Camellia's POV
I stumbled out of the hotel in a daze. My head was spinning as I tried to make sense of everything. Pulling out my phone, I drafted a text to Lionel. "Hey, it's Camellia. Let's just pretend last night never happened? I was totally wasted." But when I hit send, the message bounced back with that awful red exclamation mark. Blocked. Great. I shoved my phone in my pocket, weirdly relieved. At least he wanted to forget this too.In the hotel lobby restroom, I splashed cold water on my face until my eyeliner stopped running.
The sun was rising when I finally made it back to the packhouse, my sneakers crunching on the gravel driveway.The text notification made my stomach drop. Some random number sent a link. I shouldn't have clicked it, but my stupid thumb did anyway.
There they were - Hazel and Esmond tangled in bedsheets, his bare chest covered in scratch marks.My phone case cracked under my grip.
Compared to last night's pain, this hurt wasn't enough to break me. The mate bond between us felt like frayed rope about to snap. I took the back path to our cabin, avoiding the packhouse breakfast crowd. I carefully made my way back to the room I shared with Esmond. As soon as I pushed open the door, I saw him sitting on the couch. Esmond whirled around. His bloodshot eyes were locking onto me. "Where the hell were you last night? I tried mind-linking you and got static! You weren't in the pack!" Esmond stood up and walked quickly toward me, reaching for my hand, but I dodged. I smelled verbena on him. "Since when do you care where I am during full moon?" The scent of verbena clinging to his shirt making me nauseous. Esmond stepped closer, trying to take my hand again, but I dodged once more. "Don't touch me!" I said. He froze mid-reach. "Cam, come on. It was just pack business, you know how it is-"I didn't say anything. I just stared at him coldly.
My hand tightened around my phone, which felt like it was burning from the photo.Esmond's eyes flickered. His hand clenched at his side.
"You found it out, don't you?" His voice was calm, without any hint of panic, as if he had expected this day to come. I glared at his unflinching pupils. Lyra grew furious inside me. My canines pierced my gums and extended. My leather handbag burst under my wolfish claws, the metal clasp snapping and scratching his pale neck. "F*CKING MUTT!" he snarled, fur rippling up his arms. His alpha aura slammed into me - pine needles and copper. He stepped closer. "Don't touch me with a mouth that reeks of another b*tch's scent," I said through gritted teeth, eyeing the half-healed bite mark on his collarbone. "You could've asked for a rejection..." The Alpha's oppressive aura surged. His fingers turned into steel-like claws, gripping the back of my neck. "It was one stupid mistake during her heat cycle. My wolf went feral, okay? It was just a mistaken mark..." "Oh really?" I ripped my collar open. "Guess I'll go let the grey wolf from Red Rock Pack 'accidentally' mark me too then?" The room temperature dropped. Esmond's golden eyes glowed. "Try it. I'll rip out his throat and yours." The ice in his voice finally broke me. My heart turned to ice under his cold, emotionless gaze. So he knew betrayal was unforgivable, yet he still did it. "Remember what I said when you proposed?" My voice shook. "One betrayal and I'm gone.""Like hell!" He grabbed my wrist.
I wiped away a tear from the corner of my eye, my tone mocking and tinged with hatred. "I won't share a mate with any werewolf. And whether I leave is not up to you." "Cam, just give me another chance. She's just my secretary. I'll fire her today and transfer her pack, whatever you want," Esmond said. "Too late. Do you really think that can make up for your cheating? Cheating is unforgivable, among werewolves and humans alike," I replied. Esmond's face darkened even more. "We're mates. That bond doesn't break unless I say so." "No matter what you say, I've already made up my mind. I'll go tell Alpha Drogo and Luna Chelsea and ask for a mutual rejection," I said. Esmond tried to step closer. "Cam, don't do this. You need me, and I need you too." Lyra growled inside me. She hated Esmond. "Stay away from me!" I said.Third Person's POV"Esmond... I was wrong... I'm sorry, I didn't know Miss Sanders was really kidnapped..."Tears kept welling up in Hazel's eyes, her face filled with fear and regret.Esmond released her, turned away with a cold expression, and left.Only when the living room was empty did Hazel wipe away her tears. Her expression shifted from initial sadness and fear to calm.She got up, walked into the bedroom, and took out a document from the farthest corner of the bedside table. It read "Medical Report" in bold letters.After obtaining the medical reports of Esmond and Camellia, she had made a copy for herself.Now, it was time to put this medical report to use.She clutched the document tightly, her eyes filled with coldness.The next morning, Camellia was woken up by a racket.As soon as she opened her eyes, the ward door was pushed open. Claire's parents pushed past the nurse and hurried in.Vanya s
Third Person's POVEsmond instinctively defended himself, "I didn't..."Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, his wolf eyes contracted sharply into vertical gold-red lines, and his pine pheromones turned chaotic. "How did you know I was with Hazel?"Camellia stared at him, her Shadowfang Alpha aura leaking into her words, "Because I called you, and Hazel answered."The healing mark on her neck flared red in warning. "When I was at my most desperate and scared, you were with another woman."Lyra whined in her mind, and her canines punctured her lower lip. "How dare you show up here, acting as if nothing happened?"Esmond's face turned pale, his wolf ears flattening instinctively. "No... I have no call records..."He could scent the blood in Camellia's words—pheromones from her glands, activated by desperation."Then ask Hazel," her voice was icy, her rose-scented aura frosty."Cam, I will get to the bottom of this!"
Third Person's POVAfter Konstantin left with his men, Lionel drove Camellia to the hospital.During the ride, Camellia cast several glances at Lionel, hesitating to speak.Lionel turned to her and asked, "What's on your mind?"She pursed her lips and said, "Mr. Dalton, I'm curious… how did you know I was kidnapped and manage to find me here?""Konstantin had some data to ask you about. He called but you didn't answer. When he went to your place and found you gone, he did some investigating."He said it casually, but Camellia was filled with gratitude. "Mr. Dalton, I really appreciate it… If you and Mr. Carroll hadn't arrived in time, I might not have made it through the night."Lionel's expression was indifferent. "Don't overthink it. Focus on recovering."Camellia fell silent, determined to find a way to repay him.As they neared the hospital, she said, "Mr. Dalton, it's late. Just drop me off at the entr
Third Person's POVLionel had just stepped out of the car when he spotted a figure plummeting from the hotel's upper floors.An Alpha's signature frost instantly blanketed his features, the intimidating aura between his brows thick enough to curdle the air.His fingers, hanging by his sides, twitched into an unconscious curl, the whitened knuckles hinting at a beast close to breaking through, their tips tinged with a sickly blue-black.His face tightened, an unnameable panic surging in his chest.When his wolf eyes, with their night vision, revealed it wasn't Camellia, the surge of pine scent around him receded just as quickly, though his palms were already damp with sweat laced with wolf pheromones.Konstantin, following close behind, glanced at the crumpled figure on the ground and spoke in a deep voice, "Mr. Dalton, this is Connor. Miss Sanders should be upstairs."Lionel didn't acknowledge, instead turning and striding swiftly into the hotel.At that moment, on the hotel rooftop,
Lionel's POVI was reviewing lab surveillance footage when my suit pocket vibrated with an incoming satellite call.I answered, and Konstantin's urgent breathing filled my ear. "Alpha Lionel, Miss Sanders has gone missing!"My knuckles crushed a pen, splintering wood into sharp shards. "What's the situation?"Leroy whined anxiously in my mind."Her place is a mess. Her phone's on the sofa, but she's gone."Fabric rustled as Konstantin investigated. "There are drag marks on the hallway carpet, and in the kitchen...""Check it out." Cedar scent froze on my tongue as I loosened my tie and headed to the garage.A sudden pain seared my neck—my true mate was in danger.Unfortunately, without her marked, I couldn't pinpoint her location.Leroy's claws scraped my nerves."Let me take over," it growled."Shut up. Not the time to shift," I snapped back.Oddly, a flicker of anxiety stirred within m
Camellia's POVFrom Connor's conversation with that man, I figured out he kidnapped me for money.In a flash, everything became clear.Claire wanted me dead but didn't want to get involved, so she arranged for Connor to kidnap me. If I died, Connor would take the blame.She might even plan to kill him too. After all, dead men tell no tales.Seeing I didn't respond, Claire sneered, "If you don't call, you'll die right now."I knew calling Esmond was my only chance to survive.If I could hold on until he came, I might live."Alright, I'll call.""You give the number, I'll dial. But think carefully about what you say."She put Esmond's call on speakerphone.But it wasn't Esmond who answered. It was Hazel."Who's this?"Recognizing Hazel's voice, my heart sank."It's Camellia. I need to speak to Esmond."Hazel giggled. "Esmond's taking a shower. You can tell me what you want, and I'l