Page 16

H azel

It’s been an hour since Kieran left. The scent of blood and sweat fills the air as I stand in the middle of the room, my breathing ragged.

The crimson dress Kieran approved is slashed in different places.

My hair has slipped out of the intricate style the Omega had put it in, and my eyes are feral.

The two guards sent to drag me to Kieran lie unconscious by the door, their bodies crumpled in awkward positions.

They’ll wake soon, but not before I find a way out.

My wolf paces restlessly, her growls low and simmering beneath my skin. I can feel Kieran within the estate. His presence is like a ticking time bomb, taking over my mind. Over my body. Eldon will kill me out there. But Kieran can also kill me within his estate. I’m not safe anywhere.

And now he expects me to face Eldon—to wear his bruising arrogance like a crown.

No. Not again.

I move quickly, grabbing a shard of glass from the broken vase I’d used to take out the second sentinel. It’s sharp, its edge catching the dim light as I grip it tightly in my hand. The plan is simple: fight my way out before Kieran can humiliate me further .

The sound of boots echoes down the hall, growing louder with each step. My heart pounds in my chest, but I don’t waver. It’s Kieran. If he’s coming for me, I’ll be ready.

The door swings open, slamming against the wall, and there he is.

Kieran steps inside, his presence filling the room.

His black shirt clings to his chest, his sleeves rolled up, exposing forearms tense with barely restrained power.

His sharp blue eyes lock onto mine, and I feel the warmth of heat settle in my core.

He makes me hot, even in this state. My body thrums with electricity at just his gaze.

“What have you done?” His eyes don’t reflect the annoyance he feels.

“I’m not going with you,” I snap, my voice shaking with fury.

He takes a step closer, his movements slow and deliberate, like he’s approaching a cornered animal. “Who told you that it makes a difference what you say?”

“You think you can control me?” I growl, my wolf snarling in agreement. “Not on your life.”

His wolf growls, and I know he’s about to come at me, but I’m already moving.

I lunge at him, aiming the glass at his side, but he’s faster than I expect for his size.

He dodges in one smooth, practiced motion, his hand snapping out to grab my wrist. The force of his grip sends the shard clattering to the ground, but I twist, using the momentum to break free and deliver a sharp kick to his ribs.

He grunts, stumbling back a step, but he doesn’t fall.

“You’ve been training,” he says, his voice edged with something almost like respect.

There’s nothing else to fill my time while I’m locked up here. So, every morning, afternoon, night, I’m training. Just like at the Omega quarters. Just like at the barracks. He won’t take my life away from me.

I don’t respond. Instead, I close the distance between us, my fists flying. He blocks the first punch, then the second, his movements fluid and precise. But I won't stop.

For every strike he counters, I find an opening, a crack in his defenses. My size and speed work to my advantage, and for a moment, I believe I can slip away from him and make it for the door .

I duck under his arm, spinning behind him to deliver a sharp elbow to his back. He stumbles again, and I seize the opportunity, tackling him to the ground.

He lands with a thud, his body tense beneath mine as I pin him down.

But then he moves.

With a quick, brutal twist, he flips us over, his weight pressing me into the floor.

My breath catches as his hands pin my wrists above my head, his grip firm but not painful.

I don’t know why I believed I could pin him down.

His weight on me is firm. Strong muscles press down on me.

I've made him break a sweat, and it drips down on me. My face is warm with his breath.

The ache in our bond connection pulls at us. I feel it, and I know he can feel it too. I feel the heat in my hips, the craving to feel his mark on me. His neck pulses with his rich blood, his musk enveloping me. The tension between us is almost unbearable.

“Are you done?” he asks, his voice low, his face inches from mine.

I glare at him, my chest heaving. “Not even close.”

He smirks, the faintest hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. “You’re relentless. I’ll give you that.”

For a moment, we’re frozen, the air thick with his scent—smoke, pine, and spice—it fills my senses, grounding and maddening all at once.

But the moment shatters as a sharp knock echoes from the area of the door.

“Alpha,” Damon’s voice calls from the hallway. “We’ve got a situation in town. Eldon’s rogues have attacked one of the surveillance equipment warehouses. The meeting with Eldon can wait.”

Kieran curses under his breath, his grip on my wrists tightening for a brief second before he lets go.

He stands, his movements quick and deliberate, and glares down at me. “This isn’t over.”

I sit up, my body aching. This can’t be the end. “It never is with you.”

He turns to the door, his shoulders tense as he speaks to Damon. “I’ll be there in five minutes. ”

Damon’s footsteps retreat, the echoes fading the farther he gets.

Kieran glances back at me, his blue eyes dark with something I can’t place. “You’re not going anywhere. And you will stay here until I say you can leave.” He drags both guards with ease and tosses them outside the room.

I want to yell at him, but all I manage is a frustrated growl. He leaves without another word, the door slamming shut behind him. I hear the lock click and Kieran barking orders at the guards that I assume have come to see what is going on.

I sit there for a moment, the silence pressing down on me like a weight. My wolf growls softly, her frustration mirroring my own.

Then I stand, my body trembling as I move to the window. The courtyard below is empty now, the stillness a stark contrast to the chaos raging inside me.

My chest aches, the bond humming faintly as I stare out into the fading evening light.

I’ve fought, I’ve resisted, but the truth is inescapable.

I’m still trapped.

The room feels colder somehow, despite the faint warmth seeping in through the wide windows.

My pacing echoes softly against the polished wood floors, each step sharp and deliberate.

The crimson dress clings to my skin, a reminder of Kieran’s arrogance, his need to control every aspect of my existence.

I haven’t changed out of it, though it’s long since lost its novelty and elegance.

I should take it off, rip it apart even, but before I follow through on the thought, a knock on the door breaks my rhythm.

“Come in,” I say curtly, stopping mid-step. As if whoever it is won’t come in anyway.

A petite woman steps inside, her hands folded neatly in front of her. Her dark hair is pulled into a sleek bun, her plain uniform crisp and perfectly tailored. She radiates calm, her demeanor almost unnervingly serene.

“Miss Callister?” she asks softly, her voice gentle but steady.

I nod, eyeing her warily. “Who are you?”

“My name is Sylvia,” she says, bowing her head slightly. “I’ve been assigned as your maid. ”

A maid. Of course. Another one of Kieran’s moves to corral me, to make me feel both pampered and trapped.

Sylvia steps farther into the room, her sharp eyes quickly assessing the state of it.

Her gaze lingers on the leftover food. I ate only a small portion of what is on the table.

The scattered remnants of it are all over after the fight earlier.

She doesn’t comment, simply moving to tidy the disarray with practiced efficiency.

“I don’t need a maid,” I say, crossing my arms.

Sylvia glances at me briefly, her expression kind but unreadable. “Perhaps not. But I’m here nonetheless.”

She doesn’t press further, and I find myself grudgingly admiring her ability to remain unaffected by my simmering hostility.

As she works, she glances at me again, her brow furrowing slightly. “You seem…troubled, Hazel.”

I laugh bitterly, the sound harsh in the otherwise quiet room. “Troubled doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

She pauses, her hands smoothing the folds of a blanket. “If I may speak freely?”

I wave a hand dismissively. “By all means.” Whatever she has to say will fly out the other ear anyway.

Sylvia straightens. “I know Alpha Kieran can seem…harsh. But he’s not without reason.”

I scoff, the sound sharp. “Reason? You dare to call Kieran dragging me here and treating me like a rag doll reasonable?”

“He’s doing what he believes is best for the pack,” Sylvia replies, her tone calm but firm. Of course he is. What else is his job as the Alpha?

“That’s what everyone keeps saying,” I snap. “But what about what’s best for me?”

Sylvia hesitates, her hands stilling. “I don’t claim to understand all his decisions, but I do know this: he carries the weight of the pack on his shoulders. It’s not an easy burden.”

I roll my eyes. “Spare me the lecture on how hard his life is for an Alpha who has all the power he could possibly need. He doesn’t get to use his responsibilities as an excuse to treat people like this. ”

Sylvia exhales softly, her gaze turning thoughtful. “Do you know why he’s like this?”

“Does it matter?”

“It might,” she says simply.

I stay silent, my jaw tightening.

Sylvia steps closer, her voice quieter now. “Alpha Kieran didn’t step into this role easily. His father was a cruel man, and as a child, he couldn’t protect his mother or his siblings from that cruelty. He’s carried that guilt with him ever since.”

“When he became Alpha,” Sylvia continues, “he swore he would never fail anyone again. That no one under his care would suffer the way his family did. It’s why he’s so…

unyielding. He sees compromise as weakness, and weakness as a failure to protect.

You see, his father took all of his frustration out on everyone, including the Luna and Kieran’s siblings.

He watched his siblings go down, one by one. ”

I stare at her, the anger in my chest twisting into something more complicated. Pity, maybe.

Sylvia doesn’t press further. She finishes her work quickly, leaving the room as quietly as she entered.

Once she’s gone, the silence feels louder than before.

I sink onto the edge of the bed, my thoughts churning. Sylvia’s words replay in my mind, clashing with my own memories of Kieran—the cold, calculating Alpha who’s done nothing but humiliate and control me.

How do I reconcile the man she described with the one I’ve come to hate?

I shake my head, forcing the thoughts away. It doesn’t matter. Kieran’s past doesn’t excuse his actions now.

I pull the stolen phone from its hiding place beneath the mattress, its smooth surface cool against my palm. My fingers move quickly, dialing Ayana’s number.

It rings twice before she answers, her voice rushed and breathless. “Hazel?”

“It’s me,” I say, my voice low.

“Thank the gods,” she says, relief evident in her tone. “Are you okay? What’s going on? ”

“I’m fine,” I lie, glancing at the locked door. “But we have a problem. I'm here apparently because Mr. Control freak Alpha Kieran has somehow got it in his head that I'm Eldon's Mate.”

Ayana curses softly. “I figured as much. We need to get you out of there.”

I hesitate, Sylvia’s words lingering in my mind. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”

“What?” Ayana asks, her voice sharp. “Hazel, you can’t stay there. Kieran will use you until you’re no longer useful. You know that.”

“I know,” I say, my chest tightening. “But I can’t risk leaving. Not yet.”

“Why not?”

I take a shaky breath. “Because Eldon won’t stop until he gets what he wants. If I leave, Eldon will likely catch me, and everything will be a hundred times worse than it is right now. I'm starting to believe that Eldon is more dangerous right now.”

Ayana is silent for a moment, my words sinking in. “You think Kieran will protect you?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “But I know Eldon won’t stop.” If what Sylvia has told me is anything to go by, Kieran isn't as evil as Eldon, even though they're both dangerous shifters.

“That’s a big risk,” she says quietly.

“I don’t see another option. We can't go back to Nightclaw. We lost their protection the second we crossed the border, and my mother does not have the power to save us.” I reply, my voice trembling. “We’re running out of time.”

Ayana sighs on the call. I hear the weariness in her voice. There’s nothing else to do other than hope that being on Kieran's estate is really the best option right now.