REJECTED YET CHOSEN

Chapter 31

_Dorian's POV_

The night was cold, and the sky was clouded, casting a heavy darkness over the land. I watched from the shadows as Camilla slipped out of the packhouse. She was wearing a dark cloak. Her movements were quick and cautious.

Where was she going this late at night?

My gut told me to follow her. I stayed back, letting her put some distance between us before heading to my car. As soon as she drove out of the packhouse gates, I followed. My heart pounded in my chest, my grip tight on the steering wheel.

“She is up to something,” I muttered.

Shadow, my wolf, growled in my mind. “She is hiding something from us. We need to be careful.”

I nodded to myself and stayed far enough behind that my headlights wouldn’t catch her attention. She took the road south, driving past the pack’s borders.

“This isn’t normal,” I murmured.

“She is leading us somewhere. Or to someone.”

I clenched my jaw, my mind racing. Camilla had been too careful these past few days. I had been watching her, but she had done nothing suspicious—until now. She was leaving the pack’s land, heading deeper into the unknown.

I kept following her, but the moment we reached the thick forest, a sudden mist rose from the ground. It was unnatural. The mist was dense, too dense for this time of night. I squinted, trying to keep my focus on her taillights, but within seconds, they disappeared.

“Damn it.” I slammed my foot on the brake, my car skidding slightly on the damp road.

Shadow snarled. “This isn’t right.”

I gritted my teeth. The mist was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It wasn’t just fog—it was thick, suffocating, and disorienting. I could barely see a few feet ahead. My headlights did nothing to cut through it.

I couldn’t drive any further. If I did, I would risk crashing into something unseen.

“She is gone,” I muttered, frustration clawing at my chest.

“She tricked us.”

I gripped the steering wheel, trying to calm my racing thoughts. This wasn’t normal. Camilla was meeting someone, and they had used this mist to keep me from following.

After a few minutes, the mist cleared, but when I looked around, I found myself at a crossroads. Three roads lay ahead of me, and I had no idea which one she had taken.

I cursed under my breath and chose the middle path, driving slowly, hoping to catch some sign of her. But there was nothing. No tracks, no sounds—just an eerie silence that sent chills down my spine.

After what felt like an hour of searching, I turned around and headed back to the packhouse. I wasn’t giving up—I just needed another plan.

When I got back, I went straight to Camilla’s room. I tried the handle.

Locked.

Of course. She wasn’t stupid.

I had a master key to every room in the packhouse, so I went to my room to retrieve it—but when I opened the box where I kept the keys, the one for Camilla’s room was missing.

“That b***h,” I muttered under my breath.

“She is covering her tracks. She knows we are watching her.” Shadow growled.

I let out a frustrated breath. Camilla had thought of everything. But she wasn’t going to outsmart me forever.

I wasn’t going to sleep tonight. I needed answers, and I was going to get them.

I made my way to the front door of the packhouse and leaned against the wall, waiting. My arms crossed, my body tense. Hours passed, the night stretching on in silence. The moon hung high in the sky casting a silver glow over the trees.

I stayed alert. I wasn’t going to miss her return.

Finally, just before dawn, I heard the soft crunch of tires on the gravel road.

Camilla.

I straightened up. Her car came into view, and she parked it in its usual spot like nothing had happened. I watched as she stepped out. She had a calm expression on her face.

She didn’t see me as she walked toward the entrance. But the moment she reached for the door, I spoke.

“Where were you?”

She jumped, spinning around, her hand flying to her chest. “Dorian! You scared me.”

I didn’t move. “Answer the question.”

She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “I just went for a drive. I couldn’t sleep.”

I narrowed my eyes. “A drive? All the way to the south?”

She hesitated, her lips pressing together. “I just needed some air.”

“Don’t lie to me, Camilla.” My voice was sharp. “I followed you.”

Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she composed herself. “You did what?”

“I followed you,” I repeated. “But then, suddenly, there was mist. Thick enough to make me lose sight of you.”

She tilted her head. “Fog? That’s not unusual, Dorian.”

I took a step closer. “Don’t play games with me. You were meeting someone.”

Her expression didn’t change. “Why would I be meeting someone?”

“Stop lying,” I snapped. “I know you’re hiding something.”

She sighed dramatically, crossing her arms. “Dorian, you’re being paranoid. I was driving, clearing my head. That’s all.”

I stared at her, my wolf pacing inside me.

“She is lying.”

I knew she was. But I didn’t have proof—yet.

I exhaled sharply. “We’ll talk later,” I said, stepping aside. “But this isn’t over.”

She walked past me, her chin lifted, but I didn’t miss the slight tension in her shoulders. She knew that she had been caught.

And I knew I had to find out the truth before it was too late.