Chapter 69

Cora

A day passed, and I hadn’t heard from Daisy. Kingston had assured me it was alright, though; Daisy was flighty, but she always returned.

It was the evening, and Kingston had Silverfang pack responsibilities pulling him away, even though it was the weekend. I sat around trying to occupy myself in his absence, but I couldn’t shake the strange feeling crawling up my spine.

Something still felt off.

I felt it the way a wolf senses prey, ears pricked with awareness. The sun was just beginning to set, casting long golden rays across the grounds of Kingston’s estate, and yet my skin prickled with unease.

I turned my face to the wind. Among other senses, my sense of smell had heightened since the mating bond had been secured. And the smell on the air wasn’t quite right just then.

My wolf stirred uncomfortably, recognizing too that something was amiss.

I stepped outside, barefoot and intentionally quiet, following the tug in my chest that had grown stronger ever since my bond with Kingston had been sealed. At first, I thought it might be him, maybe home early from a late day with the pack. But the farther I walked around the perimeter of the estate, the clearer it became.

It wasn’t Kingston.

It was my instincts at work. And they had sensed her.

I caught the flash of blonde hair before I even saw her face.

Amy.

Dressed in black, crouched halfway behind the tall hedges that lined the rear of the mansion, like she had every right to spy.

The rage hit me like a wave, swift and hot. She had stalked him. Followed us. My hands clenched into fists.

I broke out into a run.

“Hey!” I shouted, voice cutting through the quiet like a blade. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Amy jerked upright, her eyes wide as they met mine, but only for a second. Then she turned and bolted.

Not today.

Fueled by a sudden, feral energy, I darted after her. A growl built in my throat as my wolf howled in approval from deep inside me, hunger and adrenaline lighting me up from within. She didn’t stand a chance. Not now. Not with the way my body moved, stronger, faster than it had ever been before.

I caught up to her near the edge of the property, near the boundary line where the gates ended. She was trapped in.

Amy stumbled against a tree, panting hard, and I planted myself between her and any chance of escape.

“You really thought you could stalk me,” I growled between breaths, “and get away with it?”

Amy scowled but didn’t answer, her chest heaving as she desperately panted. I could smell the fear on her, but there was something else beneath it, too. Satisfaction.

She wasn’t just caught; she was gloating. I watched a smirk spread across her face. Despite myself, I felt my stomach sink at her smug expression.

“So it’s true,” she said, straightening up. “You’re alive.”

I didn’t blink. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. “What gave it away? The fact I’m standing here?”

“Kingston’s been acting strange for days at work,” she said, shrugging. “The pack’s tight-lipped about his movements. You both didn’t exactly make it hard to figure out that something was wrong.”

My pulse thundered in my ears. “You’ve been watching him.”

“I’ve been watching both of you,” she snapped. “It was only a matter of time.”

“Why?” I demanded. “What do you gain from this?”

She tilted her head, a smirk twisting her mouth. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the satisfaction of seeing you lose everything. Again.”

I took a step closer. She didn’t flinch.

“I’m going to tell Kingston,” I said coldly. “That you’ve been spying on his home. You won’t be welcome here anymore. You won’t have a job.”

“Oh, please.” Amy snorted. “What are you going to do? Get rid of me like Zach?”

“That was an accident,” I said through gritted teeth.

“He was a fool, sure, but it’s awfully convenient for you. I can’t believe the Alpha King still keeps you around after that.”

“You don’t know him at all, then.”

“You think Kingston still cares what you think? You really believe he’d risk the entire pack for you?”

“He already has.”

She laughed, bitter and sharp. “Sure, maybe for a while. But you’ve been holed up in here like some fragile thing while the world keeps turning. Did you know he’s been on dates with Liana?”

I froze. The unfamiliar name hit me like a slap.

Amy saw it.

“Oh yes,” she said, voice rich with venom. “He met her at a big fancy lunch, from the sound of it. Pack-arranged. And she’s beautiful, by the way. Regal. The kind of woman who doesn’t have to fake her own death to get attention.”

“That’s not—” I started, but the words caught in my throat.

“Don’t look so surprised,” she said. “You gave him no choice. You think the Alpha King seat comes without expectations? He has to secure alliances. You think they’d accept you by his side when they find out what you are?”

“What I am?”

“A disgusting human.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve got that, among other things, horribly wrong, Amy.”

I could feel my wolf clawing against my insides, wanting out, wanting to silence her. But I held her back. Barely.

“And Liana?” Amy continued, voice low and cruel. “She’s everything you’re not. She’s safe. Predictable. Useful. She doesn’t bring omens and human bloodlines into the Alpha King’s home.”

My breathing was ragged now. I didn’t know whether to scream or sob. Every word she said was designed to slice deeper than the last, and inwardly, I admitted that some of them were hitting their mark.

Amy leaned in, like she was savoring the moment. “He’s moving on, Cora. And when I tell the pack you’re alive, that you’ve been hiding here like some secret mistress, they’ll make sure he doesn’t even look at you again.”

I staggered back a step.

She smiled. “I always knew you’d destroy him.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came. My heart was hammering so hard I thought my ribs might crack open. For one awful second, I felt small again. Weak. Powerless. Just like I had when they had threatened to take Riley from me.

But then something inside me snapped.

“No,” I whispered sharply. “You don’t get to break me.”

Amy’s smile faltered.

“I’ll tell Kingston everything,” I said, voice rising. “You’re done. You hear me? You don’t get to play spy. You don’t get to walk away from this untouched.”

She crossed her arms. “By the time you tell him, I’ll already have told half the pack your little secret.”

“You do that,” I snapped. “But remember this, Amy: if you expose me, you also expose Kingston. You drag down the Alpha King with your little game. Let’s see how long you survive after that.”

Something flickered in her eyes. She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

I took one step closer, until I was nearly nose to nose with the woman who had insisted on endlessly tormenting me for months.

“Get out of my sight,” I said. “And if I see you near this place again, I’ll show you just how wrong you are to assume I’m just a mere human.”

For a long, tense moment, neither of us moved. Then Amy gave a scoff, brushing past me with a false air of confidence.

“Tick tock, Cora,” she said over her shoulder. “The truth always comes out.”

And then she was gone.

I stood there for a long time, staring into the trees, shaking from the inside out.

Was Kingston truly moving on? Had I been foolish to believe this fragile, stolen moment between us could survive the real world? But we were mates… Surely he wouldn’t be looking into the affections of someone else, right?

I didn’t know.

All I knew was that I had to warn him before Amy made good on her threat.

Before the truth burned us all down. Again.