Page 19

K ieran

“Oh look, the prisoner is so embarrassed watching her ‘trainees’.”

“I bet she genuinely thought she had a chance.”

“This will be quick either way.”

“Yeah, once we strike Eldon, we won’t have need of the whore.”

They all burst out laughing. My heart is still racing from the euphoria of being inside her. Of tasting her. Of the completeness that I can only feel with her. I can still smell her all over me, and I struggle to keep my cock from hardening, even though I’m furious as hell.

“How dare you…” Hazel snarls. She doesn’t care about our rank. She will attack anyone who threatens her life, and something about that makes me drawn to her even more. Every new side of her pulls me closer to her orbit, triggers something new in my body.

“Enough,” I order. Elder Darrel, Damon, Nina, and Kai all freeze, their eyes on me like I’ve just grown wings.

“What Alpha? The whore has given us good bargaining power. She’s useless to us otherwise.” Nina’s neck strains with her words as if she’s swallowed a lump of coal .

“She’s useless only when I say she is.”

There are weird looks from them now. Even I did not expect to be defending her. She deserves whatever ridicule she gets. She deserves to be torn apart and mocked, because that’s the consequence of her decision.

But she’s my Mate. My wolf keeps pushing this to the forefront of my mind. No matter how I try to suppress the pull, she is still the one my entire being is drawn towards.

“So, she’s good for discarding in Eldon’s camp, then?

Isn’t that her purpose?” Nina challenges.

The fire in her eyes is all too familiar, and I don’t care to indulge in the games she plays.

Her quest to assert her dominance over every female in Moonfang has worked so far, but it’s obviously lost on Hazel.

I can tell from the way that she is squaring her shoulders, Nina resents Hazel’s resistance.

Hazel, on the other hand, is now quietly observing our confrontation, even though I can feel her wolf snarling.

“She’s not going anywhere.”

Even Hazel gives me an incredulous look. I tilt my head to the pit, which everyone seems to have forgotten about. The winners are being announced, and only one of Hazel’s Omegas made the top three.

“But her Omegas lost. Surely, you not giving her away means there’s some severe punishment waiting for her, right?” The delight in Nina’s voice is hard to hide. But she’s echoed everyone’s thoughts. They all wait for my reply. And I’m so sure of my decision now. Nothing can change my mind.

“Her Omegas lost, but they put up a good fight. We do not have even half a warrior in our pack that can train inexperienced Omegas to this level of skill in such a short time.”

Hazel’s shoulders lower as I talk, and the scowl on Nina’s face deepens. The others have their questioning look in their eyes.

“You don’t really believe that. We have some of the best warriors in all the mountains, Alpha,” Kai protests.

“I’m not giving her away. She’s too much of an asset. And that is why she will be my Luna.”

Everyone’s jaw drops to the ground. And the silence that follows my declaration lasts all but three seconds.

Thirty minutes have gone by. I’m sitting now, unimpressed by the scene unfolding before me.

The elders are still shouting, their voices crashing against each other like waves in a storm.

The air is thick with the bitter scent of frustration.

Hazel stormed out of the booth, and a guard trailed after her.

“She’s unfit to be Luna!” Elder Darrel thunders, his face red with anger. “This decision is reckless, Kieran! She’s a liability—nothing more!”

“She’s proven herself to be nothing but trouble,” Nina sneers from her corner, her arms crossed and her sharp copper eyes gleaming with disdain. “This is a mistake, and you know it.”

The others murmur in agreement, their protests echoing off the stone walls. My wolf snarls in my chest, ready to put an end to their incessant whining.

I stand from my chair, letting the ripple of my authority silence them. One by one, their voices trail off, their eyes turning to me in that meekness of respect.

“This is not up for debate.”

Darrel’s jaw tightens. “Kieran, you cannot expect us to accept this without question. Hazel is—”

“An asset,” I interrupt, my tone sharp. “She’s trained as a warrior.

Her skill on the battlefield rivals even most of our best fighters.

And being Mated to me solidifies her allegiance to Moonfang.

Eldon will lose his right to her. It’s the perfect way to humiliate him, trigger him into making an irrational decision.

It’s even better than using Hazel just as bait.

It takes it several steps further and will end this sooner.

It’s a win-win, whether you like it or not.

” And it gives me the opportunity to bash his head in.

A murmur ripples through the room, less hostile now but still uncertain.

“She’s your Mate. I shouldn’t have expected any less,” Nina says, her voice colder now. “You’re letting your…feelings cloud your judgment.” Damon’s sister has a way when she disrespects me that makes me want to tear her head off .

My wolf growls, his fury spilling into my voice as I turn back to her. “This isn’t about feelings. It’s about strategy. Hazel is more than capable of standing by my side as Luna. She’s proven that, even when the odds were stacked against her.”

Nina’s lips curl into a sneer, but she doesn’t respond. The stink of defeat is all over her.

Darrel shakes his head, his frustration palpable. “And what of Eldon? Do you think he’ll just accept this? Are we ready to go to war because of her?”

We’ve avoided wars and battles since I became Alpha ten years ago. Now, I see it may have made my wolves soft.

“Moonfang does not shy at the mention of war. You forget what breed you are, Darrel. And if there is any other of you that needs a reminder, speak now.” I look at the others, one by one, watching the conflict play out on their faces.

“That’s what I thought. This decision is final,” I continue, my gaze sweeping over the gathered elders and high ranks. “Hazel will be Luna. And I expect you all to respect that.”

I stand and leave. It was a decision fueled by passion, made in the moment. But my feet seek out Hazel, despite the growing annoyance that my strategic decisions have now bound us together for longer.

I find Hazel in the courtyard, pacing like a caged animal. The moonlight casts a silver sheen over her hair.

She hears me coming but doesn’t stop moving. If anything, her gait shifts and her stomps raise more dust.

“Hazel.”

She stops, turning to face me with a glare that could cut through steel.

“What do you want, Kieran?” she snaps, her voice sharp. “Haven’t you done enough for one night?”

I step closer, my gaze steady. “We need to talk.”

“No,” she says, her arms crossing over her chest. “You need to talk. I’ve had enough of your orders.”

I exhale, trying to keep my frustration in check. “This is fo—”

“I’m not your damn asset,” she interrupts, her voice rising. “I’m not a piece on your chessboard, Kieran. You don’t get to decide my life for me.”

Her defiance ignites something in me, a mixture of anger and admiration that swirls warm within my chest.

“This isn’t just about you, Hazel.”

She laughs bitterly, the sound cutting through the night like a blade.

“Of course, it’s not! I’m not stupid. This is about control, Kieran.

Your control. You think you can just declare me your Luna and expect me to fall in line?

You need to not be swept off your feet by loss again, so you micromanage everyone else’s life but yours. ”

I step closer, resisting the urge to wrap my hand around her neck, hold her in place, and kiss her so hard. Her scent fogs my brain for a second. I know she feels this, but she keeps her anger visible despite the aching need I know is coursing through her veins. It’s coursing through mine as well.

“You’re better off here and we both know it.”

“Better?” she snaps, her gray eyes blazing. “You think I feel safe with you? You, who rejected me without a second thought? Who treated me like a traitor? You’ve done nothing but humiliate me, Kieran. And now you expect me to trust you?”

Her words hit harder than I expected, and for a moment, I’m silent.

“This isn’t about trust,” I say finally, my voice quieter but no less firm. “This is about survival.”

Hazel shakes her head, her expression hard. “You don’t get it, do you? I don’t want to be your Mate. I don’t want to be part of your pack. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

Her words spark something primal in me, my wolf growling low in my chest.

“You’re bound to me, Hazel,” I say, stepping closer. “Whether you like it or not. No matter how far or near you run.”

She stands her ground, her chin lifting defiantly. “Then you’ll have to Mate with a corpse, because I’ll die before I let you claim me.”

For a moment, neither of us moves, the tension crackling like a live wire.

I don’t beg her. I order her back now, calling on my Alpha authority over her.

She senses it, and if I thought the fire in her eyes was hot before, right now they are like a furnace.

And I am warm all over, aching to scoop her into my arms right here and now.

“I’m not going to do this, Kieran. I’m not going to be a thing of convenience to you anymore. I will not stoop so low as to expose myself to being tossed away again, and most definitely not by you!”

Then she turns on her heel, her steps quick and purposeful as she storms away.