RISE OF THE HEALER LUNA

7

Liam’s POV

I slammed the bedroom door so hard that the walls trembled. The sound echoed through the room, but it did nothing to calm the rage inside my chest.

Behind me, Cassandra followed like an annoying shadow that refused to disappear.

“Are you out of your mind, Liam?” she snapped loudly. “Did you really stand there and defend her in front of everyone?”

I didn’t answer.

I walked toward the window, loosened the collar of my shirt, and breathed out slowly, trying to keep my temper under control.

She didn’t stop.

“She should be in chains right now,” Cassandra continued as she paced behind me. “She should be locked up, questioned, tortured if necessary—not given dead bodies for some stupid autopsy like she’s some respected healer!”

I closed my eyes. Still, I said nothing, and that only made her angrier.

“So this is it?” she demanded. “You embarrassed me in front of the whole pack just because of her?”

I turned slightly, my gaze cold.

“Lower your voice.”

She laughed bitterly.

“Lower my voice? You want me to lower my voice after what you did?”

I walked away from the window and sat on the edge of the bed, my hands resting on my knees. She moved closer.

“You should have stood with me,” she said, her tone turning sharp again. “With your Luna. Not with that girl who walked in like a ghost from the past and started playing savior.”

I looked up at her.

“She’s not just some girl,” I said quietly.

Her eyes flashed.

“Oh, really?” she scoffed. “So what is she to you, Liam?”

I didn’t answer, and she leaned closer, her voice dropping to something ugly.

“You’re weak,” she said slowly. “That’s what you are. A weak Alpha who still can’t get over his rejected mate.”

My jaw tightened, but she wasn’t done.

“You were just eager to run back to her the moment she showed up,” she added, her lips curling. “Maybe you’re hoping she would give you a big kiss and you people can play lovers again!”

Something inside me snapped, and before I could stop myself, my hand moved.

CRACK…!

Cassandra staggered back a step, her hand flying to her cheek, and for a moment, the room went completely silent.

She stared at me like she had never seen me before. Slowly, she touched the corner of her lips where there was blood. She wiped it with her thumb, then held it up in front of me. Her eyes were no longer angry… they were cold.

“So this is who you are,” she said softly.

I didn’t respond, and she smiled faintly.

“Don’t worry,” she continued. “The world will see you too.”

She lifted her phone slightly.

“Two million followers are going to love this story!”

Then she turned around and walked out of the room. The door closed behind her, and silence fell.

I stood there, my chest rising and falling fast, my hands shaking slightly. What the hell had I just done?

Anger burned through me like fire. I felt suffocated, so I grabbed my coat and stormed out of the room, out of the pack house, and into the cold air.

The guards moved immediately.

“Stay back,” I growled.

They froze as I walked past them without looking back.

The forest welcomed me with cold wind as I moved deeper into it, and when I was far enough from the pack, I stopped.

I took a deep breath… then another. Then I tore off my clothes.

The transformation came fast. My bones shifted, my muscles expanded, my senses sharpened. In seconds, I was no longer a man. I was a wolf as I pushed off the ground and ran.

The trees blurred around me as I bolted through the forest at a speed only an Alpha could reach. The wind cut against my fur, the earth trembled beneath my paws, and for a while, running was the only thing that made sense.

Minutes later, I reached a hill overlooking a wide valley. I slowed down… then I stopped. I sat there in wolf form, my gaze fixed on the horizon, my senses stretched across the land.

The world was quiet, and in that quiet, my thoughts finally caught up with me.

I had f****d up. I had f****d up badly three years ago.

I lowered my head slightly.

I should never have rejected Serena like that. She had loved me, and I had loved her too, but I had been scared. Scared of weakness… scared of judgment… scared of having a Luna who wasn’t perfect. I had chosen the pack over her, and now? Now I was paying for it.

My anger shifted… not just at myself… at the pack.

I had given them everything. I had fought for them, bled for them, sacrificed for them. I had even given up the woman I loved because I believed they needed a strong Luna—and yet, not once had they truly seen my efforts. Not once had they said, “Thank you.”

Instead, they had cheered when I rejected Serena… they had called her weak… they had supported my decision. And now?

Now they were turning against her again, against the same woman who was trying to save them.

My mind drifted to Cassandra, and a cold shiver ran through me. Had she done this?

The thought made my fur stand on edge… she was capable of it. Sabotage. Manipulation. Poison.

She had always been ambitious, always hungry for power, always desperate to control everything around her.

If Serena’s cure succeeded, Cassandra would lose her influence—and Cassandra hated losing. I clenched my jaw.

The idea of sleeping beside her suddenly felt wrong and dangerous.

I stayed on the hill for a long time, listening to the sounds of the forest, letting my thoughts settle slowly. Finally, I stood up.

I ran back the way I came, and when I reached the spot where I had left my clothes, I shifted back into human form and dressed quickly.

As I walked back toward the pack house, my eyes drifted unconsciously toward another building—Serena’s building.

I stopped, and from that distance, I could still see clearly… my senses were sharp.

Inside the building, I saw movement. Adrian. He was inside the room with Serena, but his posture was tense. Suddenly, he flipped a table, and I saw Serena step back.

I narrowed my eyes. Something about that scene didn’t sit right with me.

Adrian suddenly turned his head, and for a moment, our gazes met across the distance.

He knew I was watching… his expression changed, and without hesitation, he walked to the window, closed it, then drew the curtains shut.

I frowned. What was that about?

I stood there for a few seconds with my mind racing, then turned away and walked back to the pack house.

Inside the throne room, I sat down slowly on my seat. I closed my eyes for a moment… then opened them and reached out through the mind link.

“Emmett.”

Almost instantly, his presence answered.

“I’m here, Alpha.”

“Come to the throne room,” I said.

Minutes later, he walked in, his expression serious.

“You called for me?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

He stepped closer, and I leaned forward slightly.

“I want you to choose the audience for the autopsy,” I said.

He blinked.

“The audience?”

“Yes,” I said calmly. “You choose them. Personally.”

He looked confused.

“They must be people loyal to you,” I continued. “People you trust completely.”

He hesitated.

“Why?”

I looked at him directly.

“Because I don’t think Serena killed those men,” I said.

His eyes widened slightly.

“And I don’t think they died naturally either,” I added.

He frowned.

“I think someone else did this,” I said slowly. “Someone who wants to destroy Serena’s credibility and sabotage her cure.”

Emmett’s expression darkened.

“You think someone in the pack did it?” he asked.

I nodded slightly.

“And whoever did it might try to interfere with the autopsy too,” I continued. “So I don’t want just anyone near the corpses.”

He nodded slowly.

“I understand,” he said.

I wasn’t done.

“Keep a close eye on Serena and Adrian,” I added quietly.

He raised a brow.

“Both of them?”

“Yes,” I said.

He hesitated.

“You think they mean us harm?”

I stared ahead.

“There’s something about their relationship that doesn’t add up,” I said slowly. “Something feels off. I mean, they claim to be mates, but there’s little to no chemistry between them.”

Emmett didn’t argue.

“I’ll watch them,” he said.

I nodded slightly, and he turned to leave. When he reached the door, I spoke again.

“Emmett.”

He turned back.

“This pack is standing on the edge of something dangerous. I want you vigilant and en garde at all times,” I said quietly.

He nodded once, then left…