Chapter 8
Rylan’s POV
“Betrayed.” The word hangs in the air like a physical thing, and something primal snaps inside me.
My brother barrels through the doorway, his scent spiking with rage and something else… guilt, poorly masked by fury. “What the hell did you just say?” Ronan demands, stalking toward the doctor.
Dr. Merrick’s face pales. “Alpha heir, I was simply...“
“You dare accuse me of betraying my mate?” Ronan’s power fills the room, oppressive and dark. His eyes flash amber as he advances on the doctor, who backs against his supply cabinet. “I should rip your throat out for even suggesting...“
“Enough.” I step between them, my voice cutting through his tirade like a blade. Not shouting. Not threatening. Just absolute.
The room goes silent.
My wolf rises, matching Ronan’s dominance with something older, steadier. PROTECT HER.
“Stand down, brother,” I say quietly, meeting his gaze without flinching. “The doctor was doing his job.”
“Stay out of this, Rylan,” Ronan snarls, trying to step around me. “This is between me and...“
“I said enough.” This time I let a hint of my wolf bleed into my voice, the timbre dropping to something that resonates through the small office. I don’t raise my volume, but the authority in my tone makes Ronan freeze mid-step.
Behind me, I sense Selena’s steady presence. She hasn’t cowered or retreated. Good. She’s stronger this time.
“You forget yourself,” Ronan hisses, his fists clenching at his sides. “I am the Alpha heir.”
“And I am your older brother,” I counter, “the original Alpha heir…
and the only reason you have the Alpha heir position today.
I can always change that decision and we can see who outranks you in the pack hierarchy.
You know who's stronger little brother. Unless you want to challenge that… right here, right now?”
The threat hangs between us, charged with decades of unspoken tension. I position myself slightly in front of Selena, not claiming her, I’d never be so foolish, but making it clear she’s under my protection.
Ronan’s gaze flicks between us, calculation replacing his initial rage. “Fine,” he finally says, stepping back. “But this conversation isn’t over.”
Dr. Merrick clears his throat, the amber bottle still clutched in his trembling hand. “These suppressants will help with the bond pain,” he says to Selena, carefully avoiding Ronan’s glare. “One tablet every six hours. No more than that.”
I watch as Selena reaches for the bottle, her movements deliberate and controlled despite the pain I know she’s feeling. Her head lowers slightly, the perfect picture of a submissive mate, but I catch the steel in her spine, the careful placement of her feet. She’s acting, and acting well.
“Thank you, doctor,” she murmurs, her voice soft but steady.
Ronan steps toward her, hand outstretched. “Come, Selena. I’ll take you back to your quarters.”
“Actually,” I interject smoothly, “Dr. Merrick recommended she rest without... additional stress on the bond tonight. I’ll escort her to ensure she arrives safely.”
The look Ronan gives me could skin a bear alive. “How thoughtful of you, brother.”
“Just doing my duty as Enforcer,” I reply evenly.
We exit the medical office, Selena between us, the tension thick enough to cut with a claw. As we move through the main corridor, pack members pause their conversations, watching the drama unfold. Their whispers follow us like smoke.
“Poor thing...”
“Did you see how the Alpha heir looked at her?”
“I heard he was with someone else...”
“But they’re mates...”
“That’s dishonoring the Moon Goddess…”
The tide is shifting. I notice how gazes linger on Ronan with uncertainty rather than adoration. How sympathy flows toward Selena in gentle nods and concerned glances. The facade is beginning to crack.
Ronan notices too. His jaw tightens as we reach the junction where the path splits, one way leading to the Alpha family’s wing, the other to the general quarters.
“I’ll take it from here,” he announces loudly, clearly for the benefit of those watching. He reaches for Selena’s arm, his grip visibly tightening when she doesn’t immediately respond.
I step closer, not touching either of them but making my presence unmistakable. “The doctor was clear about his instructions.”
For a moment, I think Ronan will challenge me outright. His wolf rises to the surface, eyes glowing amber in the dim corridor. Then, abruptly, he releases Selena’s arm.
“Of course,” he says, his voice smooth as silk now. “My mate’s health comes first. I’ll check on you in the morning, darling.” He places a possessive kiss on her forehead that makes my wolf snarl internally.
FAKE. FALSE. UNWORTHY.
Selena nods, her expression carefully neutral. “Goodnight, Ronan.”
I escort her to her quarters in silence, both of us aware of the eyes still following our progress. At her door, I pause, keeping a respectful distance.
“Thank you,” she says, just loud enough for any lingering ears.
“Rest well,” I reply formally. Then, dropping my voice to a whisper only she can hear: “Take the suppressant. I’ll be watching. You know what to do.”
Her eyes meet mine, a flash of understanding passing between us before she slips inside.
Night brings no peace. I pace my quarters like a caged animal, my wolf pushing against my control with increasing urgency.
FOLLOW HIM. FIND PROOF.
I’ve tried to sleep, but every time I close my eyes, I see Selena’s face, the careful mask she wears, the pain beneath. In my previous life, I was blind to what was happening until it was too late. I won’t make that mistake again.
My decision made, I dress quickly in dark clothes, strapping my hunting knife to my thigh more out of habit than necessity. My wolf is weapon enough.
The corridors are mostly empty at this hour, the pack settled into their quarters. I move silently, years of training making my footfalls soundless against the stone floor. Outside, I catch Ronan’s scent immediately, pine and amber, tinged with something sour that wasn’t there in our youth.
I follow it away from the main packhouse, toward the old hunting cabins that dot the edge of our territory. Places secluded enough for secret meetings. Places where sounds don’t carry.
Another scent mingles with his, jasmine and honey, cloying and artificial. Candice.
My lip curls in disgust as I track them deeper into the forest. The cabin comes into view, small, rustic, lights glowing softly behind drawn curtains.
I circle it once, finding a position downwind where I can hear without being detected, my enhanced senses easily picking up their voices through the thin walls.
I take out my phone and press record.
“...taking too long,” Ronan’s voice, impatient and harsh, nothing like the controlled tone he uses in public.
“Patience, darling.” Candice’s voice is silky, confident. “These things can’t be rushed. The bond has to break naturally.”
“There’s nothing natural about this,” Ronan snaps. “The bond should have gone to you. You’re the one who deserves to be Luna.”
“And I will be,” she purrs. “Once we’re rid of her.”
I edge closer, my heart pounding against my ribs.
“The council members are still sniffing around,” Ronan continues. “That interfering bitch actually got them to start an investigation.”
“Let them investigate,” Candice says dismissively. “They won’t find anything. We’ve been careful.”
“My brother is watching too closely. He suspects something.”
“Rylan?” Candice laughs, the sound grating against my ears. “He’s been broken since Elise died. No one takes him seriously anymore.”
My claws emerge at the mention of my dead mate’s name on her lips. I force my breathing to steady, focusing on their conversation.
“Still,” Ronan mutters, “we need to accelerate the plan. The suppressants will only weaken the bond temporarily. We need to break her completely.”
“After we break her, we’ll blame the rogue attacks on her,” Candice says, her voice light as if discussing the weather. “It’s perfect. The human-passing mate who turned out to be a traitor all along.”
She laughs again, and the sound chills my blood.
“Just like we did with that other bitch,” she adds carelessly. “What was her name? Elise? Your brother never suspected a thing.”
My world stops.
The words echo in my head, each syllable a hammer blow against my skull. Elise. My mate. My everything. Dead because of them.
They caused it.
The realization crashes over me like an avalanche. The rogue attacks that killed my Elise weren’t random. The evidence that pointed to Selena in our previous life was fabricated. It was all an elaborate plot, one I was too grief-stricken to see through.
I trusted them. I helped them. I stepped aside and gave them my pack after Elise died, too broken to fight. I gave them the power to hurt Selena.
My chest tightens until breathing becomes painful. My vision sharpens, the night forest suddenly crystal clear as adrenaline floods my system. Rage and guilt collide inside me with such force that I have to brace myself against a tree to remain upright.
KILL THEM NOW, my wolf demands, clawing for control. TEAR THEM APART.
The temptation is nearly overwhelming. I could burst through that door and end both their lives before they could even scream. My claws would find Ronan’s throat first, then Candice’s. Justice for Elise. Protection for Selena.
But the sound of approaching footsteps breaks through my murderous haze. Someone’s coming, a group, by the steady rhythm of their gait.
I melt into the shadows, controlling my breathing, forcing my wolf back down. Not now. Not like this. Killing them would be too quick, too merciful. They deserve to suffer as they’ve made others suffer.
As the pack trackers pass by, oblivious to my presence, I make a silent vow. They will pay for what they’ve done. For Elise. For Selena. For the pack they’ve manipulated and the lives they’ve destroyed.
This time, I won’t fail. This time, history won’t repeat itself.
Because this time, I remember.
And this time, so does she.