Page 11

K ieran

I sit across from Hazel in the estate’s interrogation room—a place I never imagined taking her to.

My wolf paces inside me, agitated by the tension between us.

He doesn’t care about the accusations or the circumstances.

All he knows is that our Mate is here, alive and breathing, after two years of absence.

He doesn’t care that she has given herself to someone else.

But I do. I could run my claws across her throat and end it all, serve the justice for the betrayal.

I didn't want to believe it. Even after confronting her, I didn't want to accept that she was lost to me for good. That made me want to find out, if it was true, if this thing between her and Eldon is real.

Before I drove back to the estate, I took a picture of her, passed out in the backseat of my truck. I headed back into the bar.

I asked some of the patrons and the staff. “Yeah, she hangs out with the big guys. You know, Eldon, the guy that could get any girl he wanted. So, when he hooked up with this beauty, everyone knew to back off,” one of the burly men in the corner told me.

“I seen her around. That big guy, he follows her everywhere. They probably have a thing. But who cares? I'm just a human trying to make some money. ”

“Got any gigs for me?” another staff member, different from the bartender, says.

I went out to the street and asked some of the guards what they had seen. And it was all the same.

I reeled my wolf in as I drove back to my estate, otherwise I would have broken the steering wheel, I would have tracked Eldon to his filthy cave and bashed his head in. I had to remind myself that I had a plan, and acting in my rage would only make it worse.

From the moment I had met her, I was dedicated to her, forsaking every female that threw herself at me, even those whom I had previously entertained. Because nothing feels the same as her. Nothing ever will.

I watch her unconscious, craving to run my hands across her jaw, feel her lean into me.

I watch her eyes flutter, my eyes trail down to her lips—slack, plump, inviting, her face resting on the shoulder with her seal, the exposed skin where her top was ripped makes me want to kiss it, gently, softly.

Goddess. She’s gorgeous. The way her rich brown hair falls over her shoulder, trailing down the lilac top she is wearing, some strands straying into her cleavage. I get flashbacks of how my mouth felt on her. I ache for her. Then she wakes up and looks around.

The traitor. What does she know? What has she been up to? Who else has she let touch her, make her body feel good? Who else makes her feel like I have?

I lean forward, my hands resting on the smooth oak table between us.

Hazel’s posture gets rigid when she notices me and realizes what’s going on.

Her storm-gray eyes lock on mine with defiance.

She tries to move, but she realizes that she’s strapped to the chair.

She doesn’t look away, doesn’t flinch under the weight of my scrutiny.

I only had a few moments with her that night.

Short, magical, electric. Seeing this side of her makes me hard instantly.

Is this one of the ways she’s changed in these two years? What other side of her is there?

“Tell me what Eldon is planning,” I say, my voice low but sharp.

She raises an eyebrow, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Is that why you have me restrained like a criminal? ”

“Answer my question.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “What do you care what I do with Eldon?” She's teasing me. I can tell by how her brow twitches.

“You’re with him now, aren't you? So, you must know what he’s planning. Unless he got you just to warm his bed at night.” The words leaving my mouth feeling burned.

“I have nothing to do with Eldon. There’s no information I can give you.”

“You expect me to believe that?” My frustration bubbles to the surface, and I push it down with effort.

Hazel crosses her arms, her jaw tightening. “I don’t care what you believe, Kieran.” She winces, and I notice that one of her bandages is soaked through with blood. I should have added more gauze, wrapped the bandage with more care.

The sound of my name on her lips sends a shiver down my spine, equal parts anger and dangerous lust. My wolf bristles, pushing against my control, his need to comfort her clashing with the fury simmering in my chest.

“Don’t play games with me,” I snap, my voice harsher than I intend. “You’ve been spotted with him. You’ve been in Broadstone for years, literally within his reach. And now you expect me to believe you’re not together with him?”

Her eyes flash with anger, and she leans forward, closing the distance between us. “What I expect,” she says, her voice laced with venom, “is for you to stop blaming me for things I haven’t done. I don’t owe you anything, Kieran. Not after what you did.”

The accusation in her words hits harder than I care to admit. My chest tightens, the weight of guilt pressing down on me. But I can’t let it show. Not now.

“This isn’t about the past,” I say, though the words taste like a lie. “This is about Eldon. My pack is at risk, and I need answers. You will lead me to Eldon.”

Hazel leans back in her chair, her expression unreadable.

“You want answers? Fine. Here’s one: I have no idea what Eldon is planning because I’m not his Mate, and I’m not part of his pack.

He’s been after me for years, and I’ve spent every moment trying to avoid him. Believe that or don’t. I don’t care.”

My wolf growls low in my chest, his anger and frustration echoing my own. The room feels smaller, the air heavier with every passing second.

“Do you know what it looks like?” I say, my voice softer but no less sharp.

“You, living in Broadstone, surrounded by rogues, likely all controlled by Eldon. And the locals know that you belong to him. It doesn’t paint a good picture, Hazel.

” Does she not see how she disrespects me?

How she has made it seem like what is mine can belong to someone else, especially my enemies?

She laughs bitterly, the sound cutting through me.

“Of course it doesn’t. Because in your mind, I’m already guilty.

That’s easier for you, isn’t it? Easier than admitting you were wrong.

” The accusation in her eyes doesn't let up.

I see her wolf's snarl on her face. I want to apologize, but I'm the one who has been looking for her for eight long months while she's been frolicking with the enemy.

My hands clench into fists on the table. “I didn’t bring you here to argue.”

“Then why did you bring me here?” she snaps, her voice rising. “To punish me for something I didn’t do? Or are you just trying to make yourself feel better about what you did to me?” I will forever live with that guilt, but I will never forgive her for dragging my name in the mud, for betraying me.

I stand abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. I pace to the other side of the room. My wolf growls louder, his frustration mirroring my own. If she can’t lead me to Eldon, then we are still at a disadvantage as to what Eldon is planning with his attempt to breach our northern borders.

“I don’t have time for this,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair. I would rather have been in bed with my long-lost Luna, but here I am, unable to trust a word coming out of her mouth.

“Then let me go,” Hazel says, her voice calm but unwavering.

I turn to face her, the bond between us thrumming like a live wire. “I won’t do that.”

“Why not?” she demands, her stormy eye trailing my movement across the room. She tries to move again, but the straps keep her put. A new wave of anger flares red in her pale eyes, and I see her wolf peeking through.

The incessant pull between us is a constant reminder of what I lost—and what I might never have again. My wolf claws at me, his instincts screaming to protect her, to claim her, to fix the mistakes I made. But the anger and doubt still linger, poisoning every thought, every word.

And with her wolf sealed away, there is a place within her that Magnus has ensured I will not reach until the seal is broken.

“You’re staying here until I’m sure you’re not a threat to my pack,” I finally say.

My heart feels cold and detached. I have to keep the flame that burns for her under control, and if she won't tell me the truth, there's nothing I can do about how much I physically need her, how much she makes me yearn and crave.

Hazel laughs again, but this time it’s softer, almost sad. “Of course. The pack always comes first, doesn’t it?” The smile fades, and she won't look at me anymore, her eyes glued to the table before her.

The bitterness in her tone cuts deeper than I expect.

“I don’t trust you,” I say, stepping closer, my gaze locking onto hers. “But I’ll keep you safe. Even if you don’t want me to.”

“I don’t need your protection, Kieran. I never did. Not when you treat me like what I’m not.”

Her scent wraps around me, warm and familiar, stirring something deep and primal in my chest. She parts her lips, her eyes darken.

She feels it too. I want to claw her clothes off.

I want to see what is mine. Claim what is mine.

Feel her pulse around my cock buried deep inside her again, taste the sweetness of her tongue.

For a moment, the tension shifts. It’s no longer just anger and frustration—it’s something darker, heavier, charged with the weight of everything we’ve left unsaid. Charged with the need we both can’t ignore.

“If you’re done interrogating me, I’d like to go to whatever prison cell you’ve decided I deserve.”

Instead, I turn away, my wolf growling low in protest. “You’ll stay in the South Wing,” I say, my tone clipped. “There’s a room ready for you. Damon will show you the way.”

Hazel doesn’t respond, her silence heavier than any argument.

I leave the room, the weight of her gaze burning into my back. As I step into the hallway, Damon is waiting, his expression carefully neutral.

“She’s not cooperating. Take her to the South Wing.”

But before I walk away, the pack elders emerge from the corner.

“We heard you captured Eldon’s whore.” I don’t know who said it, but they all roar with laughter.

“Bet he didn’t see that coming.”

“Weak-ass rogue.”

Anger flares in my chest. The way they are talking about her. But they are quiet when hearing my growl at their comments.

Damon comes out of the interrogation room with Hazel in tow, and the betrayal flares anew.

Something malicious comes over me, and I realize that I don’t care if she is treated like the whore that she is.

Letting other males even sniff her makes her just that—a loose woman who is not fit to be my Luna.

I can’t believe I let myself think that.

My wolf paces restlessly in the back of my mind, growling at the hostility emanating from the pack.

They don’t trust her. Neither do I.

But there’s a part of me—a part I refuse to acknowledge—that hates seeing her like this. Her stormy grey eyes scan the hallway, defiant despite the venom in every glance cast her way. Her chin is tilted high, and she refuses to shrink even in the face of their disdain.

I pull her to me now, feeling the venom flowing through my veins, growing into a resentment born from my frustration and all those months searching for her, only for her to be labeled as belonging to another male. Damon’s eyes go from me to the other elders.

“Yes, this is the whore.” I turn her around, jerking her harder than I should have. But I don’t care.

Kai, one of the troop leaders, stiffened protests. “With respect, Alpha, how do we know we can trust her?”

My wolf growls at the accusation, but I force him back.

My expression remains cold, unreadable. “I didn’t bring her here to debate her loyalty.

She’s a resource. Bait for Eldon. And until I say otherwise, she stays.

” But I notice how they look at her like she is some meat.

As if they can just reach for her and take her however they want.

The jealousy flares in my chest. I growl, and they all tear their eyes from her perfect hourglass figure in that tight top and skinny jeans.

“I’m sorry,” she says, her tone dripping with mockery. “I didn’t realize I was your new shiny toy to parade in front of everyone.”

“Watch your tongue, Hazel,” I warn, my voice low enough for only her to hear.

“Or what?” she snaps, turning to face me fully. Her defiance is electric, and despite the irritation coiling in my chest, I can’t help but admire the way she doesn’t back down.

“You’ll lock me up?” she continues, her voice rising. “Throw me to the wolves—oh wait, you already did that once, didn’t you?”

“Enough,” I say, my voice sharp.

But she isn’t done.

“Why don’t you tell them the truth?” she says, addressing the pack now. “Tell them how their great Alpha rejected his Mate. How he believed a lie and destroyed something that was supposed to be sacred.”

“The truth is that you used your delicious body,” I pull her close to me, my hand grabbing a handful of her ass.

A wicked smile spreads across my face, and I see the subtle fear in her eyes.

“To desecrate whatever sacred bond we may have shared. You are now used, as you have decided what you want to be. A whore.” I wrap my hand around her back and tilt her head upward.

I come close to her, close enough that my breath touches her face.

“And while you are under my roof, under my authority, my word is law. And if I say you are bait, that is what you are.”

The tension between us is suffocating, and the air is heavy with the scent of our desires.

I can feel the heat radiating off her, the defiance in her stance, the unspoken challenge in her gaze.

Her scent of wildflowers and earth fills my senses, and that draw, that criminally magnetic draw to her, washes over me.

For a moment, I forget why I’m angry. I forget why I’m supposed to hate her, why I’m supposed to keep my distance .

All I can think about is her.

And that’s the most dangerous thing of all.

I push her back to Damon.

“Take her away.”

The other elders didn’t say anything as I turn toward my office.