Alpha's Revenge: His Mate Kisses His Enemy

Two

Ariane:

I ran, knowing that if I didn't give my wolf the air she needed, she would rip me from flesh and bone to free herself, but the walk back to my cottage in the woods was a blur as I twirled the trinket in my fingers.

How could I have been so wrong? I had believed in the stories, fairy tales, and the magic of the mate bond. I had thought that Kaelen would be the one to see me—truly see me—and I had thought that our bond would be the thing that could never be broken. But here I was, alone, walking through the quiet woods, the echo of rejection following me like a shadow.

My wolf paced restlessly, her pain mirrored in every step I took.

When I finally reached the small cottage I had called home for the last ten years, I stopped at the door, my hand hovering above the handle.

Something was wrong.

The air around the cottage felt... off. There was an unnatural stillness, as if the forest itself was holding its breath. My wolf stirred uneasily, her senses alert, but it wasn't the normal sensation I felt when I came home at night.

No, this felt darker. More... twisted.

I opened the door slowly, stepping inside cautiously. The familiar scent of my home greeted me, but there was something else mixed in—a foreign, almost sickly sweet smell.

My heart skipped a beat as I scanned the room, my eyes landing on the small wooden table where I usually placed my potions and ingredients.

A shiver ran down my spine as I noticed the faint traces of dark magic lingering in the air.

Someone had come into my space, defiled it, and left their tainted energy behind. I could almost see the invisible footprints of whoever had been there.

I stepped further into the cottage, my hand trembling as I reached for the small vial of potion sitting on the table. I took it every night before bed to bind my wolf. I didn't need to let her slip. I knew this was my lifeline. The potion was a necessity.

For as long as I could remember, my wolf had always been a force I had to control instead of a being I wanted to coexist with.

Even before Kaelen came into the picture, something about me made my wolf dangerous and untamed. A force of nature that could snap if I lost control of her. If I let her run free, feel the broken bond, feel the raw, unfiltered pain of rejection, I fear what might happen.

Kaelen's rejection wasn't just emotional; it was a physical blow to my soul, to my very being. The pain twisted through her and me like a constant reminder of what we had lost. It had created a deeply rooted fear in me. It was the fear that my wolf—untethered—might destroy everything I had spent the last ten years building.

I needed the binding potion more than ever tonight. I needed to keep the beast within me caged, even though every part of me wanted to break free and howl in anguish. I could not allow myself to give in to the darkness that threatened to consume me, not when I was so close to losing everything else.

I uncorked the vial, the familiar scent of herbs and power filling my nostrils as I swallowed the bitter liquid in one smooth gulp.

The heat of the potion spread through my veins, and for a moment, I felt the relief of my wolf retreating. It wasn't enough to erase the hurt but gave me a brief reprieve from the chaos inside me.

I leaned against the table, staring at the empty vial in my hand, my thoughts swirling in an endless spiral.

How could Kaelen not feel it? How could he not feel the bond?

Sierra's words echoed in my ears; her venomous accusations were still sharp in my mind.

Dark magic.

Power-hungry.

She had called me a freak, a half-blood.

But the truth was, I had never wanted any of it. I had never wanted the Luna role or the power that came with it. I had only ever wanted Kaelen; now, even that was gone.

Whoever had entered my home, whoever had smeared their scent across everything I held dear, wasn't playing games. They were sending a message.

I stood there momentarily, my hand gripping the table's edge, my pulse steady, my mind racing. The room, once comforting, now felt like a battleground. Whoever had come here was trying to send a message, but what?

I didn't know who had invaded my space, but I would find them.

My mind thought of Kaelen. I pushed the thought aside. I couldn't afford to think about him now. His rejection still burned like an open wound, but this… this was something else entirely. I had to focus.

I grabbed the small knife from the counter, a tool I had used countless times to prepare herbs and make potions. It wasn't much of a weapon, but it gave me a sense of readiness, of agency that my magic could not provide right now. Not only did the binding potion work on my wolf, but it also worked on my magic, too. All I have left is my combat skills.

The cool night air hit me as I stepped outside, the moon hanging low in the sky, casting silver light over the forest. The scent of dark magic was thick now, unmistakable in the night air. I could feel it seeping into the soil, the trees, and their roots, but it left a trail I could follow if I trusted my instincts.

I moved quickly through the trees, the familiar sounds of the forest no longer comforting but eerily silent. My wolf stirred within me, restless and tense. But the binding potion still held her at bay—barely.

The trail of dark magic led me deeper into the woods, the air growing heavier and more suffocating with each step. The scent intensified, wrapping around me like a blanket of malice. I pushed through the underbrush, my senses heightened, my body coiled for whatever I might find.

And then, at the end of the trail, I saw it: a small vial discarded in the dirt, its contents almost completely drained. The faintest remnants of a black liquid clung to the sides of the glass. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized it for what it was: poison.

Fear gripped me like a vice. Someone had been here, and they had been prepared to kill. This vial—this poison—was not meant for a simple target. This poison was strong and deadly. It was meant for someone influential.

Whoever had been behind this had a plan, and the question that screamed in my mind was, who?

I bent down, my fingers brushing the dark glass of the vial, the weight of what I had just discovered sinking in.

My mind raced.

I couldn't stop the shiver that ran down my spine. This was no accident. This was a deliberate act of malice. And worse—someone in the pack was the target.

The moment the thought formed, a sickening realization struck me like lightning.

Kaelen.