chapter 17
1646 Words
I gave a small nod. “Alright.”
A sharp whistle suddenly sliced through the silence, making both of us turn toward the doorway. A man stood there with an amused smile playing on his lips. It was grey, the Beta.
“Why are you still here?” Kyle asked, his voice turning cold in an instant. I blinked in surprise. Since when had he been standing there? I hadn’t sensed him at all.
Grey only lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. “You never told me to leave, so I stayed.”
Kyle’s expression darkened. “Since when did you start acting so stupid?”
A grin spread across Grey's face. “How could I possibly miss a sight like this? The brooding Alpha finally getting close to a girl? This is historic. I should take a picture and post it on my blog. At the very least, the media might finally stop calling you gay.”
“Get out.”
“You’ll thank me later.” Grey clicked his tongue and pointed a finger before turning to me with a teasing smile. “Welcome to the land of rude elites, luana. And be careful around the masons. They do a lot more than bite.” With that warning, he strolled away.
I had already gotten a taste of that after meeting the Pack Mother. If she was any indication, then I could only imagine what the rest of the family was like
Before I could think any further, Kyle’s voice broke through my thoughts. “That’s—”
“A beautiful bracelet.”
I followed his gaze and noticed the golden bracelet glimmering inside my plastic pouch. A quiet warmth spread through me, soft and familiar, and an unconscious smile curved my lips. I carefully unzipped the pouch and lifted the bracelet into my hands as though it were something fragile and sacred.
It was the most precious thing I owned. “It was my mother’s,” I said softly, my eyes lingering on the delicate gold. Sadly, it was also the only thing I had left of her.
Kyle’s POV
Her eyes shone as she looked down at the bracelet, and in that moment, I understood why she treasured it so deeply.
“I... heard about your mother. I’m sorry,” I said quietly.
And I meant it. More than she knew, I understood what it meant to lose someone.
The memory came without warning—a lifeless body sprawled across the dirt, her empty eyes fixed on the shattered roof above us, her face drained of all color. Even now, I could see it as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.
Back then, I had thought she would wake up. I kept calling for her, over and over again. “Mamma? Mamma! Wake up. I’m hungry.” It took me an hour to understand the truth—that she was never going to open her eyes again.
I forced myself back to the present, pushing down the heaviness pressing against my chest. Luana clutched the bracelet—
I forced my attention back to the present, ignoring the strange ache tightening in my chest. Luana clutched the bracelet close to her heart, and a familiar sadness flickered in her hazel eyes.
“She must have been beautiful,” I said softly, hoping to lighten the heaviness in her expression.
My words worked. Luana smiled faintly and gave a small nod.
“Yes… she was. I never saw her in person, only in pictures. But I once saw her figure and—” She stopped abruptly, her gaze drifting somewhere far away.
I sensed the shift in her aura, the quiet pain she tried to hide. She blinked several times before speaking again. “It’s nothing. I don’t have her picture anymore.”
“That’s alright.” I smiled and stepped closer. “You can look at yourself whenever you want to see her. I’m sure she looked a lot like you… a true beauty.”
A blush spread across her cheeks.
I slipped an arm around her waist and drew her gently toward me. My gaze dropped to the smooth line of her neck, the tender skin there tempting enough to make my canines ache. Every instinct in me wanted to sink my teeth into her and claim her as mine.
“Do it! Do it!” Drake howled excitedly inside my head.
“We can’t. Not now,” I muttered inwardly, forcing him back. I didn’t want to frighten her.
Though it was normal for husbands to mark their wives, that wasn’t the only reason I stopped myself. The scent of another male’s claim still lingered faintly on her skin.
I wanted it erased completely.
I wasn’t judging her for whatever life she had before me. If anything, luana should have come into my world sooner. I would have protected her from the fool who touched what was never his to claim.
The only question was who he was.
Could it have been that mutt from the West Pack?
If it was him… I would make sure he died the slowest, most painful death imaginable.
Kyle’s POV
That memory still burned in my veins—the moment I stepped in and stopped him. Rage had taken hold of me then, fierce and uncontrollable. I wanted to tear him apart for what he had tried to do to Luana.
And I would have… if things were that simple.
But they weren’t.
He was the son of the Alpha of the Redmoon Pack. Killing him would have meant war—one we weren’t prepared for. Redmoon was already fragile, and any wrong move would give the Council all the reasons they needed to wipe us out completely.
I had already caused enough trouble by breaking the alliance with the Smiths. Mason’s reaction alone would be disastrous if he found out the truth. So I kept it to myself, burying the decision deep.
Now I needed a new plan—one that would take down the South and Carter Reed without dragging my pack into ruin.
It wouldn’t be easy.
But I had survived worse.
And if it meant having Luana by my side in the end… then it was worth it.
“Yes,” Drake’s voice echoed within me, low and approving.
I pulled her closer, my hand resting lightly at her waist. For a moment, everything else faded—the tension, the plans, the war waiting on the horizon.
Her presence grounded me.
I leaned in, brushing a soft kiss against her neck. She didn’t pull away, but something about her stillness made me pause.
“Sing for me,” I murmured quietly, my voice softer now. “I want to hear you… clear and free.”
But instead of responding, her body went rigid.
The shift was immediate.
I frowned, pulling back slightly. Her eyes were distant, glassy—like she was somewhere else entirely.
Concern replaced the heat in my chest.
“Luana…” I said, more carefully this time.
She didn’t answer.
Her silence hit harder than any words could.
“Did I say something wrong?”
Luana’s POV
When Kyle’s lips brushed my neck, his voice dropped to a whisper.
“You don’t know how badly I want you, Luana… I want to stay with you. Always.”
My heart fluttered wildly in my chest, warmth spreading through me—
Until it shattered.
The voices came back.
Cold. Sharp. Unrelenting.
A girl like you isn’t special.
No one wants to be with someone like you.
My breath hitched as the whispers grew louder, drowning out everything else.
Michelle. Carter.
Kyle’s voice faded into the distance, replaced by the cruel echoes in my mind.
Why are you even alive? You should die.
You took my mate away. You murderer.
My fingers clenched around my mum’s bracelet, the beads digging painfully into my palm. I welcomed it—anything to ground me—but it wasn’t enough.
My chest tightened.
I couldn’t breathe.
They were right.
Kyle would hate me if he knew the truth. I had already caused him enough trouble… and sooner or later, he would see me for what I really was.
“Luana? Are you okay?”
His voice sounded far away, like it was reaching me through water.
A cold sweat broke across my forehead. I couldn’t do this to him. My existence alone would ruin him.
“I… I’m sorry,” I whispered, my hands trembling as I covered my face. “I’m sorry for ruining your life.”
“Luana, what are you talking about?” he asked, confusion lacing his voice.
I couldn’t answer.
What if he rejected me right now? What if he saw me as nothing but a burden?
He had been so kind to me… and this was how I repaid him.
“Luana—”
Before I could retreat any further into myself, his arms wrapped around me, pulling me close.
The moment my head rested against his shoulder, something shifted.
My heartbeat slowed.
The air finally filled my lungs.
“Take a deep breath,” he murmured gently.
I obeyed without thinking, clinging to the sound of his voice. In… and out.
Slowly, the noise in my head faded.
A minute later, my thoughts cleared, leaving behind only embarrassment.
I pulled back slightly, my gaze dropping to the floor. I couldn’t even look at him.
I had just shown him how broken I was.
“Goddess…” I whispered under my breath. “I’m so sorry, Alpha. I just—”
The words tangled in my throat. I couldn’t explain—not without revealing everything I had been trying so hard to hide.
“You don’t need to apologize,” he said softly. “I understand.”
His voice was gentle… far gentler than I deserved.
- Writer
