Page 27

K ieran

The air in my office is heavy, oppressive. The faint scent of books, wood polish, and the ever-present traces of the pack's energy can’t drown out the sour tang of betrayal that hangs over me. My wolf paces restlessly, his growls low and constant, a reflection of the turmoil churning in my chest.

The evidence from Ian and Kai's investigation sits on the desk before me, damning and undeniable.

They found out Hazel had been harassed and even physically assaulted by Eldon and his men while she was in Broadstone.

My mind goes back to the day I saved her from that attack at the bar, the night I brought her back to my estate. What was I thinking?

My wolf is livid with rage at the thought of how much Hazel had to fight to stay alive.

All with her wolf sealed and no one to protect her.

Eldon will pay for this in blood. But right now, what I need to deal with is Damon and his treachery.

It doesn't help to go through scrolls of correspondence, coded messages intercepted by our patrols, and a map marked with Eldon’s movements—all tied to Damon. My Beta. My confidant.

In addition, the spy revealed that he had been receiving orders from Damon, and the last order was to end Hazel. The thought of him harming my Mate enraged me. My wolf was ready to tear his head from his body. This was the man I had trusted with everything.

My fists clench, the edges of the desk digging into my palms as I stare at the evidence. I’d been blind—willfully, perhaps. Damon’s loyalty was something I never questioned. And now, that loyalty is nothing more than a knife buried deep in my back.

The door creaks open, and I don’t bother looking up.

I had ordered the guards to bring Damon in. He has to answer for his crimes.

My wolf snarls, scrunching his snout and baring his fangs. The guards bristle, sensing the danger of my wolf's anger.

“Leave us,” I order the guards.

“Alpha,” Damon says, his tone calm, measured, as if he doesn’t feel the storm brewing in me.

I lift my head slowly, meeting his gaze. There’s something off in his posture—a stiffness, a guardedness that wasn’t there before. He knows that I know the truth.

His eyes flick to the desk, to the damning evidence spread across its surface. His jaw tightens, but his expression remains composed.

“I figured this was coming,” he says, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

My wolf snarls, his rage bubbling just beneath the surface. I lean back in my chair, my hands steepled in front of me as I regard him. “You’ve been busy.”

Damon doesn’t flinch. “Everything I’ve done has been for the good of the pack.”

“Don’t lie to me,” I snap, my voice sharp as a whip. “You’ve been feeding Eldon information, sabotaging our efforts from within. And you have the audacity to call it loyalty?”

His composure cracks, his shoulders stiffening as he takes a step closer. “You don’t understand, Kieran. You’ve been so blinded by your obsession with Hazel and this bond that you’ve lost sight of what’s best for Moonfang. I had to take matters into my own hands while you chased a fantasy. ”

I’m on my feet before he finishes, my wolf’s fury surging to the surface. “Don’t you dare use her as an excuse for your treachery.”

“Treachery?” Damon scoffs, his voice rising.

“I’ve been holding this pack together while you chase after a rival’s castoff.

Do you have any idea how many of our people doubt you because of her?

The discord that you have planted into our pack because you are obsessed with a Mate that doesn’t even want you?

You abandon the work you have built, the pack you have kept together with your own—”

My claws extend, the urge to rip him apart nearly overpowering.

My snarl interrupts him. “They doubt me because you’ve been planting those doubts, Damon.

Don’t think I don’t see it now. The spies you've planted have told me a lot about your little sermons to overthrow me.” Rage burns in my chest. The need to see him torn apart tints my vision red.

He sneers, his wolf flashing briefly in his eyes. “I’ve done what I had to. Eldon promised a stronger alliance, a chance to secure Moonfang’s future. You were too distracted to see the bigger picture.”

“Eldon is a snake,” I growl, stepping around the desk. “And you’re a fool if you think he would’ve honored any promises he made to you.”

Damon’s hand twitches toward his side, where I know he keeps a dagger concealed.

My wolf tenses, ready for a fight, as the tension in the room thickens to the point of suffocation.

He must have planned to take me out if his plans did not go the way he expected.

He must have been ready to dig that dagger into me all along.

It wasn’t enough for him to keep it metaphorical.

“This doesn’t have to end in blood, Kieran,” Damon says, his voice low. “Step down. Let someone else lead. Someone who isn’t blinded by a bond he can’t control.”

The audacity!

My laugh is cold, humorless. “You think you’re fit to lead? After everything you’ve done?” It is my wolf in the fore now, his Alpha strength and power merging into my flesh.

Damon doesn’t respond, his eyes narrowing as he assesses me.

“You must be a fool to think I will leave my pack in your hands.”

The silence stretches, the room crackling with unspoken threats. And then he moves .

He’s fast, but I’m faster. My wolf takes over without shifting, and we collide with a force that shakes the room. His dagger flashes, slicing through the air, but I knock it aside, my claws ripping through his sleeve.

“You betrayed your pack,” I snarl, slamming him into the wall. A few bones crack, and I press even harder, the crunch of the fractures exciting my vengeful wolf. “You betrayed me.”

Damon grits his teeth, his wolf growling as he struggles against my grip. “You betrayed them first, Kieran. When you chose her, a Nightclaw, over us.”

The words sting, but I push them aside, my focus razor-sharp. He sees an opening and lunges, his claws aiming for my throat, but I twist, using his momentum to throw him across the room. He crashes into the desk, papers scattering as he rolls to his feet.

“Is this what you wanted?” I demand, advancing on him. “A fight? A chance to prove yourself?”

He doesn’t answer, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he circles me.

“Come on, Damon,” I taunt, my claws flexing. “Let’s end this.”

He lunges again, and this time, I meet him head-on. Our wolves collide, the sound of claws on flesh and snarls echoing through the room. The fight is brutal, primal, and every strike is fueled by years of trust shattered in an instant.

But he’s not as strong as me.

I pin him to the ground, my claws digging into his shoulders as he snarls up at me. For a moment, I hesitate, my wolf growling for me to finish it. But then he smirks, his teeth bared in defiance.

“You’ll regret this,” he says, his voice a low rasp.

Before I can react, he shifts slightly, slipping from my grip with a speed that catches me off guard. He bolts for the door, throwing it open and disappearing into the hall.

I’m on my feet in an instant, my wolf howling in fury as I chase after him. He knows the ins and outs of the estate and Moonfang territory, and with each second, I regret every moment I had him as my Beta. Every moment we spent memorizing escape routes helps him now .

But by the time I reach the estate gates, there are some warriors and guards turned on each other, trying to keep us from chasing down Damon. I growl through the chaos, and they start to retreat.

“Give chase! Don't let them escape!” I bark my orders as they run to the Moonfang borders.

But all of a sudden, I don't catch Damon's scent.

I break away from the pack in chase and look for Damon's scent. But he’s gone, probably vanished through one of the underground hatches or tunnels we built.

He might still be close, but there are too many options for a mind as conniving as his.

The warriors are around me, sensing the danger.

I order them to search the perimeter and scout the boundaries.

“Catch any of those traitors that you see.”

He must not escape.

I think of Hazel. I hope she is safe. She cannot see me like this, covered in blood. Not after the night I attacked the intruder. I send a guard to make sure she is safe.

As I run the patrols to secure the estate, her scent reaches me, soft and spicy, earthy and fresh. I remember burying my face in her neck as I was buried inside her. I crave the softness of her skin. And I remember the hate in her eyes before she disappeared into the bathroom.

If I don't kill Damon myself, my wolf will never rest. He must pay for all he's done to us.

The warriors return the next day. Their report is not good.

“We tracked them to the outskirts of our territory,” Ian says, his face pale. “They crossed the border before we could intercept them. They are with Eldon now.”

The words settle like a stone in my chest. Damon has thrown his lot in with the enemy. And the depth of his betrayal runs deeper than I imagined.

“Eldon’s camp?” I ask, my voice tight.

Ian nods. “It’s fortified. They’ve been preparing for something big.”

He not only took my warriors with him, they had all been working with Eldon this entire time. They are the scum of the earth and the rage that builds within me erupts like lava. I must eradicate them all.

My wolf growls, his fury mirrored in the pit of my stomach.

This isn’t just about Damon or Eldon anymore.

This is about my pack, my people, and the war that’s been brewing on our borders.

Hazel was a distraction that Eldon counted on for getting Damon in on the plan.

And when I didn’t react the way that they expected, they probably moved on to the next stage.

Everything Damon has ever told me, has all been lies.