Page 23

K ieran

“Know your place, Damon. I am still your Alpha,” I growl, radiating my authority over him. His wolf retreats, and he clears his throat. He straightens his back. I start to notice things I didn't before. Like how his eyes lack the respect that used to be there. It makes me wonder.

How much danger have I exposed my pack to because of Damon? How much hurt have I caused Hazel without knowing that Damon may have been behind our separation?

“I apologize. You are still Alpha.” He still sounds snarky even with the apology. My wolf snarls with the desire to sink his teeth into his neck. Oh, my wolf is eager to end him if his betrayal is confirmed, and I'm holding back to avoid giving in.

But first things first. With my uncertainty about him, I have to keep this possible threat contained. I can't trust that he doesn't have more plans up his sleeve against an already weak Hazel.

“You will no longer function as my Beta until you can prove your innocence. You will be confined to your quarters until then.” I call to the guard by the door and give him my orders.

It is the least I can do until he is confirmed to be my enemy.

Then, it won't matter that he has been there for me all these years, and it sure as hell won't matter that he has been the closest person to me since I lost my family.

If I confirm that he went behind my back, I will not hesitate to show him the Kieran that all of the shifter packs on this great mountain fear.

“Alpha, you cannot–”

“Don’t you dare dream of questioning me again,” I cut him off. He will not speak before me until these allegations are cleared.

I know he feels the bloodlust in my aura, and I see him visibly bristle. He knows I will not hesitate to strike. My wolf is flashing in my eyes, exuding our authority as Alpha. It stops Damon. He nods.

I call the guards in.

“Damon has become ill. The healer has recommended that he does not leave his chambers. Be sure that no one enters his chambers or leaves to aid his recovery.” It's the only way to keep the pack calm while investigating.

Damon is led away by the guards.

I walk to the office door, making sure no one else is nearby.

This can't be public yet. I need to keep track of how many people are aware of what is happening.

I call for the nearest guard. “I need Ian and Kai right now,” I order.

They are my best trackers right now, and if anyone can sniff out discrete information, it is them.

We have to know who is telling the truth and who is lying. They will carry out the investigations.

I turn to see Ayana running down the hallway to my office, panting as if she's just run all the way from Hazel's wing. Her eyes are wide with worry, though her dislike for me is not hidden with that scowl on her face.

Ayana looks back at the hallway where Hazel’s door is. “She deserves better than you, but she needs you right now for her healing. The healer came to check in on her and repeated that she has to have you around.”

She's right. All I can think about is Hazel and how much I have failed her by listening to Damon, who never wanted us to be together. Whatever his reasons, he sabotaged my relationship with Hazel .

The weak mutt.

How could I have been so manipulated against my own Mate? The one the Goddess made just for me. The one I'd been waiting for all my life. The guilt eats at me.

“I’m starting to think you might be right,” I admit, my wolf growling in agreement. “You're moving into the estate. I'll have a room prepared for you close to her. Get whatever things you need from Broadstone. A warrior will go with you.”

“Wait…it can't be just my word that's made you have a change of heart. What did you find out?”

I tell her everything in my office before Ian and Kai come in.

“He really did that…” Ayana sighs, but the accusing glare doesn't leave her eyes.

“I…”

“Save it. I'll go get our stuff.”

Ian and Kai step in just then to receive their orders.

When Ayana is gone and I have given my orders to Ian and Kai, I approach Hazel’s room. My wolf paces inside me, restless and growling with a low, insistent demand. Fix this. Make her ours.

I clench my fists, trying to steel myself against the vulnerability rising in my chest. Apologizing doesn’t come naturally to me.

It feels foreign, awkward, and yet, there’s no avoiding it.

Hazel deserves more than what I’ve given her.

I’ve been wrong all along. I’ve put her through hell because of my insensitivities.

The door to her room is slightly ajar, the faint glow of a lamp spilling into the hallway.

I hesitate for a moment, listening for movement.

A soft rustling sound reaches my ears, followed by the low murmur of voices.

My wolf snaps to attention, the hair on the back of my neck prickling. There is a foreign scent in the air.

I push the door open, and the sight before me makes my blood run cold.

Hazel is sitting on the edge of her bed, her face flushed as a man leans toward her, his hand resting on her arm.

She looks startled, maybe even afraid and disoriented, having just woken up, but I don’t process anything beyond the fact that another male is in her space.

Touching her. He might be about to attack her, or take her away .

My wolf takes over before I can think.

A savage growl rips from my throat as I lunge forward, my claws extending mid-motion. The intruder barely has time to turn before I slam into him, throwing him to the ground with a sickening thud.

“Get your hands off her!” I snarl, my voice a guttural roar.

The man scrambles to defend himself, but I’m faster, my claws slicing through the air. Blood splatters across the floor, the coppery scent filling the room as my rage fuels every strike.

“Kieran, stop!” Hazel’s voice cuts through the haze. The fear and desperation in her tone makes her voice shake.

But I barely register her words. My focus is singular, my wolf demanding retribution for all the ways they have endangered my Mate.

“Kieran—”

The man lets out a pained groan as I pin him to the ground, my hand wrapping around his throat.

My claws pierce into his neck, and I smell the fresh blood pumping as he starts bleeding out.

His eyes widen in terror, and for a moment, I see my reflection in their glassy surface—feral, unhinged, monstrous.

Her words finally pierce through the fog of my anger. I release the man with a growl, shoving him away. He scrambles to his feet, clutching his wounds as he stumbles toward the door. The guards grab him, and I motion for them to take him away. I will interrogate him if he survives.

This can’t be a coincidence. I’ve ensured that the estate is under close surveillance.

I have the best equipment in the industry.

There are no chances of a stranger sneaking in without the alarms going off, unless they were assisted by an insider who knows the intricate workings of the estate security.

There is no doubt in my mind that he must have been working with someone.

The silence that follows is deafening.

I turn to Hazel, my chest heaving as I struggle to rein in my wolf. She’s now standing near the bed, her arms wrapped around herself like a shield. Blood stains her hands, her dress, even her face. But it’s the look in her eyes that cuts deeper than any blade.

Fear.

Pure, unadulterated fear .

It roots me in place, my stomach twisting as I realize the truth. She’s not scared of the intruder. She’s scared of me.

“Hazel,” I start, my voice hoarse, but she takes a step back, her eyes wide and wary.

“Don’t,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “Don’t come any closer.”

I freeze, the weight of her words crushing me.

She was scared awake, in her most vulnerable state, barely dressed, barely feeling like herself, with her weakened wolf.

I feel bad for everything she has been through, and after the night we’ve had.

This is what I bring before her in her moment of weakness.

The weariness in her eyes, the lines on her face, they prick at my chest, calling out the ways that I have contributed to her pain.

My wolf whines, his earlier rage replaced with guilt and regret.

She shakes her head, her breath hitching as she glances at the blood staining the room. “Just…leave.”

The finality in her tone hits me like a punch to the gut. I nod stiffly, forcing myself to turn away even as every instinct screams at me to stay.

Soon after, I order Hazel’s room to be switched. I tell myself it’s for her safety, to give her a space untouched by the events of last night. But deep down, I know it’s also a way to ease my guilt, to give her a fresh start away from the memory of my failure.

I don’t see her when the move happens. She avoids me entirely, her presence still palpable as her scent is still strong, still intoxicating, still so maddeningly seductive to my being, to my wolf.

It is like torture, knowing that she is not far, but now I can’t reach her, not even if I tried.

My wolf is restless, his frustration simmering beneath my skin as every attempt I make to reach her is met with silence.

No longer a hostage, no longer here under any of the accusations I have held against her, she has every right to refuse me. And I know all she feels for me is throbbing, searing anger.

So, I try another approach.

Silk designer dresses, rare jewels, anything I think might soften her anger.

It’s a clumsy effort, but I don’t know how else to fix this.

We haven’t spent any time with each other, which would have created familiarity.

All of those years have been taken from me because of Damon’s treachery and my blindness to it.

And now I am left with nothing but the broken pieces my decisions have left behind.

Hazel, of course, doesn’t make it easy.

The first gift, a delicate silver necklace, is returned the same day, placed neatly on my desk with a note that reads: “Not interested.”

The second, a gown of deep emerald green that I thought would bring out the fire in her eyes, is left outside my office, untouched.

By the third attempt is a rare bottle of perfume. I don’t even bother checking if she kept it. I rack my brain, trying to figure out what I can do next.

She won't see me, so I can't take her out. She won't receive my gifts or the notes that go with them. My wolf is restless and my heart aches.

I can't stop worrying about her recovery. The healer has been giving me updates of her health and she hasn't improved. Being away from her is weakening he…and there's nothing I can do. I'm on the verge of losing my Mate, and it's all my fault.

My body is filled with need for her. I'd been suppressing it all along because there was no way I believed she could be mine.

But now that I know she's been mine all along, my body, mind, and soul crave her, and I cannot fight it anymore.

I can’t escape the throbbing in my pants, the fantasies of her body, the way I fall into the depths of her eyes, the way I pulse and ache for her in the confines of my solitude.

I cannot let her get away. Other than the near insanity I feel being so disconnected from her for so long, I cannot imagine the torture she must feel being away from her Mate.

I have to win her over. I want nothing more than to take care of her, to love her, to lead and conquer by her side.

“She’s impossible.” I stand at the window in my chambers. Alone now. Without a Beta, without my Mate, with nothing and no one but myself and my responsibilities. My wolf is louder now.

What did you expect? You scared the hell out of her, Kieran. She’s not going to forgive you just because you throw shiny things her way.

His words hit a nerve, but I don’t let it show. “I’m trying to make it right. ”

Maybe stop trying to control her. Give her space. Let her come to you.

It seems counterintuitive to the usual insistence my wolf would offer. But if this is a way to get to her, we are ready to do it.

The idea grates against everything in me. Space isn’t what I want. I want her here, close enough to see, to touch, to claim. But my efforts have only pushed her further away.

That night, I find myself standing outside Hazel’s new room, the faint light seeping under the door a sign that she’s still awake. I don’t knock, don’t step inside. Instead, I rest my hand against the door, my chest tight with everything I can’t say.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice is barely audible even to myself.

For now, all I can do is wait.