Alpha Alejandro ran down the dark stone stairs of the dungeon so fast that the guards at the door didn't even have time to bow.

His heart was hammering against his ribs like a wild animal trying to break free. The sound of Melissa’s voice from the recording was still looping in his brain, each word cutting into his mind like a hot knife.

She fooled me. She fooled me. He thought as he continued his way to the dungeon.

Melissa was his first love, the woman who had traveled through hell and back with him during the early days of his leadership. He had trusted her blindly because of...