His Twisted Claim

Chapter three

The pack house had turned chaotic by the time the injured warriors were brought in.

The door burst open and the first thing that hit me was the sting of that metallic smell.

Blood.

Fresh, thick blood.

“Move– move!” A sharp voice cut through the noise.

I turned just as a group of warriors came rushing in, carrying two others between them. One of the injured men was barely conscious. His hand hung at a very unnatural angle. His whole clothes were drenched in blood.

Another had a deep, wide cut across his belly.

“Clear the tables!” someone shouted.

The kitchen workers scrambled in confusion and hurry, pushing aside plates, bowls and baskets.

The atmosphere was filled with voices and panic.

And then… he walked in.

Tall. Broad shoulders. His blond hair slick with sweat.

His expression was tight, but he looked composed despite the chaos around him.

The war captain.

Kieran Frost.

The pack's gamma. The head of warriors.

I recognized him instantly.

He was respected by everyone. The kind of man warriors trust without question. The kind of man warriors lay their life for.

“Set him here,” Kieran ordered, guiding one of the injured warriors onto the table.

“Careful with his side, don't press it.”

His voice was steady and weirdly calm.

I didn't wait to be called on.

I stepped forward.

“Bring water,” I said quickly. “And clean towels. Now!”

A few people glanced my way in surprise.

But they moved.

Kieran’s eyes shifted my way. Assessing me.

I ignored him, focusing on the injured warrior in my front.

“Stay with me,” I said to the warrior who was barely breathing at my front, pressing a wet towel against his wound. “You're not dying today.”

His breathing became uneven, but he nodded weakly.

He was still conscious. That's good.

I worked quickly before the damage took effect.

Cleaning the wound.

Stop the bleeding.

Check for internal damage.

Wrap the injuries in clothes.

My hands didn't shake once.

Not again. I had done this before in my past life. Frequently, actually.

These tasks came with being the pack’s Luna.

“Hold him tight,” I say to the others.

Kieran stepped closer.

“I'll do it,” his voice was lower now.

He placed both hands on the injured warrior’s shoulder. Holding him still.

Up close, I could feel his presence more. His eyes watching me.

“You've done this before,” he said.

More like a confirmation and less a question.

I didn't look up.

I wasn't ready to handle the fact that I was almost face to face with the man who swore his loyalty to me and also stood by and watched as his Alpha executed me.

I should have known that those pledges were just Luna formalities.

“That's enough.”

He didn't respond immediately. His attention never left me the whole time.

Fair enough. I was handling his men anyway.

The second injured warrior groaned loudly as someone tried to move him.

“Don't!” I snapped before I could stop myself. “You'll make it worse.”

The room went quiet for a full second.

I turned, already moving to the next table.

The wound was deep. Fresh blood gushing out of it.

“Apply pressure here,” I told one of the kitchen staff, guiding her hand to the cut. “Not too hard.”

Kieran followed.

Minutes passed. After handling the wound the way I knew best, the bleeding eventually reduced. Everything being under control.

The room slowly started to breathe again.

Everyone became a little relieved, exhaustion showing on their faces.

I stepped back, wiping my hands on a towel.

That was when I felt it, the shift in atmosphere.

The room went still.

I didn't need to turn to know who had just entered. But I did anyway.

And there he was.

Devric Whitethorn.

Standing at the entrance with that same clam facade.

Watching everything.

Watching me.

My chest tightened. My heart ceased to beat.

For a second, everything faded to nothing.

The people. The noise. The voices.

All of it.

And all of a sudden it was just me and him in the room.

“What happened?” His voice cut through my daze. Cold and authoritative.

Kieran straightens subconsciously.

“Border incident,” he said. “Near the eastern ridge.”

Devric’s gaze flicked to the injured warriors.

“Rogues?”

“Most likely.”

“Hmm.” Devric nodded once.

But his eyes were no longer on Kieran anymore.

They were on me.

I could feel the heavy pressure of his gaze. Assessing me.

Like he was trying to puzzle something out.

Kieran noticed.

Of course, he noticed.

Nothing ever escaped those sharp eyes of his.

He shifted a little bit closer to me. Not too close to be obvious, but close enough.

That was all it took to get the slightest reaction from Devric.

Something dark flickered across his face. If you didn't look closely you could have missed it.

It didn't last half a second but I saw it.

And I know it so well.

Jealousy.

My breath caught in my throat.

Oh no.

This is bad.

It shouldn't be happening yet.

I came back with one goal in mind.

Making sure Devric doesn't know I'm his mate.

If he does, I won't have a choice but to become his Luna.

He is the Alpha, his say is permanent.

If I become his Luna, there's a high probability that the future will repeat itself.

I don't want to end up with a blade in my chest.

Not again.

“She handled most of it,” Kieran said suddenly.

I shot him a look.

Why would he say that?

Here I am trying to navigate my way out of this, and he was over there blowing things up for me.

Devric's gaze sharpened.

“Is that so?”

He took a step forward.

Then another. And another.

And just like that, he was standing right in front of me.

Close enough that I could feel the heat of his body.

Close enough that I could smell him.

His colon I knew so well.

My heart started to hammer.

My wolf stirred.

“Your name,” he said.

“Celina.” My voice came out steady.

His eyes didn't leave mine.

Not for a second.

Then he reached out, his fingers brushed against my wrist.

A faint touch.

I didn't know what he was reaching out for, but it was enough.

Everything in my body went still.

Then I felt it.

A strange electric current ran down my spine.

It was sudden and then it was gone.

I could tell he felt it too.

Because he froze.

Just for a second.

His expression shifted to confusion. Then it shifted back in place.

He pulled away.

“How long have you been here?” he asked.

“I arrived about a month ago,” I said, not understanding how he knew that I wasn't from around here.

He studied me for a moment, then finally stepped back.

Something definitely had changed between us.

Even if he doesn't understand it yet, he will eventually figure it out.

And that was something I didn't want to happen.

He turned to leave, Kieran following right after him.

I was standing there, heart pounding.

If he had come any closer, I don't think I could have stopped what would have happened next.

This whole situation was getting a bit complicated.