

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The sun hung high over Moonbeam Café as I pushed through the weathered wooden door. This place sat on

the edge of Wildfire Pack land, neutral enough for meetings but unmistakably claimed. The lunch crowd was

sparse a group of warriors nursing espressos at the corner table, their conversation dropping to cautious

murmurs as they noticed Zane trailing behind me.

Zane’s discomfort manifested in the rigid set of his shoulders, the way his eyes skittered away from the

other wolves as if eye contact might trigger a challenge. His fingers drummed against his thigh nervously as

we claimed a booth near the back.

“Relax,” I said softly as we slid into the worn leather seats. “They’re not going to hurt you. You’re with me.”

He nodded, though his hands remained tense on the laminated menu. When the server approached, Zane’s

order came out hesitant, almost apologetic. I ordered with deliberate ease, watching him absorb the casual

authority that came with being Alpha–born.

“So, how’s the internship treating you?” I began once our drinks arrived, wrapping my hands around the

warm mug. “Getting along with everyone at the firm?”

“It’s good,” Zane said quickly, too quickly. “Everyone’s been really helpful. Mr. Hunt especially-” He caught

himself mid–ramble, color rising in his cheeks. “Sorry. You probably don’t want to hear all the boring

details.”

“I asked, didn’t I?” I smiled, then paused deliberately. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you about

something else. Celeste went abroad to Silver Ridge recently. Did you know about that?”

The question landed like a stone. Zane’s throat worked as he swallowed, his gaze dropping to the scratched

tabletop. “I… yeah. I heard from some friends. But we don’t really keep in touch anymore.”

“Mmm.” I set down my mug with deliberate care. “That’s interesting. Because from what I understand,

Daemon’s the one paying for her to be there. Covering everything–tuition, living expenses, all of it.”

Zane’s fingers clenched around his water glass, knuckles going white. He said nothing, but his silence was

confirmation enough.

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Chapter 197

I leaned forward slightly, lowering my voice. “What’s more interesting is that it apparently wasn’t Daemon

who initiated contact. It was the other way around.” I let that hang between us for three deliberate

heartbeats. “You know about that, don’t you, Zane?”

His eyes snapped up to meet mine, and I saw it all there–the knowledge he’d been carrying, the betrayal

that had shattered him, the loyalty that had kept him silent even as it corroded him from within.

“Zane?” I prompted gently, though there was steel beneath the velvet. “I need you to tell me the truth. Did

Celeste contact Daemon first?”

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He closed his eyes briefly, surrendering to the inevitable. When he opened them again, resignation had

replaced the defensive tension. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I know. I saw the messages she sent him.”

The confirmation settled over me like frost, chilling and clarifying at once. Not a predatory Alpha pursuing

an innocent Omega, but a deliberate choice by someone who’d presented herself as guileless and pure.

“That’s what broke you apart, wasn’t it?” I asked. “Finding out she’d reached out to an already–bonded

Alpha.”

Zane’s laugh was bitter. “She had so many admirers. I thought I could handle it. But Daemon was different-

an Alpha from one of the most powerful packs, bonded to someone else, and she still-” He broke off, jaw

clenching.

“What did she say when you confronted her?”

He drew a shaky breath. “I asked her why she would do that. Why she’d reach out to someone who was

bonded, who clearly had intentions.” His voice had gone hollow. “She told me–she said, ‘My wolf Aria told

me that Onyx was her fated Alpha. The wolf’s desire can’t be disobeyed, Zane. I had no choice.“”

The words hit me like a physical blow, reordering my entire understanding. In my previous life, I’d believed

Daemon had pursued her, that his obsession had destroyed our marriage. He’d worn that label–seducer,

homewrecker–without protest, protecting Celeste’s reputation while letting himself be villainized.

But if she’d been the one to reach out first, if she’d actively pursued the mate bond connection, then

everything I’d thought I knew was a carefully constructed lie.

“That’s such bullshit,” I said flatly. “The wolf’s instincts can be powerful, yes. But we’re not animals. We have

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Chapter 197

human reasoning, human choice.”

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“That’s what I thought too,” Zane said quietly. “But she made me feel like I was being controlling, like I

didn’t understand.” His voice dropped lower. “Maybe I didn’t.”

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