Alpha's Revenge: His Mate Kisses His Enemy

Three

Ariane:

I made my way to Kaelen's office, the vial of poison clutched tightly in my hand. Maybe I could stop what was happening if I could reach Kaelen and show him that this wasn't a trick.

But the closer I got to the door, the more my heart twisted with fear and longing. Every step I took toward his office felt like a step toward a wall I couldn't scale.

I pushed open the door, and the familiar smell of his cologne and the smell of the office's worn leather furniture welcomed me. My stomach twisted at the sight of him—Kaelen, seated behind his desk, his sharp features relaxed but unreadable as he flipped through some papers.

Sierra was sprawled out on the couch, one leg draped over the armrest, holding a margarita in her hand, a smirk already on her lips as she saw me enter.

"Ariane," Kaelen said, glancing up at me but not with any warmth or recognition. "What is it? I'm kind of busy here."

The sting of his indifference hit me harder than I expected. The invisible thread that had always connected us was frayed, possibly beyond repair.

Despite the ache in my chest, I swallowed my emotions and stepped forward, sharply clicking the vial down on his desk.

Kaelen's brow furrowed as he looked at it, but Sierra immediately piped up, her voice dripping with disdain. "What's this? Another one of your little witch tricks?" she scoffed, swirling her margarita in her glass.

I ignored her, keeping my focus on Kaelen. He still wasn't looking at me the way he should have. There was no flicker of recognition, no spark in his eyes that showed he understood what we were. He just seemed confused and annoyed.

"Kaelen," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the storm of emotions swirling inside me. "This vial—it's poison. Someone in the pack is trying to poison us, or maybe me. I found it in the woods, along the trail that leads to my cottage, where someone had been in my house. I think someone is targeting Silverfang, and it's only a matter of time before someone is hurt—maybe worse." I paused, trying to meet his eyes and make him see the seriousness of the situation. "You need to believe me, Kaelen. This is serious. That poison is extremely deadly. It can kill someone with a little drop, and that vile is nearly empty,"

Sierra's laughter echoed through the room, shrill and sharp. "Oh, here we go again." She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing in mock sympathy as she placed her margarita down. "You're just trying to get attention, aren't you? Playing the victim will not make Kaelen feel sorry for you. First, you act like some tragically heartbroken mess because he doesn't want to be with you, and now you're coming in here with some vial like it's a grand conspiracy. News flash, Ariane—no one's trying to poison the pack."

She leaned back again, smirking as if she had just delivered the final blow. "If anyone's making poison, it's you. You're the freak, half-witch, half-werewolf, trying to convince everyone that you've got some special power. I'm sure you've been brewing all sorts of things in your little cottage. Maybe it's your way of getting back at Kaelen for choosing me."

Her words hit like a slap, each syllable dripping with venom. I could feel my wolf clawing at the surface, but I kept her at bay with all my strength. I wasn't going to let Sierra interfere with the truth this time. It wasn't just me at stake here.

Kaelen, though, didn't hear me at all. He was staring at the vial now, but it was like I wasn't even in the room. It was as if he couldn't see me. It was the same look he'd given me before, the look of someone who had no idea how to recognize his mate... his destiny. He couldn't acknowledge that I was the one who had been by his side since I was eight.

His eyes flicked from the vial to Sierra, and for a brief moment, the bitterness in my chest flared. How had I ever thought he could be mine?

"Ariane," he said, his voice distant and cold, finally meeting my gaze, but it was like he was looking through me, not at me. "This isn't helping. You're making a scene. No one's trying to hurt the pack. We've got it under control. Maybe you're just paranoid. You know, with all the witchcraft you're into…" He trailed off, his voice sounding like a dismissal.

Sierra's smile was as sharp as a knife. "Exactly," she added, her tone mocking. "You're just upset because Kaelen rejected you. So now you're trying to make everyone think there's a danger when it's just you trying to get his pity. The whole 'woe is me' act is getting old, Ariane."

I was done with this, with being painted as the villain, the freak, the outcast. I was done playing the part they had tried to force on me.

"I'm not playing games, Kaelen," I said quietly, my voice low but filled with an edge that made him stop momentarily. "I care about this pack. And you." I felt the weight of the words as they left my mouth, and for a heartbeat, it almost felt like I could feel the bond between us stir just a little. But the moment passed.

Kaelen didn't respond. His gaze shifted back to the vial, and Sierra gave a little satisfied huff beside him, obviously enjoying the scene she was creating. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stood there for just a moment longer, trying to push back the despair.

Then, without a word, I turned and walked out of the office, my heart aching with the weight of everything left unsaid between us.

I wasn't going to beg him to believe me. I wasn't going to plead for his recognition. But I would not let him—them—drag me into their lies. I wouldn't have a hand in whatever happened to Silverfang because he refused to listen to me.

I would go home, make a plan, and do what needed to be done.

The darkness of night felt heavier than usual as I sat in my small cottage, the weight of the day's events pressing down on me like an unseen force. Now locked safely in a drawer in Kaelen's office, the vial kept playing on my mind. My thoughts were a mess—fueled by fear, anger, and the gnawing feeling that something terrible was about to happen—something I couldn't stop.

Just as I tried to quiet my mind, a mind link rattled my brain, nearly making me fall out of my chair. Asher, Kaelen's beta, called through, his voice sharp and urgent rang in my head.

"This is Asher. Listen up, everyone. Alpha Kaelen's father has been murdered. Poisoned. We believe the same person who poisoned him is still among us. Stay alert. We're looking for a person of interest. If you see anything suspicious, report it immediately."

Poison? Alpha Orion was killed with poison?

Had the person I had sensed been targeting him all along? The thought made my skin crawl, and I instantly thought of the dark magic still lingering around the vile. Everything pointed to that dark magic. Whoever had killed Alpha Orion had been moving in the shadows, and I was afraid that without Kaelen's support, no one could stop them.

But then, as I tried to make sense of everything, there was a knock at my door. The sound was sharp and abrupt, breaking through the silence of my thoughts.

When I opened the door, Asher stood there, his broad frame silhouetted by the dim light outside.

His expression was hard, and his usual warmth was absent, replaced by a tension I had never seen in him before. His eyes were filled with regret, but there was something else there—something heavy that I couldn't quite place.

"Ariane," he said, his voice low, almost apologetic. "We need to talk."

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my efforts to stay calm.

Asher exhaled, clearly struggling with what he had to say. "Ariane, the Alpha's father, is dead. Poisoned. And…” He paused, his eyes lowering slightly. I could see the conflict behind them. "The pack is on high alert. We've got to find the person responsible. And…” He glanced away momentarily as if gathering the courage to continue. "By orders of the Alpha, I have to arrest you, Ariane. I'm sorry."