Chapter 10
RHYS
Kenza shifted in a flash, the light brown wolf transforming into lean, muscular human limbs and her usual sharp, accusing eyes.
She stood with arms crossed as the sun rose behind her.
Sable stood up, slowly, as if assessing whether to fight or run.
But she didn’t make a move to do either.
Instead, she rose to her full height, crossing her arms and showing no sign of fear as the orange light illuminated her naked curves.
Fuck. Stop looking at her. I was drooling.
“I forgot how strong you are,” I muttered, brushing dirt off my chest.
“You forgot how to think, apparently.” She shoved me hard enough to make her point and growled. “What the hell is wrong with you, Rhys? We’re dealing with a pack crisis, and you’re out here playing grab-ass with”—her attention shifted to Sable, sharp as broken glass—“that.”
“It isn’t what it looks like.”
“Really?” Kenza’s sardonic laugh could have stripped paint. “Because it looks like you abandoned an emergency meeting to go rolling around in the dirt with Heraclid royalty.”
Sable made a sound that might have been amusement, which only made a pissed Kenza growl louder.
“She’s not royalty,” I said, trying to ignore how my wolf perked up at that barely-there smile. “And I had reasons.”
“Oh, I’m sure you had reasons.” Kenza moved closer, and I could smell the violence radiating off her. “The same reasons that have you looking at her like you’ve been starving for weeks and she’s dinner.”
Fuck me again. Was I that obvious?
Sable exhaled sharply through her nose at the mention, but made no move to run. In fact, she made no move at all.
“I was not—” I cut myself off, dragging a hand through my hair. “You make it sound ridiculous when I had my reasons that aren’t any of your business.”
“No, Rhys. You’re making it ridiculous,” she hissed. “You’ve fallen for her trap like a gullible pup.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I barked, trying to ignore the heat creeping up my neck. “You’ve forgotten your place in this pack, Kenza. You need to trust your beta.”
Kenza’s jaw tightened, her gaze flicking to Sable again. “She was close to Damian. You know that.”
“And we need her now,” I shot back.
“Need me?” Sable spoke. Goddess, I almost stopped breathing. The effect she had on me… She was a drug. This woman—who I should be tying up, grilling, and demanding answers from—stole away my resolve with one glance at her perfect form.
The sounds of the forest faded, and Sable’s quick inhales told me fear ran through her, even though she stood confident and proud.
“Earth to Rhys!” Kenza shouted and shook her head when I finally managed to tear my eyes off Sable. “She’s done something to you. You look like you’re about to implode.”
I didn’t respond. Kenza was right.
Suddenly the forest was filled with the presence of approaching wolves.
I felt them before I saw them—Logan’s dominance pushing ahead of him like a storm front, Eve’s softer but no less commanding presence right behind.
Raina and Anwen followed, their energies distinct but layered, a mix of calm and calculation that reminded my wolf of their elder power.
Logan emerged from the trees like judgment day in human form, his alpha presence hitting us with enough force to make every wolf in the clearing submit—except Sable, who watched him approach with the kind of calm that suggested she’d faced down alphas before.
“Explain,” Logan said, and my spine straightened automatically.
I planted my feet, crossing my arms. “She trespassed. I confronted her. End of story.”
“Bullshit.” Kenza jabbed a finger at me. “I found him pinning her to the ground, and neither of them looked like they were discussing trespassing violations.”
“I had the situation under control. She’s here, alone, and she has information we need,” I said, which wasn’t exactly a lie. “About the twins.”
Logan’s eyes flicked to Sable. “That so? You’d better tell me exactly who you are, especially after our last interaction at the café. And while you’re at it, explain why the fuck are you on my lands.”
Sable didn’t flinch, but her jaw twitched. “You already know my name.” she said simply, her voice giving no sign of the erratic heartbeat I heard in her. Why could I feel her heart in my head? What messed up bond-fuck was going on? “For the others, I’m Sable, former Heraclid. Now unaffiliated.”
“Unaffiliated.” Logan’s gaze darkened. “You know Heraclids are now part of Orion, and yet you keep a distance. Despite your lack of affiliation, you thought it was a good idea to stroll onto my land.”
Sable’s voice was cold and measured. “I wasn’t strolling. I was passing through for—”
“Bullshit, Sable,” Kenza hissed, taking another step closer. “You don’t ‘pass through’ without ulterior motives. Especially not with our history.”
“Let her finish,” I said, stepping between Kenza and Sable without thinking.
Kenza’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Look at you, defending her like she’s one of us. What did she do to you, Rhys? Because this”—she gestured at me, then at Sable—“this isn’t the beta I’ve come to know these past months.”
I bristled, fighting to keep my wolf under control. “She has information we need, and I have reason to believe it’s directly related to Eve’s…” I looked for the right word. “Situation.”
I glanced at Eve, her head cocked and her expression curious as she observed Sable. I turned back to Kenza. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, don’t I?” she shot back. “Your wolf seems to have ideas of his own.”
My wolf was pacing, growling, demanding I protect Sable, keep her close.
I didn’t know what he knew, but he had never led me astray before.
I had to believe my wolf’s loyalty was to pack and family first, and that he knew Sable held answers…
and yet he was so close to submitting to her that I didn’t know what to think.
This was all kinds of awkward.
Raina moved closer to Sable, her elder senses obviously picking up on something the rest of us were missing. “You know this woman,” she said to Anwen, not really a question.
“Indeed.” Anwen’s gaze never left Sable’s face. “One of the most complex wolves I’ve encountered.”
A sardonic smile ghosted across Sable’s lips, one that made my wolf want to either bite her or kiss her senseless. “Complex. That’s one word for it.”
Raina spoke in breath in breathy tones to Anwen. It was an elder way of communicating that prevented others from hearing, and one that reminded me of the looks my parents used to give each other when I’d relentlessly tease the twins. Anwen replied in the same way, not taking her eyes off Sable.
When they finished their silent conversation, Raina turned to Logan.
“She’s not here by accident,” Raina said simply.
“If she’s not here by accident, as you say, then we’d better find out exactly what has brought her to our lands,” Logan said, the alpha in his voice taking over. “We have many situations, as you said, Rhys. Explain what you intend to do with this trespasser who has her own agenda.”
“I want to question her,” I said, stepping closer to Logan.
“Question her?” Kenza cackled. “This is exactly what she wants—to be brought into the heart of our territory, given access to our people, our secrets. She’s playing you.”
My wolf snarled, which was probably all the proof Kenza needed that I was compromised as hell.
“Look at her,” Kenza continued, gesturing wildly. “She’s not running, not fighting, not trying to explain herself. Because this is her plan. If you had any idea how she treated Eve back in Heraclid, we wouldn’t even be discussing this.”
I had to admit Kenza had a point. Sable stood there with the patience of someone who’d already won, and I didn’t know what the game was.
“It’s okay, Kenza.” Eve gently moved Kenza aside, her oracle power rippling through the clearing like heat waves.
When she approached Sable, something changed.
Sable’s shoulders drew inward, her chin dropping slightly, her whole posture changing in response to Eve’s authority in a way she never did with Logan.
Interesting.
“We bring her home,” Eve said, her voice carrying the tone that meant the decision was final.
Logan started to protest, but Eve cut him off with a look that could have melted steel.
“My wolf has decided,” she said. “And my wolf is rarely wrong.”
Eve looked at each of us in turn, and I felt a wave of her command.
We were bringing Sable home, into the heart of Orion. I just hoped we wouldn’t regret it.
Sable lifted her hands, palms up. Her meaning was clear: She was coming willingly.
My wolf bristled. This woman wasn’t the type to surrender. She was choosing this, which meant she had an angle.
And I didn’t know what it was.
Logan’s stance was rigid, and Kenza was still coiled tight, ready to lunge at the first chance she got. Raina and Anwen had gone quiet. I caught the subtle way Raina kept glancing between Sable and Logan—like she knew something the rest of us didn’t.
There was an eruption in the forest behind us.
“You’re not taking her away!” a high-pitched voice rang out.
Every head snapped toward the trees.
A small, wild thing stalked out of the underbrush, blond curls tangled, her eyes burning with fury.
My wolf locked on instantly. She wasn’t just another wolf. Her presence crackled.
Threat. Unidentified.
Kenza snarled. “Who the hell are you?”
“Who the hell am I?” the girl snapped, stepping forward fearlessly. “Who are you to drag her off like some captured animal? She hasn’t done anything to you. And believe me, she could if she wanted.”
Sable whipped toward her, tension snapping through her frame. “I told you to stay hidden,” she hissed. “You should have gone home.”
The girl squared her shoulders, standing her ground against a pack of wolves.
Logan growled. “This isn’t your fight, kid. Walk away.”
The girl’s lips curled. “Not a chance.”
My wolf lunged forward, ready to rip that defiance out of her mouth. I forced him back, but it took effort. The girl’s energy was strange. Who would take on an alpha like that?
“Think before you speak!” Sable shouted, and closed her eyes. “Goddess, help me.”
Kenza scoffed at the girl. “You’re cute.” She gestured at the rest of us. “You have any idea who you’re dealing with?”
“Yeah,” she spat. “A bunch of assholes.”
The girl had nerve. It was pretty impressive.
She tilted her chin up. “If you don’t let her go, I’ll make you all regret it.”
“She doesn’t mean that,” Sable intervened quickly. “Astrid, you can’t just—”
“No, Sable.” Astrid’s voice shook. “I’m done playing nice. I’m done letting you walk into life-threatening situations like you don’t fucking matter. You do matter.”
The ground might as well have cracked open under us.
Eve was assessing. Eyes sharp—like she was picking apart Astrid’s soul.
“Who are you?” Eve asked softly.
She didn’t hesitate. “My name is Astrid.”
Eve nodded, unfazed. “And why do you care so much about Sable?”
“Because she’s my mom.”
Silence.
Logan’s gaze shifted, becoming lethal. His voice dropped into a growl. “Rhys.” Fuck. “You said she was alone.”