Between Two Worlds

Chapter Two: Unwelcomed Guest

Logan

I’d been stuck in my office since dawn, buried under a mountain of paperwork that demanded my immediate attention. If Camwen were here, I’d have finished hours ago. But he wasn’t—he was representing me on a visit to another pack, handling matters I couldn’t afford to leave unattended at home.

He’d been gone for nearly four days, negotiating a peace treaty with the Northern Star Pack. Though they weren’t as large as us, their warriors were formidable, making them valuable allies. I trusted Alpha Yuren, their leader, but a year ago, I wouldn’t have considered an alliance with them. Back then, the Alpha was Cohen—Yuren’s father—and that man was nothing short of a nightmare.

Cohen was a narcissistic tyrant, cruel and ruthless. The only reason he held the Alpha title was his sheer strength—no one in his pack could overthrow him, though not for lack of trying. Outsiders? They wouldn’t dare.

But a few months ago, Cohen shocked everyone by stepping down, handing the title to Yuren. It was so sudden, so uncharacteristic, that no one could believe it. I thought he would hold his position even after his corpse was cold in his grave. Then, two days later, he disappeared without a trace.

It’s not unusual for former Alphas to take time away after relinquishing their title, after all, Alphas live their lives for their pack. It was understandable the need for a break. Years of leadership take their toll. But the issue was that Cohen hadn’t taken a break—he’d vanished. Not even the best trackers in his pack could find him.

And for that reason, Yuren sent one of his advisers to propose the alliance. He needed my help to search for his father and to secure his pack. Stepping into the role of Alpha without the guidance of a predecessor was challenging. Yuren had to face it alone.

I was eager for updates on the treaty, the impatience to know if the alliance would work was making me restless, but with Camwen too far away to mind-link me, I’d have to wait. Meanwhile, I was drowning myself in my work—stuck in my office practically being buried in huge stacks of papers, all of which were documents that needed my immediate attention.

My eyes stung and my back ached from sitting in the same position for too long, and just as I considered taking a break, a familiar buzz in my head alerted me to an incoming mind-link.

“Alpha, there’s an intruder on the western border. She’s demanding to speak with Beta Camwen. Claims they’re friends,” came Merihan’s voice. I could hear the tension in his tone.

My pack knew better than to interrupt me unless it was urgent, or something only I could handle, but this interruption was almost welcome. Almost.

“Who is it?” I asked sharply.

The answer comes as quickly as my question.

“She says her name is Liora,” Merihan replied, hesitating for a moment. His attention was probably divided between reporting to me and analysing the threat. “And Alpha, I am pretty sure she’s a f*****g Siren! I considered attacking, but there are unmated wolves on patrol. I’m not sure what kind of magic she could use on them.”

I sure didn’t expect that.

Liora.The name hit me like a punch to the gut, a jolt of familiarity I hadn’t anticipated. Hearing her name after all this time was a surprise. For a moment, my mind blanked, the papers on my desk forgotten. It almost felt like my heart skipped a beat, but for what reason I didn’t know.

Once more, the mind-link went silent for a few seconds before I could hear him again.

“Oh f**k! Her eyes are freaking glowing, Alpha. Her aura—damn it, I have never seen something like this before! I think she’s about to attack!” Merihan’s voice cracked with urgency, it felt like he was screaming in my head. I could feel his anger and apprehension.

Being the Alpha of the pack, the strongest among all of them, I could not only talk with them via mind-link in private, but also with everyone at the same time if needed. Furthermore, I could feel a little bit of their emotion through the link. It wasn’t something very common, but my father had told me long ago it was because of my Alpha power—since I had a lot of it.

“Do not engage her!” I barked, already on my feet, heading for the door. “Tell her I’m coming. And don’t provoke her.”

I debated shifting into my wolf form but decided against it. I didn’t know how strong she’d become after seven years apart. Back then, when we were mere teenagers, I enjoyed provoking her. She was strong, but I was stronger. And she couldn’t really do anything against me, even though I took it as my personal hobby to piss her off.

But now? Things had changed. If she saw my wolf as a threat, it might escalate things. If I could avoid a confrontation, that’s what I would do.

Still, my hands trembled—not with fear but with the barely contained urge to tear her apart for stepping onto my land. I wanted nothing more than to howl her ass off of my land.

After all these years, what reason could she possibly have to return? What were her intentions?

She most certainly had no reason to enter our pack lands again. And I was in no mood to pep-talk her. I had been sitting in my office for hours staring at paper after paper. Liora most certainly had chosen the wrong time to come back.

Not that she would receive any welcome if she had come back another day anyway.

It didn’t take long to reach the western border. I could feel the hair on my arms rise as soon as I got a whiff of her scent. It was the first thing that I noticed—different from what I remembered. Something was not quite right. Her scent was…more alluring than ever before. It was intoxicating, a dangerous mix of sweetness and venom. Almost like a delicious poison one would not care to die for. Or do crazy things just to appease the owner of the said smell.

Even with my Alpha power, it clawed at my self-control. I couldn’t imagine how it affected the others.

Through the mind-link, I ordered the patrol to retreat. I’d handle this alone. It was safer this way—less of a risk for her to take control of one of them in any way. Even if I didn’t like to admit it, the Liora I once knew wouldn’t harm them, but the Liora before me now? I knew nothing about her. I couldn’t be sure. Seven years was a hell of a long time for someone to change and become something entirely new.

I started moving again only after I was sure my pack members were at a safe distance.

Approaching cautiously, I scanned the area for potential threats, my trained eyes reading my surroundings in full alert. Even though I knew my territory with the back of my hand, my instincts were telling me to be sure it was not some kind of trap. I wasn’t sure she was working alone. I wouldn't put it past her to have backup lurking nearby, just waiting for her signal or something similar.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded, my voice cold as I stopped at a safe distance.

“Good to see you too, Rogan,” she replied smoothly, her voice had the same rusky timbre I remembered and she seemed unfazed by my rudeness.

Damn, even her voice was alluring. Like a perfect melody on a dark and silent night.

I had to hold myself back, I was not about to answer her provocations either. Or let her get under my skin.

“It’s Alpha Rogan now,” I corrected, letting my authority seep into my tone. “What do you want?”

For a moment, she didn’t respond. No quick remarks this time. Her glowing eyes locked onto mine, her expression unreadable.

I knew she could sense my unrelenting coldness towards her. There were no amiable feelings between us. There never was. Our relationship was pure distaste for each other since the very beginning. I hated myself when I was younger because for some reason I felt attracted to her. I always blamed it on her Siren blood magic.

It was the main reason why, whenever we saw each other, I would always look for a way to provoke her—trying to incite the animosity that existed between us. It was a way to remind me, and Liora as well, that there would never exist anything between us. Nothing but aversion.

And it worked. Or so I thought it did.

What made me angrier was the fact she looked even more beautiful than I remembered. Of course, she was no longer a child. Or a sassy teenager. Now Liora was a woman. Her aura, her few words, her expression, everything screamed how much she had changed in those seven years she had been apart. If not all that, her incredible body would be an enormous indication of these changes.

I knew my attraction to her was only because of her Siren blood. It had to be, there was no other explanation. She was naturally created to allure stupid men to their deaths, but I wasn't one.

I would never become one of her victims. Ever.

Even if most of the time when we were close to each other, I couldn't think with the right head.

After a long silence, I decided to speak again. "Seven years is a long time for you to come back like you never left in the first place.”

The silence only grew after my words, her mouth closed in a thin line. The air around us was cracking with energy.

“You’re not welcome here,” I added when her silence stretched. “He waited for you, you know. For years… until he finally accepted that you wouldn't come back. Camwen thought of you as his little sister. It broke him when you simply left without a proper explanation.”

My words were cold and set to hurt her. And It worked. Her composure faltered. I studied her expression and I saw her flinching slightly. But her reaction lasted only for a fraction of a second. If I didn’t have my werewolf heightened senses, it would have gone unnoticed.

“I had my reasons,” she said finally, her tone dismissive. It was her only answer. As if the subject wasn’t of importance—or talking with me about it.

"I'm sure you did,” I replied, nodding my head. But my face was a mask of loathe and reproach.

Liora opened her mouth to speak, but I interrupted whatever she was about to say—it would probably be a lie anyway.

“Then I suggest you use those same reasons to leave before Camwen returns,” I said, my words sharp. “He has a mate now, and he’s happy. Don’t disrupt his life again.”

Her expression hardened, but she didn’t retaliate. Liora simply stood there, regal and defiant, her silence heavier than any words she could have spoken.