My Forbidden Mate

Chapter 7

Eliza’s sudden presence amidst the remains of the battlefield felt completely suspicious. While the rest of the pack members were covered in dirt and soot, she stood near the perimeter line looking like she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine.

Dylan dropped his hands from my shoulders immediately, taking few steps back as if my touch had burned him. The mask of the cold, untouchable Alpha slid back over his features, though his chest was still heaving from the adrenaline of the fight.

"Alpha," Eliza called out, her voice dripping with artificial concern as she glided toward us. She cast a sharp, venomous glance in my direction before looking at Dylan. "Thank goodness you're safe. The perimeter breach was a disaster, but the guards managed to capture one of the rogue scouts alive. He’s being held in the lower dungeons now."

Dylan’s jaw tightened. "A scout? Alive?"

"Yes," Eliza replied smoothly, her eyes darting briefly back to me with a smug flicker of triumph. "And he's asking for a specific audience. He claims he has information about a leak from inside the pack—someone high up who gave them our patrol routes."

My breath hitched. The words felt like an icy bucket of water thrown over my skin.

Dylan didn't hesitate. "Take me to him," he commanded, turning away from us without another word. He didn't look at me, didn't offer a reassuring glance, leaving me standing in the dirt while Eliza fell into step right beside him, acting like she was the missing piece Dylan needed in his life.

Twenty minutes later, I found myself pacing the length of Dylan’s private office. The heavy oak door was locked, shutting me out from the interrogation happening downstairs, but my heightened wolf senses could faintly pick up the low rumble of voices echoing through the floorboards.

He's down there with her, my wolf growled, her claws scratching angrily at my consciousness. Eliza is in there whispering poison into his ear, and we are stuck up here like a caged animal.

The wait was agonizing. Every second that ticked by felt like a lifetime, filled with the terrifying realization that Eliza was actively weaponizing this attack against us. If the rogue scout pointed a finger, or if Eliza twisted the narrative to claim I was the leak, the Council would have all the excuse they needed to tear our bond apart permanently.

A sharp click at the door made me spin around.

The heavy wood swung open, and Dylan stepped inside, slamming it shut behind him. He looked exhausted. The aggressive aura of the Alpha had faded, replaced by a deep, crushing weariness that made him look years older. He leaned back against the closed door, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What happened?" I demanded, rushing forward, unable to keep my distance anymore. "Who was the scout? What did he say?"

Dylan opened his eyes, their striking blue depths fixed heavily on me. "The scout was a nobody—just a hired blade from the northern territories. He didn't know names, but he confirmed what Eliza suggested. Someone inside the high ranks sold our patrol schedules."

"And you think it's me?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly with hurt disbelief. "Is that what Eliza told you downstairs?"

"No," Dylan snapped, pushing off the door and closing the distance between us with startling speed. Before I could blink, his hands came up to grip my waist, pulling me hard against his chest. His breath hitched as he buried his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. "I know it's not you. But Eliza is twisting the timeline. She told the senior elders that you were spotted wandering near the northern borders right before the attack."

My heart plummeted. "That's a lie. I was in my room until the horns blew!"

"I know," Dylan rasped, his arms tightening around me with a desperate, protective force that felt like a lifeline. "I covered for you. I told them you were with me, tending to private matters."

The admission hung heavily in the air between us. Private matters. Code for the mate bond. Code for the very secret that could get us both banished—or worse.

My anger melted away, replaced by a sudden, overwhelming wave of terror. I reached up, my fingers tangling into the dark, messy curls at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer.

"Dylan..." I whispered against his skin, feeling the heavy, erratic thrum of his heartbeat matching my own. "The Council is going to use this. They're going to use Eliza's lies to tear us apart."

"Let them try," Dylan growled, his voice vibrating through his chest with a fierce, dangerous finality. He pulled back just enough to look me in the eye, his gaze burning with a wild intensity. "I didn't spend my whole life waiting for my fated mate just to let some corrupt elders take you away from me. No matter what I have to do... I'm keeping you safe."

Before I could answer, a sharp, violent series of loud knocks hammered against the heavy oak office door, shattering the fragile bubble around us.

“Alpha Dylan!” a panicked voice called out from the hallway. “Open up! Representatives from the High Council have just arrived unannounced. They demand an immediate audience!”

Dylan’s face went completely blank, the terrifying realization washing over us both: they hadn't just come to investigate a rogue attack. They had come for us.