The Fated Mate almost Missed

Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Brian’s POV

The smell of smoke clung to my jacket as I stalked through the corridors of the Shadow Pack compound. It was nearly midnight, but I couldn’t sleep—not when the entire pack was buzzing with whispers. Not when Lyra hadn’t come back.

Not when I knew exactly who she was with.

Gavin Nightwind.

The name burned like acid in my throat.

I clenched my jaw as I entered my quarters. The door slammed behind me, rattling in its frame. My wolf stirred restlessly, pacing beneath my skin.

She was mine. My betrothed. My Luna-to-be.

And she was slipping through my fingers.

I stared into the mirror across the room. My reflection stared back—sharp features, gold-brown eyes dark with fury. I looked every bit the Alpha heir I was raised to be. Every bit the leader Lyra needed. And yet…

She didn’t look at me the way she looked at him.

When Gavin arrived, I told myself it would pass. That she’d come to her senses. That our bond—arranged or not—was stronger than some wild pulse of fate.

But now?

Now I could feel it unraveling. Like a thread pulled too tight.

The pack elders had warned me about this. “Fated mates,” they said. “The Moon Goddess doesn’t care about treaties or bloodlines.”

Well, neither do I.

If Gavin thinks fate gives him the right to steal what’s mine, he’s wrong. I’ll destroy that bond if I have to. I’ll rip him apart piece by piece.

My wolf growled low.

Jealousy wasn’t unfamiliar—but this, this was different. This was betrayal curdled into obsession.

A soft knock echoed from the door. My Beta, Marcus, stepped inside, clearly hesitant.

“She’s back,” he said. “Just snuck through the southern gate.”

“And?”

“She looked... flushed. Smelled like Nightwind.”

My stomach turned to stone.

She hadn't even tried to hide it.

Marcus hesitated. “What do you want us to do?”

“Nothing,” I said tightly. “Not yet.”

I needed to be smart. I couldn’t just lash out. Not now, not with the trials days away. I still had the law on my side. The Rite of Dual Claim was binding. If she didn’t reject me formally, we were still engaged by pack tradition. That gave me leverage. That gave me time.

But it also gave me something else: a ticking clock.

Every hour that passed, Lyra drifted closer to him. To that smug, smug bastard who walked into our land like he owned it. Like he could steal our Alpha without consequences.

I wouldn’t let it happen.

She was mine.

And if I couldn’t keep her through love... I’d use fear.

I pulled a drawer open and removed a small vial—filled with clear liquid. Wolfbane, diluted just enough not to kill. Just enough to weaken. It had been tucked away for emergencies, for war. But war was coming whether I liked it or not.

“Send a message to Councilman Kade,” I told Marcus. “Tell him I’ll be invoking the Rite in full. I want all the traditions followed—witnesses, ceremony, combat.”

“Understood.”

“And start watching Gavin. Every move. Every person he speaks to. I want to know if he so much as takes a piss near Lyra.”

Marcus nodded and left.

Alone again, I paced.

I could still win this.

All I needed was a moment. One moment to remind Lyra who I am. What we’ve built. What she owes me.

I remembered the first time I saw her shift—strong, silver fur bristling with raw power. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was dominant. The kind of wolf who could rule by my side and bring the pack to glory.

And I’d waited. I’d played by the rules. Protected her. Fought for her. Loved her.

Only for some outsider to show up and make her question everything?

No.

I wouldn’t allow it.

My wolf snarled.

She might be fated to him... but fate could be broken.

The shadows outside my window stretched long and deep. Somewhere in the night, I knew Gavin was watching her sleep, his arms wrapped around what should have been mine.

But this isn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

Tomorrow, I’ll make my first move.

And the game won’t be fair.

It’ll be war.