Chapter 487
The room echoed with silence after the heavy doors slammed shut behind Anna. Jasmine stood still, her body trembling from the coldness of the moment, and from the storm swirling in Xaden’s eyes as he looked down at her from his throne.
“I should’ve known,” he muttered, almost to himself. His voice was low, dangerous. “I should have never trusted you.”
Jasmine flinched. “Xaden, I didn’t—”
“Don’t.” His voice sliced through her plea. “Don’t speak like you’re innocent.”
She stepped forward, cautiously. “You’re angry. I understand. I left, I ran… but I didn’t betray you.”
He laughed bitterly and rose from his throne. “Didn’t betray me?” he echoed. “You vanished in the middle of the night. Took off without a word, after everything—after I trusted you. And now you return carrying stolen jewels and letters that paint you like a spy. Tell me, Jasmine, is the baby even mine?”
Her mouth dropped open, her heart stopping in her chest. “What?”
“You heard me,” he growled. “Don’t act shocked. Alpha Hunter said he wanted you. He made a deal for you. So what is it—did you go willingly? Were you his all along?”
“No!” Jasmine stepped closer, desperate now. “Xaden, I didn’t even know I was going to be trapped by him. I simply thought I was going to find a way to save you and bring you back home.”
“You expect me to believe that?” His voice rose, raw and furious. “You show up with his men, carrying letters with your handwriting, carrying stolen Crescent property—and you still think I’ll believe you?”
“They planted it in my bag!” she cried. “I didn’t know! I would never—”
“You ran straight into the arms of my enemy, Jasmine,” he said, voice low with venom. “And now you expect to walk back into my life, carrying another man’s pup, crying innocence?”
The words felt like knives. “Xaden, that baby is yours,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I’ve only ever been with you. You know that.”
“I only know that you’re a slut.” He spat. “Anna told me everything. How you created a scandal back in the moonlight pack. How you sent letters to him. How you even lied to me that you couldn’t read and write.”
Jasmine’s face went ashen. “Wh… Anna told you this? And you believe her? All Anna has done is lie. From the entire beginning.”
“If Anna lied then why did other members of your own home pack testify that he was your lover.” Xaden spat.
Jasmine lips faltered in shock.
None of this made any sense.
“I opened up to you in ways I had never with anyone.” He said. “Even after everything your father had done to my family, even after your deception. I gave you a chance. Told you things I had never told anyone.”
She closed her eyes tight.”
“When all you did was see me as a FOOL!” He yelled as he flung the glass by his throne to wall and it shattered to a million pieces.
She trembled in fear.
“You took me for a fucking fool! You fucked my enemy just so you could get away with everything. You planned the attack.” He said.
She went down on her knees despite her pregnancy. “Goddess no. Xaden I had never seen Hunter until I was kidnapped. Never heard of him either.”
“You set me up to die you bitch.” He sneered. “so you and your lover could come and fuck on my throne didn’t you?”
Jasmine blinked at the harshness of his words.
“Xaden She shuddered.
“I am your FUCKING ALPHA and you would refer to me by my title!” He barked.
She recoiled. “I’m sorry.”
He scoffed. “Hunter. Even calling him by his name. If you never met Hunter before then why did a rogue Alpha let you go? Why did he let you come here safe and sound no bargaining nothing.”
Jasmine rubbed her arms and quietly said. “I don’t know.”
She herself truly didn’t know.
Had hunter purposely sent her back to set her up?
How had Anna evened up to the equation and how had members of the moonlight pack lied about her?”
“I will never hurt you.” She wept.
But Xaden’s face remained unreadable. Something inside him had locked shut.
“How could you do this to me Jasmine?” He asked.
Then he went silent. Before speaking he went to her and held her arms pulling her to him.
“Tell me Jasmine. Just tell me the truth. If you do, I don’t want to know the details. Just admit it to me and I will forgive you. I’m the Alpha. No one will question anything I say. Please just tell me the truth.” He said and she heard a crack in his voice.
A sign of vulnerability and his lips quivering with his words.
She wanted to tell him it was true just so everything would be fine, but she had never told a lie before.
And it was all false.
Even if she admitted it, he might forgive her, but he will never forget.
Her mind swirled with temptation on her choice of words.
She closed her eyes and felt her heart break as she said. “I didn’t do it.”
She looked up at him and he looked as though she had struck him.
His face went white and a part of him seemed to have been broken and then a mask of thunder.
He was furious.
She tried to reach out to him. “Xaden please-
He flinched away from her touch.
“You chose your side,” he said quietly. “Now live with it.”
Jasmine’s knees buckled, but she stayed standing. “You don’t mean that.”
He turned away from her. “Guards.”
The doors opened swiftly, two sentries entering without question.
“Take her to the south chamber. Keep her under watch. She’s not to leave without my permission.”
Jasmine’s mouth parted, confusion washing over her. “What? You’re locking me up?”
“Xaden—please,” she choked. “You know me. You know I would never, what about our baby?”
“It’s not mine.” He said and Jasmine felt as though she had been stabbed in the heart.
And with that he turned around and back her.
She stared at him, frozen in place, until the guards approached. One of them took her arm.
She couldn’t fight them. Her body moved on instinct as she was led out of the room. But her mind screamed the whole time.
He didn’t believe her.
He truly didn’t believe her.
And worse, he thought the baby wasn’t his.