Reborn for him

Chapter 16:The Enemy Within

The black envelope lay on Alexander's desk the following morning, its threatening message staring back at us like a declaration of war.

Eight days. One ceremony. One frightened mate.

When the wolf emerges, she will choose between the monster and her own survival.

Alexander had read the words so many times that I feared he might tear the paper apart with his bare hands.

"He's becoming careless," Marcus said, standing across the desk. "The message was left near the old greenhouse, where we already know Damien wanted Sophia to meet him. Whoever delivered it is either confident we cannot catch him or deliberately trying to draw our attention there."

"Perhaps both," I replied.

Alexander looked at me.

"You won't go anywhere near that greenhouse."

"I wasn't planning to."

"Emma."

"I mean it. But I want to know what the guards discovered."

Marcus unfolded a sheet of paper.

"The warrior on duty saw a man leaving the northern garden shortly before midnight. He wore a dark coat and kept his face covered. When challenged, he ran toward the servants' passage."

"Did the guards catch him?" I asked.

"No. But one of them recognized his build. He believes the man may have been a member of the estate staff."

A chill crept down my spine.

Someone inside Blackthorn Estate was helping Damien.

Someone who knew the grounds, understood the security arrangements, and could move through restricted areas without attracting immediate suspicion.

Alexander rose from his chair.

"Question every servant who was assigned to the western and northern passages last night. Quietly. I don't want the entire estate thrown into panic."

Marcus nodded.

"And Gareth?"

"Keep him under observation. Do not approach him unless you have evidence."

Marcus collected the documents.

"Understood, Alpha."

When he left, Alexander turned to me.

"You should have breakfast."

I stared at him.

"Are you serious?"

"Completely."

"Someone is threatening our marking ceremony, someone has access to restricted records, and you want me to eat breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Alexander!"

He folded his arms.

"You're not going to help anyone if you faint from exhaustion."

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it.

A reluctant smile tugged at my lips.

"You are impossible."

"So I've been told."

For a moment, the tension eased. Then his expression softened, and he reached for my hand.

"Emma, I need you to understand something. The threats are becoming more specific. Damien knows about the ceremony, and he may know how to provoke my wolf. Until we understand his plan, I need you to be careful."

"I will."

"I mean it."

"So do I."

His thumb brushed across my knuckles.

"Good."

I wanted to tell him that I had never felt more certain about anything than I did about choosing him. But I also knew that love could not solve an investigation by itself.

We needed evidence.

And I had a feeling that the answer was closer than either of us realized.

By midday, Marcus had arranged for me to speak privately with one of the guards who had been stationed near the northern garden.

His name was Thomas, a broad-shouldered warrior who had served the Blackthorn Pack for nearly six years. He stood stiffly in Alexander's study, clearly uncomfortable with the attention.

"Tell us exactly what happened last night," Alexander instructed.

Thomas bowed his head.

"I was patrolling the northern garden when I heard footsteps near the greenhouse. I approached the area and saw a man coming through the side gate."

"Did you recognize him?" Marcus asked.

"Not his face. He wore a hood, and the light was poor. But I noticed something about his left hand."

"What?"

"He was wearing a silver ring with a dark stone."

I exchanged a glance with Alexander.

"Could you identify the ring if you saw it again?" I asked.

Thomas nodded.

"Yes, Luna."

Again, the title startled me, but I didn't correct him.

"Did the man say anything?"

"Only that I should return to my post. He spoke as if he expected me to obey."

Alexander's expression darkened.

"Did you?"

Thomas swallowed.

"For a moment, Alpha. There was something about his voice. I felt as though I had heard it before, but I couldn't place it. Then he ran."

"Why didn't you pursue him?"

"I did. He reached the servants' passage before I lost sight of him."

Marcus made a note.

"Did you report the incident immediately?"

"Yes, sir."

Alexander dismissed him with a nod.

When the guard had left, I turned toward Marcus.

"A silver ring with a dark stone."

Marcus nodded thoughtfully.

"Several senior members of the pack wear rings, but the description may help narrow our search."

"Could Damien have been wearing it?"

"Possibly. But Thomas didn't recognize the man's face, and we shouldn't assume the ring belongs to Damien."

Alexander returned to his desk.

"Find out which members of the estate staff were near the servants' passage last night. Compare their movements with the patrol records."

Marcus departed to carry out the order.

I remained beside the window, thinking about the guard's description.

A ring.

A familiar voice.

Someone who expected a warrior to obey without question.

It sounded like someone accustomed to authority.

Someone who belonged here.

That afternoon, I found Sophia waiting for me in the small sitting room beside the library.

She looked troubled.

"Emma, I need to tell you something before you hear it from anyone else."

I sat opposite her.

"What happened?"

"I saw Damien this morning."

My stomach tightened.

"Where?"

"Near the eastern gate. I was returning from the village when his carriage passed me. He stopped and asked whether Alexander had spoken to me about the ceremony."

"What did you say?"

"I told him that my private conversations with you were none of his business."

Despite everything, I almost smiled.

"Good."

"He became angry. Not openly, but I could tell. Then he said that I was making a mistake by standing beside you."

My smile disappeared.

"Did he threaten you?"

"Not directly. He said that when the truth came out, everyone would understand why he had tried to warn us."

I leaned forward.

"What truth?"

"I asked him the same question. He only smiled and said that Alexander wasn't the man I believed him to be."

A familiar anger rose inside me.

That was Damien's favorite weapon: planting doubt, then letting fear do the rest.

In my first life, he had convinced me that Alexander's silence meant he didn't love me. He had turned every disagreement into evidence of cruelty and every act of protection into an attempt to control me.

By the time I understood the truth, Alexander was already dying.

I would never let Damien repeat that trick.

"Did he say anything else?" I asked.

Sophia nodded.

"He told me that the new moon would reveal Alexander's true nature. He said I should convince you to leave Blackthorn Estate before the ceremony."

I looked at her steadily.

"And what did you tell him?"

"I told him that you were capable of making your own decisions."

I reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you."

Sophia's eyes filled with concern.

"Emma, what if he really does make Alexander lose control? What if the ceremony becomes dangerous?"

"Then we'll be prepared."

"But how can you be certain?"

I thought of Alexander's confession about the training accident, the shame he had carried for years, and the way he had looked at me when I told him I wasn't afraid of the wolf he struggled to control.

"I'm not certain that nothing bad will happen," I admitted. "But I'm certain that Damien wants me to be afraid. If I let him decide what I believe about Alexander, he's already won."

Sophia was quiet for a moment.

"You're not the same person you were before."

"No," I whispered. "I'm not."

And I was determined never to become that woman again.

Later that evening, I went to the training grounds to find Alexander.

He was alone near the far wall, his black training shirt damp with sweat. His hands were braced against a wooden post, and his head was lowered.

I stopped several feet away.

"Alexander?"

He didn't turn immediately.

"Go back inside, Emma."

His voice was strained.

I took a cautious step forward.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

I recognized the words for what they were: an attempt to push me away before I could see him struggling.

I remembered what he had told me about his wolf, how anger could sharpen his senses and make the creature inside him impatient with restraint.

"Are you fighting it?" I asked quietly.

His shoulders stiffened.

"Please leave."

I should have obeyed. Instead, I remained where I was, giving him space without abandoning him.

"You don't have to explain anything," I said. "But you don't have to pretend you're fine, either."

Alexander finally turned.

His eyes were darker than usual, and the muscles in his jaw were tight.

"I can feel it growing restless."

"Your wolf?"

He nodded.

"The threats, the investigation, the thought of someone using you to hurt me—every time I think about it, I feel the pressure building. It's as if my wolf senses a threat and wants to destroy it before it can reach us."

"Can you control it?"

"At the moment, yes."

His answer was immediate, but I heard the strain beneath it.

I took a slow breath.

"Then let's focus on the moment. Not the new moon. Not Damien. Just this moment."

He watched me.

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me what you can hear."

His brow furrowed.

"Emma—"

"Please."

He hesitated.

"The wind. The guards near the eastern wall. Your breathing."

"What can you smell?"

"The rain coming. The trees. The training yard."

"And what can you feel?"

He looked down at his hands.

"The ground beneath my feet."

I nodded.

"Stay with those things. You are here, Alexander. You are in control right now."

His breathing slowly steadied.

The darkness in his eyes softened, though the tension did not disappear entirely.

I didn't touch him until he reached for me first.

When his hand closed around mine, I felt a tremor run through his fingers.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he murmured.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to be frightened of me."

I looked directly into his eyes.

"I'm not frightened of you."

"You should be careful with promises like that."

"I'm being careful. I'm not promising that I'll never be afraid of anything. I'm telling you that your struggle doesn't make you unworthy of my trust."

He stared at me, and for a moment, I thought he might finally let himself believe me.

Then he drew my hand toward his chest.

"You make it very difficult to keep my distance from you."

A small smile touched my lips.

"Perhaps you should stop trying so hard."

His eyes softened.

He leaned forward until his forehead rested against mine. We remained that way for several quiet seconds, neither of us speaking.

It was the closest we had come to a confession.

And it made me more certain than ever that I wanted the marking ceremony to happen.

Not because I needed a title.

Not because I wanted the pack to recognize me.

Because I wanted Alexander to know that he could be vulnerable with me without losing my respect.

When he finally stepped back, he looked calmer.

"Thank you," he said.

I squeezed his hand.

"Always."

That night, Marcus brought Alexander an unexpected discovery.

I was in the study with them when he placed a small ledger on the desk.

"We found this in the storage room beside the West Archive," he explained. "It contains records of temporary access requests. Several entries have been altered."

Alexander opened the ledger.

"By whom?"

"We're still investigating, but one entry stands out. Two days before the first threatening note appeared, someone requested a copy of the old Alpha bonding regulations."

My heart quickened.

"Who made the request?"

Marcus pointed to the signature.

"Gareth."

Alexander's expression turned cold.

"Bring him to me."

"There's more," Marcus said. "The request was approved using a senior authorization. The approval signature belongs to someone who claims they never saw the document."

"Who?"

Marcus hesitated.

"Edwin, the storage supervisor."

The room fell silent.

Two names.

Two suspicious records.

And still no proof that either man had knowingly helped Damien.

Alexander closed the ledger.

"Keep both men under observation. Do not alert them to our suspicions."

Marcus nodded.

"I'll arrange it."

After he left, I stared at the ledger.

"If Gareth and Edwin are involved, Damien may have more help inside the estate than we thought."

"Or someone is using their names to conceal the real culprit," Alexander replied.

"Either way, the ceremony won't be safe until we know who's behind this."

He turned toward me.

"Then perhaps we should postpone it."

The words struck me harder than I expected.

"No."

His eyes narrowed.

"Emma, listen to me—"

"I understand the danger. But if we postpone the ceremony because Damien threatened us, he'll know he can control our decisions."

"This isn't about allowing him to win. It's about keeping you safe."

"And I want to be safe. But I also want to live, Alexander. I don't want to spend the rest of my life allowing Damien to decide what I can and cannot do."

He looked away.

I stepped closer.

"Please don't confuse protecting me with taking away my choice."

His shoulders lowered slightly.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then he looked back at me.

"The ceremony will go ahead on the new moon," he said. "But we will take every precaution possible. And if either of us decides that the circumstances are no longer safe, we will stop."

I nodded.

"Agreed."

He held out his hand.

I placed mine in it.

Eight days had become seven, and the danger was growing closer.

Somewhere inside Blackthorn Estate, someone was preparing to betray Alexander. Damien was gathering information about his wolf, and our enemies were counting on fear to destroy the bond before it could be completed.

But they had made one mistake.

They believed my love for Alexander depended on him remaining the perfect, untouchable Alpha.

They didn't understand that I loved the man beneath the title—the man who feared hurting others, who carried the burden of his power alone, and who would rather lose me than risk making me suffer.

I would not let Damien turn that love into a weapon.

As Alexander drew me closer, I rested my head against his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

Seven days.

Seven days until the new moon.

And whatever waited for us beneath its darkened sky, I would face it beside him.

Because the wolf inside Alexander Wolfe was not the enemy I needed to fear.

The real monster was the man who wanted to make Alexander believe he was one.