Chapter 19

Kayla

Isabella and Sadie stared at me in shock. For a moment, the room was silent.

“Why don’t you open the box now, dear?” Sadie finally said with a sweet smile.

I narrowed my eyes and set the box aside. Clearly, something was indeed off here; I wasn’t being paranoid or going insane after that aphrodisiac. “I appreciate your concern, Sadie, but I’ll open it when I’m ready.”

She blinked, a flicker of frustration crossing her face. “But it’s customary for the new Luna to inspect the contents immediately. Surely, you wouldn’t want to break tradition.”

I tilted my head. “Traditions are important, but so is trust. Don’t you trust your new Luna?”

Isabella’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps trust needs to be earned,” she said coldly. “Or maybe you have something to hide?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Hide? What exactly are you implying?”

“I’m implying that you’ve stolen the most important box of Nightshade pack,” Isabella accused, gesturing to the box. “Maybe we should turn you in to the guild.”

“What?” I blurted out with a scoff. “That makes no sense. You just handed it to me.”

Isabella shrugged her shoulders. “The way I see it, you just marched in here, took that box, and are hoarding it for yourself.”

“That’s utterly ridiculous,” I laughed. “Do you even have ‘proof’ that I stole this box? How do you intend to turn me in without proof?”

Sadie smirked. “We don’t need proof when your behavior speaks volumes, girl. Open the box, or face the consequences.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “No.”

“Excuse me?” Sadie’s face twisted into a scowl.

“I said no,” I repeated firmly. “I won’t be bullied into playing your games. For all I know, there’s a snake in this box. Someone already tried to poison me last night and I’m not about to let it happen again.”

Isabella’s lips curled. “You’re making a grave mistake, Kayla. There is no snake—there is nothing in that box other than a few artifacts and some paperwork.”

“Open it yourself, then,” I said. “And then we’ll see if you’re telling the truth.”

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nicholas walking past the open doorway. His eyes locked onto mine, then shifted to Isabella and Sadie. He must have overheard.

He strode into the room with an authoritative air. “Is there a problem here?” he asked, his gaze icy.

Isabella straightened, attempting to regain her composure. “Nicholas, we were just discussing some concerns regarding Kayla’s... suitability as Luna.”

“Concerns?” he echoed, arching a brow.

Sadie jumped in. “Yes, she refuses to open the Luna’s box. We believe she might have something to hide, if she’s so quick to dismiss tradition.”

Nicholas’s jaw tightened. He turned toward me.

I gestured to the box. “They’re being weird about it. I don’t trust that they haven’t… put something in there. After last night, I’m being cautious.”

Nicholas seemed to consider this for a moment, his eyes darting to the box. Then, he turned his piercing gaze to Sadie. “Sadie, as of this moment, you are relieved of your duties.”

Her eyes widened. “What? You can’t be serious!”

“I am,” he replied coolly. “Your delta rank is revoked. You are no longer permitted on Alpha Manor grounds.”

She looked to Isabella for support, but found none. Isabella was silent. “Nicholas, this is absurd!” Sadie protested.

He just sighed, looking more tired of this nonsense than sympathetic. “I will not tolerate baseless accusations against my Luna. If she doesn’t want to open a damned box, she doesn’t have to. Furthermore, I will be taking the box in for examination.” He held his hand out, and I gave him the box with a bit of glee.

Isabella bristled. “She’s undermining the very foundations of our pack!”

Nicholas faced her, his expression unwavering. “The only one undermining the pack is you, Isabella. Consider this your warning. Do not question your Luna again. And if I find anything in this box, you’re both under arrest.”

She opened her mouth to retort but thought better of it, snapping it shut with a glare.

Nicholas turned back to me, his features softening slightly. He extended an ornate key toward me. “Here. It’s a key to the manor. It belongs to you.”

I accepted the key, a warm sensation blossoming in my chest. “Thank you,” I said, eyeing Sadie and Isabella out of the corners of my eyes. To give someone a key to the Alpha Manor was no small thing; only the Alpha’s most trusted friends, family, and advisors held a key.

And as far as I know Isabella had her key revoked before I moved in, and Liam never had one to begin with.

Nicholas gave me a curt nod. “I trust you completely,” he said. “Now, I have some actual pressing matters to attend to.” With that, he exited the room, leaving Isabella and Sadie in stunned silence.

Sadie sputtered, “This isn’t over.”

I met her gaze calmly. “Yes, it is. Please leave.”

She huffed but obeyed, storming out with Isabella following closely behind.

Once they were gone, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The room felt lighter already without them in it.

Later, as I settled into my new role, no one dared to cause any more trouble. The handover of Luna duties proceeded smoothly. It felt empowering to step into this position, especially knowing Nicholas had my back.

Thankfully, there was nothing dangerous in the box; just an ink bomb set to explode if touched. It seemed that Sadie and Isabella plotted to have the box ruined when I opened it and then claim that I had stolen it and triggered the box’s defense mechanism before they could disarm it.

Pathetic, really.

Around noon, while organizing some documents, an email notification caught my attention. Opening it, I saw it was from the guild. My eyes skimmed over the words, and my heart sank.

“We regret to inform you that Alpha Nicholas’s application to become the acting Alpha has been rejected...”

“What?” I murmured, disbelief washing over me. This didn’t make sense. We had met all the criteria.

Determined to get answers, I decided to go to the guild headquarters myself. Grabbing my coat, I headed out of the manor.

But as I stepped outside, I collided with someone, nearly losing my balance.

“Easy there,” a familiar voice chuckled.

I looked up to see Liam smirking down at me. “Liam,” I said tersely. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Just visiting. Thought I’d see how my old friend is settling into her new role.”

“We’re not friends,” I replied, sidestepping him.

He moved to block my path. “So, you and Nicholas are just pretending to be married, huh?” He jabbed his finger toward my engagement ring.

I yanked my hand out of his reach. “Stop talking nonsense.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Then why hasn’t he covered my mark yet?”

My hand instinctively went to my neck, feeling the faint scar of the mating mark Liam had given me when we had become chosen mates all those years ago. I could still faintly feel the pierce of his fangs through my skin, a moment that I had thought was supposed to symbolize ‘forever’.

Panic fluttered in my chest. He had a point, and I had no ready explanation. Nicholas hadn’t given me a fresh mark to counteract the old one.

“I... That’s none of your business,” I retorted.

Liam chuckled darkly. “Struck a nerve, have I? Face it, Kayla, your little charade isn’t fooling anyone.”

“I have things to do. Don’t block my way,” I said, attempting to push past him.

But he blocked my way again and leaned in closer, his breath warm against my ear. “So, I can still use the chosen mate bond to make you fall in love with me, can’t I?”

Before I could react, a sudden heat surged through my neck. My heart raced, and an unwelcome wave of desire washed over me. Without thinking, I reached up and placed a hand on his chest, taking a step closer.

“See?” he whispered, his voice low and deep. “It’s still there between us.”

For a moment, I felt my resolve crumble. It was nearly impossible to resist the pull of a mating mark, even without a wolf of my own. If I felt like a puppet with Nicholas, then I was even more of one with Liam. Unless I kept my wits about me, Nicholas could probably convince me to make love with him right here on the front steps.

“No,” I said firmly, pulling my hand away. “Whatever we had is over.”

He grabbed my wrist tightly and pulled me close again. “Come on, let’s relive the good old times.”

I tried to wrench my hand free. “Let me go, Liam.”

He smirked and held me fast. “Why fight it? You know you still want me.”

“I trusted you once, and you betrayed me,” I growled, my temper flaring. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

His grip tightened. “Mistake? Leaving me was your mistake.”

“You’re delusional.”

He pulled me closer. “Am I? Your body says otherwise.”

“Get your hands off me!”

“Not until you admit you still feel it,” he taunted. He lowered his head, his lips brushing mine. Memories of thousands of kisses flooded through me, and I felt my tongue tingling, itching to taste him again even if my brain didn’t want to.

Just then, a deep, terrifying roar echoed through the air. “Liam, get out of my territory!”

I turned to see Nicholas standing a few paces away, his eyes blazing with fury.