Lisa's secret

It was almost 1:00 AM, but the moonlight glowed bright enough for Nora’s eyes to see everything happening in the cabin.

And she saw something she wished she’d never let her wolf witness.

Right there, on the wooden railings of the cabin, were Hunter and Lisa. He was pounding into her furiously, like a truck with no brakes.

Nora heard a whimper from Leah and immediately shifted into her human form. She masked their scent and slid behind a thick oak. The night was beautiful, a soothing breeze washing over them as she sat on the root of the tree so Leah could take a breather.

But that didn’t placate the wolf’s mood.

“With all the handsome men I’ve surrounded myself with, you still want this asshole?” Nora sighed.

Honestly, she felt bad for her wolf’s soft heart. She could feel every bit of Leah’s emotions.

“You’re both mean and heartless,” Leah panted in her head.

“I just chose to be happy, Leah.” Nora sighed again, biting her lower lip before continuing. “I’m sorry. We can never be the way you want us to be. That time has passed…”

Leah went silent, nursing her aching heart.

“Good thing we came. Now you can finally stop praying to the Moon Goddess to bring us back together.”

Nora stood to take them back to the pack house. If she’d known coming here would hurt her wolf like this, she would’ve rejected the idea.

While Leah was unraveling, Nora had already buried Hunter emotionally. That chapter was closed for her. But not for Leah. Every time Nora touched her other men, Leah would shut her out for days, sometimes months. Sometimes Nora thought her wolf would die of grief and leave her. That’s why Nora preferred shutting Leah out most of the time.

When Leah heard they were coming to the palace, she became active again, happy at just the prospect of being near her mate. And now, she was shut down emotionally once more.

Just then, lightning struck. The bushes swayed as a heavy breeze brought them to life.

“Time to go. I hope this gives you the closure you need to let go,” Nora said, standing to leave.

“Wait,” Nora exclaimed, stopping Leah from taking over their form.

Something pulled her eyes back to those two, and that was when her gaze locked on Hunter as he moved against Lisa.

“That crazy bitch,” Nora snarled, her jaws dropping as a low growl rumbled out.

“What?” Leah jerked. “I thought you didn’t feel anything?”

“Pay attention.”

At first, Leah didn’t grasp what Nora meant until she saw Hunter fall forward onto Lisa.

“What did she do to him?” Leah blinked, confused.

“I don’t know,” Nora shook her head. “I saw a dark energy engulf them before he collapsed on her.”

Both Nora and her wolf watched in suspicion and bewilderment as Lisa slowly lowered Hunter to the wooden floor.

The Alpha King was now motionless.

Strange.

Then Lisa hurried into the cabin and returned with something in her hand. She bent beside Hunter, grabbed his hand, and brought it to her mouth.

“Oh, I really don’t want to keep watching,” Leah blinked her tears away, averting her gaze.

But Nora felt something was wrong. She could feel it strongly.

In fact, there was no point in hiding anymore. She sensed danger in the air.

She walked into the clearing, heading straight for the cabin. But by the time she reached the terrace, Lisa was already standing. Another flash of lightning illuminated Nora, making it easy for Lisa to spot her.

Lisa’s eyes widened. She didn’t speak. She bolted inside and slammed the door.

When Nora saw Hunter on the floor, snoring softly, she was flabbergasted. He looked fine. At peace. But the air around him still hummed with unnatural energy.

“Perhaps you imagined it?” Leah whispered.

“I know what I saw. Something is going on, and I need to find out what it is,” Nora insisted. There was no mistake about what she’d witnessed.

She went into the cabin.

But after ransacking the entire space, she found nothing. No sign of the young woman. It was as though Nora had hallucinated both Lisa and the entire scene.

“She’s gone. No trace. No scent trail. As if the cabin swallowed her,” Nora said, still baffled.

“She’s definitely into weird dark magic,” Leah deduced.

Nora gasped, “Lisa was supposed to be just a she-wolf. Where the hell did she get this power?”

“We’ll find out,” Leah replied.

Nora sighed before a smirk crept onto her lips. She was already drawing a very interesting conclusion in her head.

She mind-linked Maverick. “Head to the cabin now, Beta. Lisa vanished. Your Alpha’s down.”

The pack link went quiet.

Just then, thunder rumbled. Another bolt of lightning flashed. The sky ripped open and the rain began to pour.

In seconds, it was torrential.

“Just what I need,” Nora muttered.

She stepped to the edge of the terrace and cupped cold water in her hands. The first splash did nothing. The second. The third. On the fourth, Hunter jolted awake, gasping, wiping water from his face.

“What’s going on?”

“Having to watch the Alpha King rut like an animal on his own terrace, that’s what,” Nora said flatly.

Hunter panicked. “What? Where’s Lisa? What did you do to her?”

Nora snorted. “Worry about yourself, Alpha.”

“I know what you’re capable of. What have you done?” Hunter stood, water dripping down his otherworldly body.

Leah’s breath caught in Nora’s chest. “Damn.”

Nora shoved her down hard. “Focus. He’s not worth it.”

“If anything happens to Lisa, I will—”

“Do you love her?” Nora cut in.

Hunter staggered. “What?”

“You look foolish if you can’t even answer that simple question,” Nora said, folding her arms across her chest as if that would stop Hunter’s gaze from roaming over her naked form.

“Of course I love her. She’s better than you in so many admirable ways. She’s not as dangerous and powerful as you,” Hunter defended, his cheeks heating at being caught staring.

“Still harboring that childish teaching your father drilled into you?” Nora was calm, her eyes burning into Hunter’s. “Isn’t it great how you’re always quick to admit weakness when it’s just us?”

“Remember, I’m still the Alpha King of the entire werewolf kingdom, Nora,” Hunter curled his lips in a smirk.

“You’re lucky to still hold that seat,” Nora said coldly, moving close to glare into Hunter’s eyes. Then she stepped back. “I’ve instructed your Beta to come for you through the pack link.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What do you even remember, Hunter?” Nora shot back.

Hunter went mute, biting his lip in embarrassment.

Nora shook her head. “The she-wolf you were with disappeared into thin air. Pray she isn’t linked to the beast.”

“Baby, did she hurt you?” Hunter asked, surprising Nora with the sudden switch.

“You don’t have a life,” Nora shook her head in irritation.

She shifted. In one fluid motion, she was a wolf. In the next, she vanished into the dark and the rain.

Behind her, Hunter stood frozen.

“Did I just call her baby, or did you?” he asked his wolf, realizing it himself.

“I told you not to do it here,” Magnus growled in his head. “This was supposed to be her place. Our place. And you defiled it with that witch.”

Hunter winced, clutching his chest as a sudden pain struck.

Magnus was hurting. Every moment with Lisa felt like a betrayal of something sacred, something that belonged only to Nora. Their mate. The woman they’d sworn to protect, to cherish. And instead, they’d broken her over and over.

“That is the least of my worries right now, Magnus,” Hunter exhaled, dragging a hand through his wet hair like a defeated soldier, but his voice cracked.

Magnus didn’t respond. He just howled — a low, mournful sound that echoed through the forest. A wolf mourning his mate, even though she stood right in front of him.

“I have my reasons, Magnus. Stop infusing us with pain!” Hunter growled, and Magnus whimpered.

“If she saw me with Lisa, then she must be right about what she saw. She even called Maverick to come,” Hunter analyzed, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach as he paced back and forth. “What was I doing on the floor, and where’s Lisa?”

“I remember going lightheaded while you were with her, and the rest was blank until we woke up,” Magnus said, his voice hollow.

“We have to find Lisa. Something is wrong,” Hunter breathed, pausing mid-step.

This wasn’t the first time he’d blacked out during sex with Lisa. He just hadn’t paid attention to it until now.