Chapter 12

Lucian’s grip tightened so I could feel the weight of his rage. His eyes burned with something dark—anger, fear, both. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t look away. I finally understood something critical. They wouldn’t kill me. Not now. Not when I was the only thing keeping them from unraveling.

I had calmed Lucian, and he knew it. And my presence must have been helping Kieran, too. He wasn’t just tormenting me by keeping me close all the time. He was clinging to me.

“I’m not your enemy,” I said, voice steady despite the pressure on my throat. “I am the one thing keeping your wolves from breaking free and tearing this place apart.”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed.

“I know what’s happening,” I continued. “The loss of control. The bloodlust. You and Kieran are breaking, and you know it. You can feel it.”

Lucian said nothing. But his silence wasn’t denial—it was hesitation. Doubt.

“I can calm you,” I said, low and deliberate. “You felt it last night, Lucian. When your wolf nearly took over, who brought you back? Who kept you from losing it completely?”

The fingers around my throat twitched. And then, slowly, they uncurled. Lucian stepped back, his expression unreadable, the storm in his eyes dimming but not vanishing.

I coughed once and breathed in, chest heaving. My neck throbbed, but I kept my gaze locked on his. I had one shot to play this right.

“You need me,” I said flatly. “And if I’m going to help you… I want something in return.”

His brow lifted. “You’re bargaining with an alpha?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” I snapped. “I have something you want. You have something I want. It’s mutual benefit, and mutually assured destruction. Because if you turn on me, I’ll make sure your enemies find out just how fragile you both really are, and they’ll rip you apart.”

Kieran snorted from somewhere behind his brother. I didn’t dare look away from the Alpha pinning me to the wall to check exactly where he was.

“You’re stone cold,” Kieran said.

“I’m a suvivor,” I replied.

I looked at Lucian. “Do we have a bargain?” I asked.

Lucian didn’t answer right away. His stare was unrelenting, like he was trying to see through me, peel away the words to examine the motive underneath.

“You’re bold,” he finally muttered. “A half-wolf threatening an alpha.”

“It’s not a threat,” I said. “It’s a deal.”

Silence stretched between us. Then, finally, Lucian gave a short nod. “Fine. You’ll stay. You’ll calm us when necessary. No questions. No games.”

I crossed my arms. “And in return, once you’ve either recovered or found your fated mate, you let me go. I walk away, and you don’t chase me. You don’t allow anyone else to chase me, either. You get your sanity, I get my freedom. Fair exchange.”

His jaw ticked. But he nodded. I’d won the first battle. But I knew it wouldn’t be the last one. Their pride would never let them be bested by a half wolf.

Lucian didn’t know that the mate he was searching for—the one he was desperate to find—was standing right in front of him. And I planned to keep it that way. Because if he or Kieran ever discovered I was their fated mate, I’d never leave this place alive.

Kieran didn’t argue the terms. He simply looked at me, unreadable as ever, and said, “Then we’ll call when we need you.”

“No,” I said. “You don’t call. You ask. I’m not some object you summon. I’ll help when your wolves start to spiral, but the rest of the time, I’m not your plaything.”

Lucian looked ready to protest, but Kieran raised a hand.

“She’s right,” Kieran said smoothly. “If we treat her like a prisoner, she won’t be any use. Let her have space.”

Lucian’s glare could’ve cut stone, but he didn’t argue.

I reached up to remove the collar and return it to Kieran. I wasn’t his pet anymore.

He held up his hand. “Wait,” he said.

“Why?” I demanded.

“If you suddenly don’t have the collar, people will wonder what’s changed,” he said. “They’ll try to guess what you’ve done to earn its removal.”

“And you promised not to reveal our secrets,” Lucian said with a smirk.

I hated to admit it, but they had a point.

“Fine,” I said, “I’ll wear it. But I take it off and put it on, not you.”

Kieran shrugged. “That’s all right. For now.” He winked. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll want me to put a collar on you sometime.”

“That is never going to happen,” I growled.

For the first time in weeks, I had something I hadn’t dared hope for, freedom. Not the level of freedom I was accustomed to, but enough to breathe.

I trained in the gardens without guards shadowing me. I wandered the lesser halls. I even ate in silence, alone, just the way I liked it.

Of course, peace never lasted long. Not for me.

The Alpha House was buzzing in preparation for the upcoming mate ball, a week-long festival drenched in bloodlines, perfumes, and desperate ambition. Girls from every allied pack were arriving by the hour, all vying for the title of chosen mate. It was revolting. Like watching a parade of peacocks throw themselves at hunters.

I stayed far away from it. I had no place there, and no interest. That didn’t stop her from finding me.

I was running drills in the garden, my sweat-soaked shirt clinging to my spine, fists bruised from hours of training. That’s when I heard the giggle. Sharp, calculated. The sound of high heels on stone.

Chloe.

Of course it was Chloe.

She walked toward me flanked by two of her ever-present followers, pretty little minnows swimming in her wake. She never went anywhere without her devoted entourage.

“Well, look what the wolves dragged in,” she said, voice sweet like poisoned chocolate. Her gaze drifted immediately to the collar at my throat. “Still wearing that charming accessory?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to.

She smiled wider, smug. “I always said defiance had a price. But I didn’t think it’d be so… literal. That collar’s a bit much, even for the twins.”

One of her shadows let out a snarky giggle. I kept my stance relaxed, though my pulse spiked.

“You know,” Chloe said, circling me like a cat with a half-dead bird, “you’re the only girl here not invited to the mate ball.”

I didn’t respond. Mostly because I didn’t care about attending the mate ball.

“Because you’re not a mateless girl,” she added, her tone dripping with condescension. “You can’t be. Not with that… bloodline problem. Isn’t that right?”

There it was. The veiled jab. Everyone knew about Adrian—a mark that couldn’t be broken.

It didn’t matter that Chloe had been mated to him. She rejected him to keep her place in the pack when he was banished. As a half wolf, I didn’t have that option.

I turned away. “Find someone else to flirt with, Chloe. I’m not in the mood.”

“You never are,” she said with mock pity. “Maybe that’s why no one wants you.”

I clenched my jaw—and that’s when I saw him.

Kieran.

He stood behind her, leaning casually against a pillar, arms crossed, watching like it was all some kind of entertainment. His eyes locked with mine for a beat too long. He didn’t speak. Didn’t intervene. Just watched.