~ RAELIN ~

Wes and I are about a hundred meters away from the water fountain in front of the Packhouse.

And she is there. Another new problem of my day.

I sigh deeply. Kira Gandall is the kind of person who loves drama. Ever since we were kids, I have known something about her wasn’t right.

She enjoys seeing people in pain. She thrives in it.

The huge packhouse towers ahead like it always does. It's more than a house. It’s a large estate, sitting on hectares of land as far as the eyes can see, and filled with top-level tech we got through our trades with humans and other packs.

Kira has no reason to be here.

As we approach, the guards nod at us. I nod back, distracted. My thoughts are already pulling me somewhere else.

Back to the cell.

Back to Layla. The rogue who has become a headache I didn’t ask for.

I try not to think about her, but I can’t stop. She is like a bruise I can’t stop pressing. The storm in my chest won’t calm down. I’m angry, frustrated… and I feel something else I don’t want to admit out loud.

Ever since I found her—bloody, barely breathing, and lying on the ground that night—I haven’t been the same.

Her pain… it did something to me.

It reminded me of the night I lost my parents. That same helpless feeling. That same fear that rips into you when someone you care about is slipping away and you can’t stop it.

And when I felt our bond snapping into place inside me that night, I suddenly wanted to protect her. It was like something I couldn't resist inside me just woke up and took control.

That same night, without thinking twice, I killed the men who hurt her.

Even now, thinking about it—

“I still don’t get why Kira can’t let you go.” Wes says beside me, dragging me out of my thoughts. “I hope she stops pestering you now that you’ve found your mate.”

I sigh and rub my eyes. “My mate? No, Wes. I’m not feeling anything close to grateful about finding my mate. Everything is a mess. And why the hell is Kira here anyway?”

He shrugs. “That’s your mess to clean up, dear brother. But if I had to guess? I think she knows you’ve got your mate locked up and still breathing.”

My mate. So fucking great.

“But it’s none of Kira's business."

“Exactly. So don’t let her pester you for long. You can handle her.”

He says it like it's easy.

As soon as we reach Kira, Wes waves and immediately veers off towards the pool house.

So much for being my Beta.

I don’t stop walking. I pass Kira without looking at her and head straight for the front doors. I’ve got too much on my plate today to deal with any of her games.

“Raelin—”

“Kira, not now,” I cut her off. “Whatever it is, it can wait.”

“It can’t wait,” she fires back, her quick footsteps chasing mine as I climb the stairs.

Seriously?

I reach my office door, push it open, and head inside without looking back. I don’t bother closing the door.

She does. Loudly, of course.

I walk to the shelves beside my desk and grab my bottle of Macallan. Pour half a glass. The burn of it down my throat is exactly what I fucking need.

“Tell me the truth, Raelin,” she says sharply. “Why is that rogue still alive? She should’ve been dealt with by now—”

“Watch your mouth, Gandall.” I growl, cutting her off. “You forget who the fuck you're talking to.”

Her name tastes foul. With a glare at her, I take another sip of the drink. It burns once more, but I welcome the heat.

“That rogue is my prisoner. That means her life is my business. Not yours.”

Kira falls quiet for a second.

But I know her. Her silence won’t last.

“She’s just a rogue,” she purrs, her voice dangerously softer now. Almost sweet. She walks up to my desk, swaying her wide hips toward me.

Here we go.

Reaching my desk, she leans down, her cleavage spilling from her tight corset blouse, her intense perfume nearly choking me to death.

“The longer that rogue stays in our pack, the harder it might be to get rid of her,” she whispers, flipping her hair.

Her boobs bounce. The usual performance.

Pathetic.

I don’t say anything. I don’t move. I just watch her while taking another sip of my drink.

Kira wants me to fuck her. That’s the game here. She is doing the same thing she always does—trying to tempt me. Trying to play the seductive Luna card, and she has been pushing even harder after I became Alpha.

I take another slow drink. She has wanted me for years. She has convinced herself that she is the only woman meant to be my Luna. That my heart and bed belongs to her.

But I have never liked her in that way. Not even as kids. She is beautiful, sure. But there is something mean and wicked under that pretty face. Something fake and selfish.

And I am fucking tired of it.

“Are you done?” I ask flatly.

“What—?”

“I said, are you done?” I wave my glass towards the files stacked on my desk. “Unlike you, I have actual work to do. Now get out.”

She tilts her head, studying me, trying to read my expression.

“I trust you, Alpha,” she says with a smile that makes my skin crawl. Then she leans even closer. “If you ever need help… any kind of help… I will be here. Just for you.”

I scoff. “Wes and Caleb are all the help I need. And I’m still waiting for you to get the fuck out. You’re wasting my time.”

Her smile twitches for half a second. Just enough for me to see that I got to her. But then she fixes it back into place, and in her usual arrogance, she flips her hair again and starts walking to the door.

Finally.

But before leaving, she turns and looks back at me. Her unique mismatched eyes—one blue, one green—flash with something I can’t quite name.

“Be careful, Alpha.” she warns. “Rogues can’t never be trusted.”

She slams the door behind her.

Finally.

With her gone, I finish what is left of my drink, letting the burning warmth settle in my chest.

Done, I place the glass on my desk and rest back in my chair. Kira is exhausting. Always pushing. Always acting like she is owed something that totally belongs to her.

I don’t like her, but damn it, she is not wrong about everything.

Rogues can’t be trusted.

And my prisoner? She is a stubborn rogue. And a special kind of stubborn rogue.

When I tried to dig into her thoughts, she pushed back with everything she had. Even as weak as she was, she still resisted me.

My aura should have broken her. But it didn’t.

The only explanation? The mate bond.

It has to be the reason she was able to push back so hard. It’s the only reason that makes sense.

I press my fingers to my forehead and close my eyes, trying to quiet the pounding headache building behind them. I am the Alpha, and my job is to protect this pack.

As Alpha, my pack has always come first.

Always.

But now? Now everything is so damn complicated.

And I fucking hate it.