Chapter 35
I stepped out of the house in a better mood than I should’ve been.
It was stupid. I was the Alpha – Ishould’ve been serious. But I couldn’t stop myself from teasing her.
My mind drifted back to Emily’s pale face. My lips twitched into a small, private smile.
I could still catch her scent, sweet strawberries, lingering near those books my mother used to keep hidden on the highest shelves. Stories full of passion and things that made your blood ruh hot. Judging by how bright red Emily
had turned, she’d found them too.
The thought stirred something darker in me.
“ Something’s got you smiling, ” Liam muttered beside me.
“ Nothing, ” I said, straightening my expression too quickly, forcing myself back into the role of the serious Alpha.
He snorted. “ Yeah. Sure. ”
We didn’t get far.
“ Both of you. ”
My father’s voice cut through the air like a blade. We stopped. Turned. He stood near the terrace, his shadow long gainst the stone, hands tucked behind his back.
“ There’s something you need to take care of, ” he said. I already didn’t like the weight behind his words.
“ A witch, ” he continued.
Liam’s brow furrowed. “ We’re housing her? On our land? ”
“ For now. ”
ľ
That was worse. Wolves and witches were like oil and fire – they didn’t mix without someone getting burned.
“ Go check on her, ” my father added, his eyes cold. “ Make sure she’s settled. And make sure the security holds. ”
Liam exchanged a glance with me. “ We’re worried someone might attack her? ”
“ We’re making sure she doesn’t become the threat. ”
The drive took longer than I expected, deep into the far edge of our territory where the trees grew thick and the sunlight barely touched the forest floor. It was too quiet here. Too isolated. The kind of place you put someone when you want them close enough to watch, but far enough to forget.
The cottage came into view slowly. It was a small, weathered house with a wooden porch.
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3:.4
5:26 pm
ppp
sage tied with string. The air here didn’t smell like the pack; it smelled like rain, copper, and crushed herbs.
Han let out a low whistle. “ Cozy. ”
I didn’t answer. Something about the air felt … thick. Not dangerous, exactly, but wrong.
We stepped onto the porch. The door was slightly opened.
“ Knock, knock, ” I said, pushing it wider with the toe of my boot. “ Zynair? ”
Silence. Then, a soft movement from the back of the room. A figure stepped into the living room.
I didn’t hide my reaction. She wasn’t what I expected. She wasn’t a strange, ugly old woman.
She was young. She had a wild ‘ mane of curly red hair pulled back carelessly and eyes so sharp they felt like they
vere peeling back my skin.
“ You look surprised, ” she said calmly. Her voice was smooth, like silk over gravel. She wiped her hands on a dark loth, looking at us as if we were the ones out of place.
“ I didn’t think witches looked like you, ” I admitted.
Her lips curved faintly. “ I get that a lot. ”
She stepped closer. She didn’t flinch at the sight of two wolves in her space. She wasn’t impressed.
“ Alpha Nathan, ” she said, looking straight into my eyes.
She already knew who I was. Then she held out her hand. Most people don’t do that – they don’t offer their hand o an Alpha first. It was a move of pure confidence. She wasn’t asking for my permission; she was meeting me as an
qual.
After a second, I took it. Her grip was firm, and her skin was unnaturally warm. It surprised me. No one in this erritory dared to touch me without waiting for my signal, but this girl didn’t seem to care about my rank at all.
“ And I’m Liam, ” my brother said, stepping forward to break the tension. “ I’m his brother. Are you doing okay
ere? ”
Zynair looked at both of us. She was measuring us, like a hunter watching two wolves.
“ I will be, ” she said after a moment. “ But it’s not like I had a choice. ”
Liam frowned. “ What do you mean? ”
Her smile disappeared. “ Marcus asked me for help, ” she said quietly. “ And I was stupid enough to say yes. ”
She paused. “ That was the biggest mistake of my life. ”
I stepped closer to her. “ Why? ”
Zynair didn’t look away. “ Because my coven does not forgive betrayal. They don’t allow secret deals – especially not with wolves. ”
5:26 pm
The word Wolves sounded like a threat.
Liam sighed. “ So they kicked you out? ”
“ Exile would’ve been kinder, she replied. She pulled back her sleeve just enough to show a faint, glowing etched
line on her wrist. “ They marked me instead. ”
“ What does that mean? ”
Zynair tilted her head, a stray red curl falling over her eye.
“ It means, ” she said slowly, “ that wherever I go now … they will always be able to find me. ”
The weight of her words settled in the small room.
“ So you came here, ” Liam said.
“ I came where power lives, ” she corrected, her eyes fixed on me. “ Because power attracts enemies, Alpha. But it lso helps you survive. ”
“ What do you want in return? ” I asked, my voice dropping to a growl.
Her smile came back, sharper this time, like a hidden blade. “ Nothing you’re not already going to give. ”
“ That’s not an answer. That’s not how this works, ” I said coldly.
Zynair stepped closer. “ You’re already standing at a crossroads, Alpha, ” she whispered.
“ What are you talking about? ” My body went rigid.
“ Two paths, ” she murmured. “ One strengthens your throne. The other burns everything you think you control p>
My jaw tightened. “ I don’t deal in riddles. ”
“ No, ” she said softly, her gaze dropping to my chest. “ You live them. ”
She stepped back, the strange energy in the room dissipating like smoke. “ Your security holds, ” she added casually, turning back to her jars. “ For now. ”
Liam exhaled a breath he’d been holding. “ Well, ” he muttered. “ That’s comforting. ”
We left soon after, but as we drove away from the cottage, her words felt like a physical weight in the car. One
strengthens your throne. The other burns it all.
I looked at the dark woods passing by, thinking of the woman waiting for me at home. And I wondered which path led to her.
The drive back felt shorter than it should have. Or maybe my mind was just somewhere else. I didn’t like riddles; I liked control. And right now, I had none.
1:26 pm
PPP
The house appeared through the trees.
I thought about going straight to the library. Emily should be there. My mother told me that she was almost always there, curled up in a chair, hiding between the tall shelves. The thought pulled at my heart.
I walked toward the side entrance, but I didn’t make it.
“ Back already? ”
My father’s voice stopped me cold. He was standing on the porch, his hands behind his back.
“ How was the witch? ” he asked.
“ She’s under control, ” I said quickly. “ Security is holding. ”
My father nodded once. Then his eyes sharpened. “ And your choice? ”
My jaw tightened. “ I haven’t made one. ”
“ You need to, ” he said, his voice low and heavy. “ Other Alphas are watching you. They see you as a future Alpha
ing, but they are all asking one question: Where is your Luna? ”
The words felt like a weight on my chest.
“ They want to see her, Nathan. They want to know the crown will be in strong hands. ”
The silence between us was cold.
“ And? ” he prompted.
“ There are options, ” I said, looking away. “ Stella is strong. She knows our world. She is strategic. ”
“ And Emily? ” my father asked. Her name sounded strange coming from him.
I didn’t answer for a moment. I thought of her smile. I thought of the way she looked at me.
“ She’s not ready, ” I said finally. The words felt like ice in my throat. “ She doesn’t understand this cruel pack’s elations. The pressure would kill her. She would break. ”
I looked at the forest. “ They would break her. She isn’t strong enough for this. ”
My father didn’t move.
“ Then don’t hesitate, ” he said. “ Indecision is weakness. Make your choice, Nathan. ”
He walked away into the house. I stood there alone. The library windows were glowing just a few steps away, but I ouldn’t move.
Emily’s POV
26 pm
The house appeared through the trees.
I thought about going straight to the library. Emily should be there. My mother told me that she was almost always there, curled up in a chair, hiding between the tall shelves. The thought pulled at my heart.
I walked toward the side entrance, but I didn’t make it.
“ Back already? ”
My father’s voice stopped me cold. He was standing on the porch, his hands behind his back.
“ How was the witch? ” he asked.
“ She’s under control, ” I said quickly. “ Security is holding. ”
My father nodded once. Then his eyes sharpened. “ And your choice? ”
My jaw tightened. “ I haven’t made one. ”
“ You need to, ” he said, his voice low and heavy. “ Other Alphas are watching you. They see you as a future Alpha
ing, but they are all asking one question: Where is your Luna? ”
The words felt like a weight on my chest.
“ They want to see her, Nathan. They want to know the crown will be in strong hands. ”
The silence between us was cold.
“ And? ” he prompted.
“ There are options, ” I said, looking away. “ Stella is strong. She knows our world. She is strategic. ”
“ And Emily? ” my father asked. Her name sounded strange coming from him.
I didn’t answer for a moment. I thought of her smile. I thought of the way she looked at me.
“ She’s not ready, ” I said finally. The words felt like ice in my throat. “ She doesn’t understand this cruel pack’s elations. The pressure would kill her. She would break. ”
I looked at the forest. “ They would break her. She isn’t strong enough for this. ”
My father didn’t move.
“ Then don’t hesitate, ” he said. “ Indecision is weakness. Make your choice, Nathan. ”
He walked away into the house. I stood there alone. The library windows were glowing just a few steps away, but I: quldn’t move.
Emily’s POV
5:26 pm
Thadir’t meant to hear it. I was just there, sitting on the floor between the shelves.
“ … She’s not ready. ”
My fingers tightened around the book. I stopped breathing.
Something inside my chest / snapped. It was a sharp, quiet pain.
“ They’d break her. ”
I pressed my back against the cold wood of the shelf. I stayed in the shadows, trying not to exist. If I moved, they
would know I was there. I couldn’t let him see me like this.
“ She’s not strong enough. ”
The words echoed in my head until they sounded like the truth. I was just a girl in a library. That’s all I was. He
would never choose me as his Luna.
I closed the book and put it away, then hurried back to my room.
I wasn’t enough for him.
I let out a small, shaky breath. “ I need to get out, ” I whispered.
I thought about the party Jessie had mentioned. At first, I had hesitated to go, but right now, I couldn’t stay in
his house. Not after knowing what he really thought of me.
I crossed the room, opened the wardrobe, and took out the sexiest dress I had.
Next Chapter Chapter 36
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Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.