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Chapter 31
ALEXANDER
The door clicked shut behind Faye, and for a moment, I just sat there, staring at it like it had the answers I was avoiding.
Her scent still lingered faintly in the air, warm and irritatingly hard to ignore. My fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the desk, a restless rhythm I didn’t realize I’d started until the silence in the room made it loud.
I told myself I hadn’t been too harsh. I told myself she’d recover, and keep her focus on her duties without prying. But deep down, I knew the truth. I’d dismissed her. Not just her words, but her. And that sat heavier in my chest than I cared to admit.
Adrian, my wolf…shifted uneasily in the back of my mind. “You didn’t have to push her away like that.” His tone was sharper than usual, and I could feel the faint heat of his disapproval.
“I had to,” I said aloud, the words echoing through the quiet office. “She was getting too close.” My voice sounded louder than I felt.
“She is starting to read me, really read me. If she can see that my worry goes deeper than I’m letting on now, what’s next? She keeps digging until she gets past the wall I built around myself?” I shook my head, jaw tightening. “No. I let my guard down once, I’m not doing it again…not again.”
Adrian rumbled, not convinced. “You’re overreacting. She’s your mate, Alexander, you can’t expect her to stay blind when something’s wrong.
“She doesn’t need to know everything,” I shot back. “Being my mate doesn’t give her unlimited access to what’s in my head.”
“Being Luna does,” Adrian’s voice continued. “There’s a difference between keeping her safe and keeping her in the dark. You crossed that line today.”
The truth in his words scraped against the part of me that hated to be wrong. But admitting it wouldn’t change anything. “I already shut her down,” I muttered. “The damage is done. And I’m not going back to smooth it over. It’s better that way.”
“Stubborn bastard,” Adrian growled. But he didn’t push further, retreating to that low, simmering silence wolves used when they were biding their time.
I tried to shake it off. But the more I tried to focus, the more my thoughts drifted back to Faye’s expression as she’d left…a mix of frustration, hurt, and something else. Something I
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Chapter 31
didn’t want to name.
I didn’t have time to dwell on it. A knock at the door broke through my thoughts.
“Come in,” I called.
Cole stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He stood in front of the desk, hands clasped loosely behind his back. “Alpha,” he said. “The warriors have been assembled. On your orders, they’ll begin preparations tonight.”
Good. At least one thing was going according to plan. “That’s fine,” I replied, leaning back in my chair. “Tell them to prepare tonight. I’ll personally select who goes tomorrow.”
Cole gave a nod. “Understood. And the objective?”
“For now, it’s being called a routine patrol.” My voice left no room for debate. “They’ll sweep the entire territory, but I’ll assign them routes myself.”
Cole’s brow lifted slightly. “And if they start asking questions? Warriors talk, Alpha. They’ll notice the unusual mobilization.”
“They’ll get the same answer I just gave you.” My tone cooled, my gaze holding his until I was sure the point landed. “It’s a routine patrol, nothing more. Whatever happens, they do not find out that there’s a possibility the northern border was breached.”
Cole hesitated just long enough for me to notice, the silence stretching a fraction too long. ” You want to avoid spreading unnecessary gossip,” he said.
“Exactly. Gossip leads to panic, and panic leads to mistakes.” I laced my fingers together on the desk. “And I won’t have that.”
He nodded again, this time more firmly. “Understood, Alpha.” He turned to leave, but his posture told me he still had questions. I didn’t offer him the chance to ask them.
When the door shut behind him, the silence returned, thicker than before. I let out a slow breath, leaning back until the chair creaked under my weight.
My gaze drifted to the maps on my table, tracing the northern border in my mind, replaying every detail of the reports we’d gotten so far. There were too many gaps, too many
unknowns.
FAYE
I didn’t really know where I was going, but I was tired of being cooked up in that chamber.
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I wasn’t paying attention to the hallways, the turns, or whether I was even supposed to be in this part of the pack house.
My feet were moving, but my mind was somewhere else entirely…looping over the last few hours like a song I couldn’t turn off.
The day had been… messy. It had started badly enough–waking from that damn dream again. I’d told myself it was behind me, that Jason and Sage didn’t deserve another second of my thoughts, but apparently, my subconscious hadn’t gotten the memo.
I could still see their faces if I closed my eyes, his cold indifference, her smug, poisonous smile. My former mate and my own twin sister. Two people who had once been my world, and who had both decided I was expendable.
“Damn it Faye!”
I’d shoved the memory aside as best I could this morning, determined not to let it drag me under. And for a while, it had almost worked. Going shopping with Irene had done something I didn’t think possible. By the time we’d gotten back, my mood had actually lifted.
“But then Alexander had to ruin it,” I said out loud.
I could still hear his voice in that clipped, commanding tone he always used when he wanted to make sure you knew he wasn’t asking. I could still see the way he’d looked at me cold, as if my thoughts, my opinions, didn’t matter. Like I was some nosy outsider trying to meddle in things that weren’t mine to touch.
“How dare he,” I muttered under my breath as I walked, my voice echoing faintly off the walls. “How dare he treat me like that. Like I’m forcing myself into the affairs of this pack. Like I’m
not wanted here.”
The words left a bitter taste in my mouth. My steps slowed, the ache in my chest deepening.
It was a dangerous thought, but it slipped through anyway: First, my own mate rejected me. And I’m stuck in a bond with an Alpha who treats me like I’m some kind of pest.
I hated how that felt. I hated how much it hurt. I was supposed to be stronger than this. I was stronger than this. But something about Alexander’s attitude sliced deeper than I wanted to admit.
I didn’t realize where I was until I stepped out into open air. Somehow, I’d wandered into a wide yard where several wolves were in training.
A group was running drills on one side, their movements sharp. Another was sparring, the metallic tang of sweat in the air.
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“Wow!” I said.
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I should’ve kept walking. This was probably not a place for aimless wandering. But my feet stopped, and my eyes stayed locked on the scene. I’ve missed training like this.
I didn’t even notice anyone approaching until a shadow shifted around me.
“Good evening, Luna Faye.”
The voice was warm. I turned to find a tall man standing a few feet away, smiling in a way that was both respectful and… curious.
“I don’t think we’ve met properly,” he said, stepping closer. His presence was confident without being imposing, the kind of man who knew his worth and didn’t need to flex it every second. “I’m Kyle. Commander here.”
“The Delta,” I said, returning his smile. My tone was lighter than I felt, but that was years of practice…keeping your expression easy even when your mind was spinning. “Nice to meet
you.”
He gave a small nod, studying me just enough to notice I wasn’t exactly in my element. “If you don’t mind me asking… what brings you out here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you walking around the eastern wing, let alone crossing over to the yard.”
I glanced around, realizing I had, in fact, crossed into territory I’d never wandered before.” Honestly? I was just stretching my legs,” I admitted. “Trying to clear my head. I wasn’t paying much attention to where I was going, and… well, I ended up here.”
Kyle’s smile widened just slightly, but not in a mocking way…more like he was genuinely amused. “Well, you’re welcome here anytime,” he said. “It’s not every day the Luna stops by to watch training. Makes the warriors stand a little taller.”
I laughed softly, the sound surprising me. “I’m not sure they even notice I’m here.”
“Oh, they notice,” Kyle replied, his tone carrying certainty. “Wolves always notice when their Luna’s watching.”
The word “their” tugged at something in me, a subtle warmth that I tried to ignore.
“These ones are only males, what about the female warriors?” I asked. I probably should have kept that observation to myself, but I had to ask.
“Oh! The female warriors have their session sometimes, but these are special squad,” Kyle said.
I wonder what he meant by that.
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Chapter 32
