The safehouse was quiet, the kind of silence that pressed against the ears like a warning. Joanna sat on the edge of the worn sofa, her hand over her belly, feeling the steady heartbeat of the life growing inside her. Outside, the city pulsed with indifferent lights, unaware of the storm that was quietly gathering in its shadows.
Her ally—known to her only as Kael—spread a series of files across the wooden table. “These are all we’ve managed to gather so far,” he said, voice low but unwavering. Each photograph, each message, each financial record painted a picture she had never wanted to see: Carson’s secret dealings, Alice’s manipulations, their alliances with certain influential members of the Stormclaw pack.
Joanna’s fingers traced the edges of the documents, her chest tight. “All this time… all the smiles, the promises—they were lies.”
Kael nodded. “Exactly. And now, we use their own lies against them. But it won’t be simple. You’re nine months pregnant, and you’re still their mate in name. Any wrong move, and Carson will come for you with full force.”
“I don’t care anymore,” Joanna said, her voice hard. “He thinks I’m weak because I let him manipulate me. He thinks I’ll stay silent. He’s wrong.” Her eyes burned with a fire she hadn’t felt in months. “We start small. We expose the cracks in their armor, one at a time.”
Kael leaned back, studying her. “You need to understand: betrayal is like planting seeds. Each one must be positioned carefully, nurtured with patience. One wrong move, and they’ll recognize the threat before it grows.”