The Alpha's Denied Mate

Chapter 5

The corridors of the BloodMoon packhouse were silent except for the echo of my boots as I strode toward the infirmary. Jarek walked at my side, matching my clipped pace.

“She is awake,” Jarek reported, breaking the silence. “Riven says she has been asking questions. Wants to know who we are, where she is.”

“Did you give her answers?”

Jarek shook his head. “Only that she is safe. Gamma Riven is keeping her calm. The healer ran every check possible. She is human. No hint of wolfsbane or masking spells.”

Kael stirred inside me. "We should still be careful. Just because she smells human does not mean she is."

I did not respond, though my wolf was right. The pull in my chest had not faded. If anything, it grew sharper the closer I came to the infirmary.

As we reached the door, two guards stepped aside immediately, bowing their heads. Jarek glanced at me. “You are really going to see her?”

“Yes,” I said, my voice tight. “I need to see what we are dealing with.”

I pushed open the door.

The scent hit me first. Warm. Soft. Unfamiliar yet oddly soothing. My eyes found her instantly where she sat on the edge of the bed, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

She froze the moment her gaze locked on me.

I kept my expression unreadable, though Kael nearly surged forward. "She is..."

“Quiet,” I hissed inwardly, stepping into the room.

Her wide eyes flickered from me to Jarek, then to Riven and Tomas standing nearby. “Who… who are you people?” Her voice trembled, but her chin lifted with defiance.

“You are in BloodMoon territory,” I said, my voice filling the room. “You crossed our border last night.”

“I did not mean to!” she blurted. “I was just running. Something was chasing me and—” She cut herself off, looking suddenly unsure. “This is not real. Werewolves are not real. I must be dreaming.”

I studied her carefully. Every instinct screamed that she was no ordinary girl. “You are not dreaming,” I said at last, my tone leaving no room for argument.

Her face drained of color.

Kael pressed against my control. "She smells like ours. Like..."

“Enough,” I snapped at him, then turned to Jarek. “Keep her here. No one enters or leaves without my permission. She is to be watched day and night. If anything changes, her scent, her behavior, anything, I want to know immediately.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Jarek said.

My eyes lingered on her one last time. She stared back at me, torn between bolting and breaking.

Kael’s voice rumbled low. "She is not a threat."

I ignored him and turned away, leaving the room.

But the burn in my chest did not fade. Something had shifted, and I hated that I did not know why